Digital Watermarks

• US 20100146285A1
• Filed: 10/07/2009
• Published: 06/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Rhoads, Geoffrey B., Carr, J. Scott
• Granted Patent: US 8,036,419 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/41 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0028 Adaptive watermarking, e.g. Human Visual System [HVS]-based watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/005 Robust watermarking, e.g. average attack or collusion attack resistant
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0065 Extraction of an embedded watermark; Reliable detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0202 whereby the quality of watermarked images is measured; Measuring quality or performance of watermarking methods; Balancing between quality and robustness
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32144 embedded in the image data, i.e. enclosed or integrated in the image, e.g. watermark, super-imposed logo or stamp
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32277 Compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/327 which are undetectable to the naked eye, e.g. embedded codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/33357 Compression mode

Abstract

The present invention relates generally to digital watermarking and steganographic data hiding. In one embodiment a method of rendering content to a user is provided. The rendered content includes a digital watermark embedded therein. In another embodiment, digital watermarking is utilized to facilitate purchase or lease of audio or video content over a network or with a remote computer. In still another embodiment, a compression characteristic is determined, and subsequent steganographic embedding is influenced based on the characteristic. Other embodiments are provided as well.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving packaged content over a computer network as a result of a negotiated transaction involving payment by a user, the content being packaged with at least encryption;

unpackaging the content for rendering to the user,

but prior to rendering, embedding a digital watermarking in the unpackaged content,

the digital watermarking including auxiliary information,

the auxiliary information comprising a first portion associated with permissible uses of the content and a second portion including information generated upon unpackaging the content, and

the digital watermarking carrying the auxiliary information in the unpackaged content through alterations to data representing the content; and

rendering the embedded content to the user.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the information generated upon unpackaging the content comprises information associated with a distributor of the packaged content.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein information generated upon unpackaging the content comprises information associated with the user.

25. A programmed computing device comprising instructions stored in memory, said instructions causing said programmed computing device to perform the method of claim 1.

4. A method comprising:

through a computerized user interface, receiving a selection identifying an object displayed through the computerized user interface;

analyzing the object to decode a digital watermark embedded in the object, the digital watermark being embedded in the object through alterations to data representing the object,

the digital watermark comprising information to facilitate a transaction via a remote computer, the transaction involving purchase or selection of audio or video content associated with the object,

receiving transaction information through the computerized user interface;

communicating the transaction information to the remote computer;

receiving from the remote computer an authorization,

the digital watermark information cooperating with the authorization to allow access to the audio or video content associated with the object.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the digital watermark information comprises executable code, the executable code utilizing the authorization to allow access to the audio or video content associated with the object.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the digital watermark information comprising a pointer to executable code, the executable code utilizing the authorization to allow access to the audio or video content associated with the object.

7. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon including instructions to cause an electronic processor to perform the method of claim 4.

8. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon including instructions to cause an electronic processor to perform the method of claim 5.

9. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon including instructions to cause an electronic processor to perform the method of claim 6.

10. The method of claim 4 wherein the data representing the object comprises transform domain coefficients.

11. The method of claim 4 wherein the object comprises a compressed or encrypted version of the audio or video.

12. The method of claim 4 wherein the object comprises a graphical representation associated with the audio or video content.

26. A programmed computing device comprising instructions stored in memory, said instructions causing said programmed computing device to perform the method of claim 4.

13. A method comprising:

obtaining first audio content or first video content, the first audio content or first video content comprising a steganographic signal embedded therein;

using at least a programmed electronic processor, determining at least one compression characteristic associated with the embedded first audio content or first video content;

influencing steganographic embedding of second audio content or second video content based at least in part on the compression characteristic.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the steganographic embedding utilizes a transform domain.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the compression characteristic comprises a bit rate.

16. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon including instructions to cause an electronic processor to perform the method of claim 13.

17. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon including instructions to cause an electronic processor to perform the method of claim 15.

27. A programmed computing device comprising instructions stored in memory, said instructions causing said programmed computing device to perform the method of claim 13.

18. A method comprising:

obtaining compressed content;

using at least a programmed electronic processor, determining at least one characteristic associated with compression of the compressed content;

adjusting steganographic embedding of content based at least in part on the characteristic associated with the compression,

the steganographic embedding hiding plural-bits in content through alterations to data representing content.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the characteristic is associated with a relationship between steganographic embedding and compression.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the adjusting enables relatively more robust stegangraphic embedding with respect to the compression.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein the data representing content comprises transform domain coefficients.

28. A programmed computing device comprising instructions stored in memory, said instructions causing said programmed computing device to perform the method of claim 18.

22. A method comprising:

obtaining compressed content;

using at least a programmed electronic processor, determining at least one characteristic associated with compression of the compressed content;

adjusting detection of a steganographically hidden code based at least in part on the characteristic associated with the compression,

the steganographically hidden code comprising plural-bits hidden in the content through alterations to data representing the content.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the data representing the content comprises transform domain coefficients.

24. The method of claim 22 wherein the content comprises audio or video.

29. A programmed computing device comprising instructions stored in memory, said instructions causing said programmed computing device to perform the method of claim 22.