Secure distribution of digital representations

• US 6,141,753 A
• Filed: 02/10/1998
• Issued: 10/31/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Corporation, Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft eV (Fraunhofer-Institut für Nachrichtentechnik HHI), Mitsubishi Corporation
• Inventors: Zhao, Jian, Koch, Eckhard, Saito, Makoto
• Primary Examiner(s): Peeso, Thomas R.
• Application Number:
  US09/021,339
• Time in Patent Office: 994 Days
• Field of Search: 380/28, 380/277, 380/278, 380/281, 380/283, 705/161, 705/168, 705/170, 705/176, 705/193, 705/201, 713/176
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0021 Image watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for commerce, e.g. marketing, shopping, billing, auctions or e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/103 applying security measure for protecting copy right protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment, e.g. protection the software providers copyright G06F21/10; data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; secrecy systems or subscription systems H04N7/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• 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 1/32272 Encryption or ciphering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3205 of identification information, e.g. name or ID code H04N2201/3209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/323 for tracing or tracking, e.g. forensic tracing of unauthorized copies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3233 of authentication information, e.g. digital signature, watermark
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3235 Checking or certification of the authentication information, e.g. by comparison with data stored independently
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/324 Selecting a particular authentication information from amongst a plurality of different authentication information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/327 which are undetectable to the naked eye, e.g. embedded codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3274 Storage or retrieval of prestored additional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3278 Transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3281 Encryption; Ciphering

Abstract

Techniques for secure distribution of digital representations that combine encryption and watermarking. When a user at a client desires to download a digital representation, the user makes a request to a server for the digital representation, which encrypts the digital representation using a first key and downloads the encrypted digital representation to the user. Before the user performs any operation on the decrypted digital representation, a secret fingerprint watermark identifying the user is added to the digital representation. The fingerprint watermark is added either at the server or at the client and a copy of the fingerprinted digital representation is kept at the server. If the user makes an impermissible use of the digital representation, the secret fingerprint watermark can be used to identify the user. The request made by the user indicates the type of use that the user wished to make of the digital representation. If the use involves storage of the digital representation at the client, the server provides a second key that the client employs to encrypt the digital representation. If the user has permission to do so, the user may modify the digital representation and return the modified digital representation to the server for further distribution. In this case, the second key is used to encrypt the digital representation when it is sent to the server. The second key also serves as the user identification in the fingerprint watermark. If the user loses the second key, it can be recovered from the copy of the fingerprinted digital representation kept at the server. The first and second keys and any decrypted copy of the digital representation are kept in secure storage in the client.

Claims

1. Apparatus for manipulating an encrypted digital representation of a work that is received in the apparatus from an external source of digital representations, the apparatus comprising:

a manipulator which causes the digital representation to be decrypted and further operated on in response to one or more inputs from a user of the apparatus; and

a watermarker which operates in response to the manipulator to receive the decrypted digital representation and watermark the decrypted digital representation with a secret watermark that is received from an external watermark source and that indicates the user of the apparatus, the watermarker watermarking the decrypted digital representation prior to further manipulation thereof.

2. The apparatus set forth in claim 1 wherein:

the manipulator causes the decrypted digital representation to be further operated on only if the digital representation has the secret watermark.

3. The apparatus set forth in claim 1 wherein:

the encrypted digital representation is made up of a plurality of digital representations; and

the watermarker watermarks each of the plurality of digital representations with the secret watermark.

4. The apparatus set forth in any of claims 1, 2, or 3 wherein:

the manipulator operates interactively in response to the inputs.

5. The apparatus set forth in any of claims 1, 2, or 3 wherein:

the manipulator causes the decrypted digital representation to be further operated on by causing the decrypted digital representation to be decoded.

6. The apparatus set forth in claim 5 wherein:

the digital representation and the key are decrypted using another key;

the apparatus is implemented in a computer system having a protected portion which is inaccessible to the user; and

the decrypted digital representation and the key and the other key are unavailable outside the protected portion.

7. The apparatus set forth in any of claims 1, 2, or 3 wherein:

the manipulator causes the decrypted digital representation to be further operated on by causing the decrypted digital representation to be reencrypted using the key and stored in the apparatus.

8. The apparatus set forth in claim 7 wherein:

the digital representation and the key are decrypted using another key;

the apparatus is implemented in a computer system having a protected portion which is inaccessible to the user; and

the decrypted digital representation and the key and the other key are unavailable outside the protected portion.

9. The apparatus set forth in claim 7 wherein:

the digital representation and the key are decrypted using another key;

the encrypted digital representation is received in the apparatus in association with the key and the other key; and

the encrypted digital representation is decrypted with the other key and reencrypted with the key.

10. The apparatus set forth in claim 9 wherein:

the watermarker makes the secret watermark using the key in the identification of the user of the apparatus.

11. The apparatus set forth in claim 10 wherein:

the apparatus receives the encrypted digital representation from a distribution source; and

the apparatus encrypts a copy of the watermarked digital representation and returns the copy to the distribution source.

12. The apparatus set forth in claim 9 wherein:

the manipulator causes the decrypted digital representation to be still further operated on by causing the decrypted digital representation to be modified prior to being reencrypted and stored in the apparatus.

13. The apparatus set forth in claim 12 wherein:

the apparatus receives the encrypted digital representation and the keys associated therewith from a distribution source; and

the manipulator causes the modified reencrypted digital representation to be returned to the distribution source.

14. The apparatus set forth in claim 13 wherein:

the watermarker removes all but predetermined ones of the secret watermarks containing identifications before the manipulator causes the modified reencrypted digital representation to be returned to the distribution source.

15. The apparatus set forth in any one of claims 1, 2, or 3 wherein:

the apparatus is a component of a browser.

16. The apparatus set forth in claim 15 wherein:

the watermarker is downloaded to the browser with the digital representation and automatically deleted after watermarking the digital representation.

17. A data storage device characterized in that:

the data storage device contains code which, when executed in a processor, implements the apparatus of any one of claims 1, 2, or 3.

18. The apparatus set forth in any of claims 1, 2, or 3 wherein:

the secret watermark is encrypted; and

the watermarker decrypts the secret watermark prior to watermarking the decrypted digital representation.

19. The apparatus set forth in any of claims 1, 2, or 3 wherein:

the watermark source is an external key source and the secret watermark is made using a key from the external key source.

20. The apparatus set forth in claim 19 wherein:

the key is encrypted; and

the watermarker decrypts the key prior to watermarking the decrypted digital representation.

21. The apparatus set forth in claim 19 wherein:

the digital representation is decrypted using another key; and

the key is decrypted using the other key.

22. Apparatus for preparing a digital representation of a work for downloading to a user having apparatus for decrypting and manipulating the digital representation that includes a watermarker, the apparatus for preparing comprising:

a user identification for the user; and

an encrypter for encrypting at least the digital representation such that the apparatus for decrypting and manipulating can decrypt the digital representation, the apparatus for preparing packaging the user identification with the digital representation and the user identification being used in the watermarker to watermark the decrypted digital representation with a secret watermark indicating the identification.

23. The apparatus set forth in claim 22 wherein:

the encrypter receives a first key belonging to the user and employs the key in encrypting the digital representation.

24. The apparatus set forth in claim 22 wherein:

the encrypter further encrypts the user identification.

25. The apparatus set forth in claim 24 wherein:

the encrypter receives a first key belonging to the user and employs the first key to encrypt a second key that the encrypter uses to encrypt the digital representation and the user identification.

26. The apparatus set forth in claim 25 wherein:

the apparatus for preparing packages the encrypted second key and the encrypted user identification with the encrypted digital representation.

27. The apparatus set forth in claim 26 wherein:

the apparatus for preparing receives an indication from the user that the user will perform an operation that involves storing the digital representation and responds thereto by causing the encrypter to encrypt a third key with the first key and

the apparatus for preparing packages the encrypted third key with the encrypted second key and the encrypted digital representation, the third key being used by the user to reencrypt the digital representation before the digital representation is stored.

28. The apparatus set forth in claim 27 wherein:

the digital representation of the work for distribution is a digital representation that was stored by the user; and

the encrypter uses the third key as the second key in distributing the digital representation.

29. The apparatus set forth in claim 27 wherein:

the watermarker uses the third key as the user identification.

30. A data storage device characterized in that:

the data storage device contains code which, when executed in a processor, implements the apparatus of claim 27.

31. The apparatus set forth in claim 22 wherein:

the apparatus for preparing downloads the watermarker to the apparatus for decrypting and manipulating together with the digital representation.