METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR PROVIDING ONLINE DIGITAL IMAGE RIGHTS MANAGEMENT AND IDENTITY PROTECTION IN A DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT
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Abstract
Methods and systems for providing photographic rights management and identity protection. The invention is premised on the assumption that the individual that first registers an uploaded image is the rightful owner for the purposes of the uploading host website. Once rightful ownership is established in an uploaded digital image instance, the rightful owner may select the degree of protection they desire to assign over their uploaded image and are given authority over their image.
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Citations
47 Claims
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1-27. -27. (canceled)
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28. A computer-implemented method for providing photographic rights management and identity protection at an uploading host site, the method comprising:
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a) uploading images to a plurality of local servers, each local server being configured to enable users to upload and maintain images, said uploads further including at least user specified privacy setting meta-data associated with the uploaded images, each of said local servers being a host computer for a respective photo-sharing web site, each of said photo-sharing web sites used for social networking purposes, b) forwarding a copy of the images uploaded from each of the local servers and the corresponding associated user specified privacy setting meta-data to a central server to be evaluated at the central server for identity protection and photographic rights management, c) comparing, at said central server, a currently uploaded image from a current user, with all of the previously uploaded images uploaded from other users at earlier points in time relative to the upload of the currently uploaded image to determine whether said currently uploaded image is similar to at least one of said previously uploaded images, wherein said currently uploaded image-and said previously uploaded images are non-associated images uploaded from different users and are not watermark images, d) identifying, based on said comparison performed at said central server, at least one previously uploaded image from among all of said previously uploaded images to be similar to said currently uploaded image, wherein similarity is based on pattern matching and image recognition techniques, e) retrieving, at the central server, the user specified privacy meta-data to the identified similar image to determine a level of restriction specified by the privacy meta-data, f) restricting said current user'"'"'s usage rights associated with said current user'"'"'s currently uploaded image by notifying the current user that the currently uploaded image will be removed from the local server, in the case where the user specified privacy meta-data associated with the identified similar image is set to restricted status, g) semi-restricting said current user'"'"'s usage rights associated with said current user'"'"'s currently uploaded image by notifying the current user that the currently uploaded image will be allowed for a limited period of time until a final status determination is made, in the case where the user specified privacy meta-data associated with the identified similar image is set to restricted status, h) not restricting said current user'"'"'s usage rights associated with said current user'"'"'s currently uploaded image by notifying the current user that the currently uploaded image of the current user will be allowed to be maintained on the local server, in the case where the user specified privacy meta-data associated with the identified similar image is set to non-restricted status. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. A system for providing photographic rights management and identity protection, the system comprising:
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a processor; a memory connected to the processor and storing instructions for operating the processor to perform the steps of; uploading images to a plurality of local servers, each local server being configured to enable users to upload and maintain images, said uploads further including at least user specified privacy setting meta-data associated with the uploaded images, each of said local servers being a host computer for a respective photo-sharing website, each of said photo-sharing websites used for social networking purposes, forwarding a copy of the images uploaded from each of the local servers and the corresponding associated user specified privacy setting meta-data to a central server to be evaluated at the central server for identity protection and photographic rights management, comparing, at said central server, a currently uploaded image, from a current user, with all of the previously uploaded images-uploaded from other users at earlier points in time relative to the upload of the currently uploaded image to determine whether said currently uploaded image is similar to at least one of said previously uploaded images, wherein said currently uploaded image-and said previously uploaded images are non-associated images uploaded from different users and are not watermark images, identifying, based on said comparison performed at said central server, at least one previously uploaded image from among all of said previously uploaded images to be similar to said currently uploaded image, wherein similarity is based on pattern matching and image recognition techniques, retrieving, at the central server, the user specified privacy meta-data corresponding to the identified similar image to determine a level of restriction specified by the privacy meta-data, restricting said current user'"'"'s usage rights associated with said current user'"'"'s currently uploaded image by notifying the current user that the currently uploaded image will be removed from the local server, in the case where the user specified privacy meta-data associated with the identified similar image is set to restricted status, semi-restricting said current user'"'"'s usage rights associated with said current user'"'"'s currently uploaded image by notifying the current user that the currently uploaded image will be allowed for a limited period of time until a final status determination is made, in the case where the user specified privacy meta-data associated with the identified similar image is set to restricted status, not restricting said current user'"'"'s usage rights associated with said current user'"'"'s currently uploaded image by notifying the current user that the currently uploaded image of the current user will be allowed to be maintained on the local server, in the case where the user specified privacy meta-data associated with the identified similar image is set to non-restricted status. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45, 46, 47)
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Specification