Automated copyright detection in digital images

• US 7,120,274 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2002
• Issued: 10/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Shutterfly, LLC
• Original Assignee: Shutterfly Incorporated (Shutterfly, LLC)
• Inventors: Kacker, Dhiraj, Muzzolini, Russell Ennio
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehta, Bhavesh M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MACKOWEY, ANTHONY M
• Application Number:
  US10/335,472
• Publication Number:
  US 20040125982A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,379 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 358/3.28, 705/26, 713/160, 713/163, 713/176
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/13 Satellite images

Abstract

A computer-assisted method for detecting copyright protection in digital images receives a digital image, searches for capture device information associated with the digital image, calculates one or more image characteristics of the digital image, and verifies copyright ownership and usage authorization of the digital image in response to the capture device information and the calculated image characteristics.

Claims

1. A computer-assisted method for detecting copyright protection in digital images, comprising:

a) receiving a digital image;

b) searching for capture device information associated with the digital image;

c) calculating one or more image characteristics of the digital image, wherein the image characteristics include an aspect ratio of the digital image; and

d) verifying copyright ownership and usage authorization of the digital image in response to the result of searching capture device information and the calculated image characteristics.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of calculating one or more image characteristics of the digital image is performed when no capture device information is found in the step of searching for capture device information associated with the digital image.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing the calculated image characteristics with one or more predetermined criteria.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the capture device comprises a digital camera.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the capture device information is stored in a header information of the digital image.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more predetermined criteria comprise an aspect ratio of about 1.33 or 1.5.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing the calculated aspect ratio of the digital image to the aspect ratios of the digital images produced by digital cameras.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

verifying copyright ownership and usage authorization of the digital image in response to the result of the comparison between the calculated aspect ratio of the digital image and the aspect ratios of the digital images produced by digital cameras.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the image characteristics include at least one of:

image size, tone curve, color distribution and color balance, exposure conditions, pixel values, noise distribution, and pixel value histogram distributions.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the image characteristics include information embedded in the digital images.

11. The claim of 10, wherein the information embedded in the digital images relates to copyright ownership and usage authorization of the digital image.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

ordering an image-based product or an image service using the digital image; and

providing the image-based product or image service using the digital image when the copyright ownership or the usage authorization of the digital image is verified.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the image-based product or image service includes photographic prints, electronic image sharing, photo greeting cards, photo holiday cards, photo calendars, photo album, and photo books.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

uploading the digital image over a computer network to a server.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

visually verifying copyright ownership, usage authorization, or the image content of the digital image.

16. A computer-assisted method for determining the probability of copyright protection in digital images, comprising:

a) uploading the digital image over a computer network to a server;

b) searching for capture device information associated with the digital image;

c) calculating one or more image characteristics of the digital image, wherein the image characteristics include an aspect ratio of the digital image;

d) verifying copyright ownership and usage authorization of the digital image in response to the capture device information and the calculated image characteristics;

e) ordering an image-based product or an image service using the digital image; and

f) providing the image-based product or image service using the digital image when the copyright ownership or the usage authorization of the digital image is verified.

17. A system for preventing copyright infringement in producing an image-based product or providing an image service, comprising:

a) a computer that receives digital images;

b) a processor that searches information about a capture device associated with the digital image and calculates one or more image characteristics of the digital image, wherein the image characteristics include an aspect ratio of the digital image; and

c) a communication system to verify copyright ownership and usage authorization of the digital image in response to the capture device information and the calculated image characteristics.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the computer is a server and the digital images are received by the server from a remote location over a computer network.

19. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

d) a printing and finishing facility to produce an image-based product or image service using the digital images.

20. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

e) an interception system that suspends the production of the image-based product or image service when the copyright ownership or the usage authorization of the digital image is not properly verified on the digital image by the communication system.