SCALING INDEPENDENT TECHNIQUE FOR WATERMARKING IMAGES WITH RECORDER SHUT-OFF
First Claim
1. A method to prevent illicit copying of video information comprising:
- a) embedding a watermark having a first scale selected from a range of scales in the video information for a first time period;
b) during or at the end of the first time period, embedding a watermark having another scale selected from the range of scales in the video information for a second time period; and
c) repeating step (b) using a different scale until each of the scales is used a predetermined number of times;
whereby the watermark is restored to a position and size detectable by a typical watermark detector at least the predetermined number of times.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A robust technique to prevent illicit copying of video information notwithstanding the use of image scaling. A watermark is embedded into the video signal (e.g., DVD'"'"'s content or other video sources) at different scales (i.e., sizes). The watermark is maintained at each scale for a predetermined time duration that is sufficient to allow the detector circuit in a DVD-recorder, DVHS recorder, DVCR, or any other digital format recorder to detect, extract, and process information contained in the watermark. At the end of the predetermined time duration, the watermark is changed to a different scale preferably on a pseudo-random basis to ensure that each one of all the scales in a predetermined scaling range is achieved a predetermined number of times. Thereby the recorder shuts off a number of times during play of the content, each time the detector circuit senses the watermark.
6 Citations
55 Claims
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1. A method to prevent illicit copying of video information comprising:
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a) embedding a watermark having a first scale selected from a range of scales in the video information for a first time period; b) during or at the end of the first time period, embedding a watermark having another scale selected from the range of scales in the video information for a second time period; and c) repeating step (b) using a different scale until each of the scales is used a predetermined number of times; whereby the watermark is restored to a position and size detectable by a typical watermark detector at least the predetermined number of times. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A record carrier storing a content, the record carrier having a watermark at different scales embedded into the content according to a pattern such that the watermark having a first scale selected from a range of scales is embedded in the content of the record carrier for a first time period, during or at the end of the first time period, a watermark having another scale selected from the range of scales is embedded in the content of the record carrier for a second time period, subsequent watermarks having different scales are embedded in the content until each of the scales is used for a predetermined number of times;
- whereby the watermark is restored to a position and size detectable by a typical watermark detector at least the predetermined number of times.
- View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A signal carrying video information embodied in a propagation medium, the video information signal having a watermark at different scales embedded into the video information according to a pattern such that the watermark having a first scale selected from a range of scales is embedded in the video information for a first time period, during or at the end of the first time period, a watermark having another scale selected from the range of scales is embedded in the video information for a second time period, subsequent watermarks having different scales are similarly embedded in the video information until each of the scales is used for a predetermined number of times;
- whereby the watermark is restored to a position and size detectable by a typical watermark detector at least the predetermined number of times.
- View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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41. A method to provide watermarked video, comprising:
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a) providing a video stream; b) providing a watermark; c) in a first time period, embedding the watermark having a first scale in the video stream; d) in a second subsequent time period, embedding the watermark having another second scale in the video stream without scaling the video stream by the second scale; e) in a third subsequent time period, embedding the watermark having another third scale in the video stream without scaling the video stream by the third scale; and f) repeating steps (c), (d), and (e) a predetermined number of times; whereby upon playback of the video stream with the embedded watermarks, a scaling of the video stream results in at least one of the embedded watermarks being restored to a predetermined size and location in the video stream;
whereby at the predetermined size and location the watermark is detectable by a typical watermark detector at least the predetermined number of times. - View Dependent Claims (42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53)
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54. A record carrier storing video content and further comprising:
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a watermark embedded in the video content at different scales such that in a first time period of the video content the watermark is embedded in the video content having a first scale; in a second subsequent time period of the video content the watermark is embedded in the video content having another second scale, without the video content in the second period being scaled by the second scale; and in a third subsequent time period of the video content the watermark is embedded in the video content having another third scale, without the video content in the second period being scaled by the third scale, whereby upon playback of the video content, a scaling of the video content results in at least one of the embedded watermarks being restored to a predetermined size and location;
whereby at the predetermined size and location the watermark is detectable by a typical watermark detector at least the predetermined number of times.
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55. A method of embedding a plurality of watermarks in a video signal, comprising:
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a) embedding a watermark having a first scale selected from a range of scales in the video signal for a first time period; b) during or at the end of the first time period, embedding a watermark having another scale selected from the range of scales in the video signal for a second time period; c) repeating step (b) using a different scale until a predetermined number of scales is reached; and d) repeating steps (a), (b) and (c) a predetermined number of times.
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Specification