TECHNOLOGY VALIDATION AND OWNERSHIP

• US 20190182053A1
• Filed: 08/09/2017
• Published: 06/13/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Software Integrity Group Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Synopsys Incorporated
• Inventors: VARPIOLA, Mikko Einari, SHINNERS, Craig E.
• Granted Patent: US 11,943,369 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/16 Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2220/00 Business processing using cryptography postage metering system using cryptography G06Q2250/05
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/184 Intellectual property management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0861 Generation of secret information including derivation or calculation of cryptographic keys or passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3236 using cryptographic hash functions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3239 involving non-keyed hash functions, e.g. modification detection codes [MDCs], MD5, SHA or RIPEMD
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/50 using hash chains, e.g. blockchains or hash trees

Abstract

A method comprising receiving a plurality of signatures representing one or more proprietary files from a vendor generated without disclosure of the proprietary files, each signature corresponding to a segment of a proprietary file. The method further comprising and validating each of the plurality of the signatures, to ensure that the signatures are the proprietary code of the vendor. The method further comprises adding the plurality of the signatures to a global database, the global database used to compare the proprietary data of the vendor to other technology data and taking various action based on the results of the comparison.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a plurality of signatures representing one or more proprietary files from a vendor, generated without disclosure of the proprietary files, each signature corresponding to a segment of the proprietary file;

validating each of the plurality of signatures, to ensure that the signatures are the proprietary files of the vendor; and

adding the plurality of the signatures to a global database, the global database used to compare the proprietary data of the vendor to other technology data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the proprietary file comprises one of software source code, Hardware Design Language (HDL), hardware description, and scripting language.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

utilizing a blockchain code to create a public ledger in a distributed database, to record the signatures.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

utilizing the global database to identify free and open source software (FOSS) incorporated into the proprietary files of the vendor.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

utilizing the global database to identify a leakage of the proprietary file or a portion of the proprietary file, the leakage indicating a presence of the proprietary file or the portion of the proprietary file in one of;

public domain data, free and open source (FOSS) data, and other vendors'"'"' proprietary data.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

notifying a particular vendor when the signature indicates that one or more submitted proprietary files of the particular vendor are registered to another entity.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

resolving conflict between one or more signatures and other data in the global database.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein resolving conflict comprises one or more of:

identifying co-ownership, identifying licensing, acquisition, and priority.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling tracking of where the proprietary code is used, based on the signatures; and

to alert the vendor when a policy violation is detected.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

tracking and providing a proof of authorship, and chain of ownership, based on the signatures that are resistant to code modifications and alterations.

11. A technology and ownership validation system comprising:

a signature validator comprising;

a communication system to receive a plurality of signatures representing one or more proprietary files from a vendor, generated without disclosure of the proprietary files, each signature corresponding to a segment of a proprietary file;

a signature validator to validate each of the plurality of signatures, to ensure that each of the signatures are the proprietary files of the vendor; and

a memory including a global database to store the plurality of the signatures, the global database used to compare the proprietary files of the vendor to other technology data.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the proprietary file comprises at least one of software source code, software object code, Hardware Design Language (HDL), a hardware description language, and scripting language.

13. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a blockchain generator to create a blockchain transaction for each of the signatures, the blockchain serving as a public ledger of the signatures in a distributed database.

14. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a signature matcher to identify free and open source software (FOSS) incorporated into the proprietary files of the vendor using the signatures in the global database.

15. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a signature matcher to identify leakage of the proprietary file, indicating presence of the proprietary files in one of;

public domain data, free and open source (FOSS) data, and other vendors'"'"' proprietary data.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

an alert system to notify a particular vendor when the signature indicates that one or more submitted proprietary files of the particular vendor are registered to another entity.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

the signature validator to resolve conflict between one or more signatures and other data in the global database, by one of;

identifying co-ownership, identifying licensing, acquisition, and priority.

18. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

the global database used to enable tracking of where the proprietary code is used, based on the signatures; and

an alert system to alert the vendor when a policy violation is detected.

19. A system to provide technology and ownership validation of files, the system comprising:

a vendor system to enable a vendor to generate unique signatures locally for proprietary files, without disclosing the proprietary files to another;

a signature validator to receive the unique signatures from the vendor system and validate that they are unique; and

a global database to store the unique signatures and metadata, the global database used to identify leakage, misappropriation, and contamination of the proprietary files with one or more of;

proprietary files from another vendor, and open source files.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the proprietary file comprises one of software source code, Hardware Design Language (HDL), hardware description, and scripting language.