Method of inserting manipulation-proof digital fingerprints into electronic documents

• US 6,590,995 B1
• Filed: 04/02/1999
• Issued: 07/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Daimler Chrysler Services AG, Deutsche Telekom AG
• Original Assignee: Deutsche Telekom AG
• Inventors: Schwenk, Joerg, Ueberberg, Johannes
• Primary Examiner(s): Dastouri, Mehrdad
• Application Number:
  US09/285,828
• Time in Patent Office: 1,558 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/218, 382/219, 382/232, 380/201, 380/202, 380/203, 380/54, 380/28, 713/176, 370/527, 370/529, 399/366
• US Class Current: 382/100
• 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 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 2201/3239 using a plurality of different authentication information

Abstract

The present method concerns inserting manipulation-proof digital fingerprints into electronic documents making it possible to detect manipulations by purchasers or groups of purchasers. According to the present invention based on a predefined number of copies and a maximum number of copying hackers per document, a location or an area for the digital fingerprint of the customer is defined for each copy. All the locations or areas defined in the document for digital fingerprints are subject in their totality to an enclosed finite geometric ordering system, in which intersections of the digital fingerprints occur at defined locations or areas. By analyzing the intersection points not found by the hackers, the hackers involved in the manipulation can be uniquely determined. The method described is suitable, in particular, for identifying copies of documents which are subject to copyright protection.

Claims

1. A method of inserting manipulation-proof digital fingerprints for an electronic document, a first copy of document being assigned to a first purchaser and a second copy of the document being assigned to a second purchaser, the method comprising:

inserting a first fingerprint into the first copy at a first marking location;

inserting a second fingerprint into the second copy at a second marking location, the first and second marking locations being different and being assigned as a function of a finite geometric structures having a plurality of points, the first and second marking locations being determined as function of geometric structures of the finite geometric structure so that first assigned points of the plurality of points corresponds to the first fingerprint and second assigned points of the plurality of points corresponds to the second fingerprint, the first and second assigned points partially intersecting; and

performing a bit-by-bit comparison of an original of the document with the first copy to see if parts of the first fingerprint have been removed by manipulation.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising identifying the first purchaser as a function of removed parts of the first fingerprint.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the finite geometric structure is a dual rational normal curve in a finite projective space, the first and second marking locations being a function of the dual rational normal curve in the projective space and of a one-way function.

4. The method as recited in claim 3 wherein a first hyperplane formed by the dual rational normal curve is assigned to the first purchaser, and further comprising comparing the first copy bit by bit with an original of the document and reconstructing a corresponding subspace in the projective space as a function of different marking locations in the first copy and the original using a reverse function of the one-way function so as to identify the first purchaser.

5. A method of inserting a manipulation-proof digital fingerprints for an electronic document, a first copy of the electronic document being assigned to a first purchaser and a second copy of the electronic document being assigned to a second purchaser, the method comprising:

inserting a first fingerprint into the first copy at a first marking location;

inserting a second fingerprint into the second copy at a second marking location, the first and second marking locations being different and being assigned as a function of a finite geometric structure having a plurality of points, the first and second marking locations being determined as a function of geometric substructures of the finite geometric structure so that first assigned points of the plurality of points correspond to the first fingerprint and second assigned points of the plurality of points correspond to the second fingerprint, the first and second assigned points partially intersecting; and

comparing bit-by-bit an original copy of the electronic document with a third copy of the electronic document, the third copy of the electronic document containing parts of at least one digital fingerprint removed by at most a number of particular purchasers, so that any individuals acting as hackers are identifiable from any assigned points still present.