SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SECURING CONTENT DELIVERED USING A PLAYLIST

• US 20130054972A1
• Filed: 02/17/2011
• Published: 02/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verimatrix Incorporated (Verimatrix SA)
• Original Assignee: Verimatrix Incorporated (Verimatrix SA)
• Inventors: Thorwirth, Niels J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,532,113 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/14 using a plurality of keys or algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23892 involving embedding information at multiplex stream level, e.g. embedding a watermark at packet level
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23895 involving multiplex stream encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26258 for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8358 involving watermark protecting executable software by watermarking G06F21/16; image watermarking in general G06T1/0021; watermarks inserted in still images for transmission purposes H04N1/32144; inserting watermarks during video coding H04N19/467
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02

Abstract

Systems and methods in accordance with embodiments of the invention enhance the security of content distribution using individualized playlists. In many embodiments, a playlist is individually composed for a client device so that the selection of content included in the playlist encodes information. One embodiment includes generating a watermark sequence, where each watermark sequence is a unique identifier, selecting between alternative chunks of encoded content based upon the watermark sequence, where each of the alternative chunks of encoded content includes the same perceptual content and differs in the way it is watermarked, and listing the selected chunks in a playlist, where content assembled using the playlist includes a unique watermark sequence.

Claims

1. A method of generating a plurality of unique playlists, where content assembled using each playlist includes a unique watermark sequence, and the method of generating each of the plurality of unique playlists comprises:

generating a watermark sequence, where each watermark sequence is a unique identifier;

selecting between alternative chunks of encoded content based upon the watermark sequence, where each of the alternative chunks of encoded content includes the same perceptual content and differs in the way it is watermarked; and

listing the selected chunks in a playlist, where content assembled using the playlist includes a unique watermark sequence.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the alternative chunks includes an imperceptibly embedded watermark, and one of the alternative chunks is unmodified.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the alternative chunks includes a different imperceptibly embedded watermark.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein each of the alternative chunks includes a different amount of embedded information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the number of alternative chunks differs for different sections of the content.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

selecting between alternative chunks of encoded content based upon the watermark sequence further comprises selecting between alternative groups of chunks based upon the watermark sequence, where each chunk in a group of chunks includes the same perceptual content encoded using different encoding parameters and is watermarked in the same way, and alternative groups of chunks encode the same perceptual content and differ in the way they are watermarked; and

listing the selected chunks in the playlist further comprises listing the chunks from the selected groups of chunks in the playlist.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected chunks are listed in the playlist using links to the selected chunks of encoded content.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein at least one of the links is a single use link.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein each single use link includes a unique token.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein at least one of the links is a destination link.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein each destination link includes a token indicative of a client device.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising inserting a playlist-bound key into the playlist.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting between alternative chunks of encoded content based upon the watermark sequence further comprises selecting between chunks where each of the alternative chunks is encrypted in a different way.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein each of the alternative chunks is encrypted using a different encryption key.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein selection between alternative chunks of encoded content is performed as the watermark sequence is generated.

16. A method of generating a plurality of playlists, where content assembled using each playlist is encrypted using a different sequence of content keys, and the method of generating each playlist comprises:

generating a sequence of content keys;

selecting between alternative chunks of encrypted content based upon the sequence of content keys, where each of the alternative chunks of encrypted content includes the same perceptual content and is encrypted using a different content key; and

listing the selected chunks in a playlist, where content assembled using the playlist requires the sequence of content keys for decryption.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein selection between alternative chunks of encrypted content is performed as the sequence of content keys is generated.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising modifying the sequence of content keys by modifying at least one of the content keys using information derived from one of the selected chunks of encrypted content.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the number of alternative chunks of encrypted content differs for different sections of the content.

20. A method of providing content for downloading using a plurality of unique playlists, where content assembled using each playlist includes a unique watermark sequence, comprising:

encoding sections of the content as alternative chunks of encoded content, where each of the alternative chunks of encoded content includes the same perceptual content and differs in the way it is watermarked;

generating a plurality of unique playlists, where each playlist is generated by;

generating a watermark sequence, where each watermark sequence is a unique identifier;

selecting between the alternative chunks of encoded content based upon the watermark sequence; and

listing the selected chunks in a playlist, where content assembled using the playlist includes a unique watermark sequence; and

providing chunks of content to client devices in accordance with requests made using the plurality of unique playlists, where the content assembled by each client device includes a unique watermark sequence.

21. A system configured to generate a plurality of unique playlists, where content assembled using each playlist includes a unique watermark sequence, the system comprising:

a server configured to generate a watermark sequence, where each watermark sequence is a unique identifier;

wherein the server is also configured to select between alternative chunks of encoded content based upon the watermark sequence, where each of the alternative chunks of encoded content includes the same perceptual content and differs in the way it is watermarked; and

wherein the server is configured to list the selected chunks in a playlist, where content assembled using the playlist includes a unique watermark sequence.

22. A system configured to generate a plurality of playlists, where content assembled using each playlist is encrypted using a different sequence of content keys, the system comprising:

a server configured to generate a sequence of content keys;

wherein the server is configured to select between alternative chunks of encrypted content based upon the sequence of content keys, where each of the alternative chunks of encrypted content includes the same perceptual content and is encrypted using a different content key; and

wherein the server is configured to list the selected chunks in a playlist, where content assembled using the playlist requires the sequence of content keys for decryption.

23. A system configured to provide content for downloading using a plurality of unique playlists, where content assembled using each playlist includes a unique watermark sequence, the system comprising:

an encoder configured to encode sections of the content as alternative chunks of encoded content, where each of the alternative chunks of encoded content includes the same perceptual content and differs in the way it is watermarked;

a server configured to generate a plurality of unique playlists, where each playlist is generated by;

generating a watermark sequence, where each watermark sequence is a unique identifier;

selecting between alternative chunks of encoded content based upon the watermark sequence; and

listing the selected chunks in a playlist, where content assembled using the playlist includes a unique watermark sequence; and

a server configured to provide chunks of content to client devices in accordance with requests made using the plurality of unique playlists, where the content assembled by each client device includes a unique watermark sequence.