Digital watermarking methods and apparatus for use with audio and video content

• US 7,587,601 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2005
• Issued: 09/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Levy, Kenneth L., Rhoads, Geoffrey B., Hiatt, R. Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): JUNG, DAVID YIUK
• Application Number:
  US11/153,520
• Publication Number:
  US 20050251683A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,547 Days
• Field of Search: 713/176, 713/168, 713/150
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/16 Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0021 Image watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00884 involving a watermark, i.e. a barely perceptible transformation of the original data which can nevertheless be recognised by an algorithm
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234327 by decomposing into layers, e.g. base layer and one or more enhancement layers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2407 Monitoring of transmitted content, e.g. distribution time, number of downloads arrangements for monitoring programmes for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/254 Management at additional data server, e.g. shopping server, rights management server arrangements for maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00; network services using third party service providers H04L67/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6332 directed to client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/835 Generation of protective data, e.g. certificates protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8352 involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8355 involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8358 involving watermark protecting executable software by watermarking G06F21/16; image watermarking in general G06T1/0021; watermarks inserted in still images for transmission purposes H04N1/32144; inserting watermarks during video coding H04N19/467
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8543 using a description language, e.g. Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group [MHEG], eXtensible Markup Language [XML] information retrieval of semistructured data, the underlying structure being taken into account, e.g. mark-up language structure data G06F16/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

The present invention relates generally to digital watermarking and other forms of content identification. One claim recites a method including: receiving audio or video content, the audio or video content comprising at least two digital watermark payload layers, a first watermark payload layer comprising a content identifier which uniquely identifies the content, and a second watermark payload layer comprising a distributor identifier which identifies a distributor or distribution channel associated with the content; utilizing a processor or electronic processing circuitry, embedding a third digital watermark payload layer in the audio or video content, said act of embedding transforms at least some data representing the audio or video content to embed the digital watermark payload, where each of the first watermark payload layer, the second watermark payload layer and the third digital watermark payload layer are embedded in the audio or video content with different watermark protocols. Of course, other claims and combinations are provided as well.

Claims

1. A method of tracking audio or video content comprising:

utilizing a processor or electronic processing circuitry, decoding a first forensic identifier in a digital watermark, the first forensic identifier being associated with a forensic database, the first digital watermark having previously been embedded in the audio or video content; and

utilizing a processor or electronic processing circuitry, decoding a second forensic identifier, the second forensic identifier being associated with a content user, the second forensic identifier being carried with the audio or video content,

the first forensic identifier and the second forensic identifier were embedded in the audio or video content at remote embedding locations, and

the first forensic identifier is associated with information in a first server, and the second forensic identifier is associated with information in both the first server and in a second server that is remotely located with respect to the first server.

2. A computer readable medium comprising instructions to perform the method of claim 1.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second forensic identifier is associated with a content user through a rendering device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second forensic identifier is associated with a content user through a user identifier.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising communicating the first forensic identifier to a forensic database to access information related to the first forensic identifier.

6. A method comprising:

utilizing a processor or electronic processing circuitry, digital watermarking a content item including at least an advertisement, a digital watermark including a content identifier, a distributor identifier and a broadcaster identifier related to a broadcaster of the advertisement, wherein each of the content identifier, distributor identifier and broadcast identifier is provided as a distinct digital watermark layer, said act of digital watermarking a content item transforms at least some data representing the content item to embed the identifiers; and

associating the content identifier with at least some information related to the content item.

7. A computer readable medium comprising instructions to perform the method of claim 6.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising decoding the content identifier layer to retrieve the content identifier, and communicating the content identifier to a database where the content identifier is associated with the at least some information related to the content item.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising decoding the distributor identifier layer to retrieve the distributor identifier, and using the distributor identifier to identify the distributor.

10. A method comprising:

receiving audio or video content,

the audio or video content comprising at least two digital watermark payload layers, a first watermark payload layer comprising a content identifier which uniquely identifies the content, and a second watermark payload layer comprising a distributor identifier which identifies a distributor or distribution channel associated with the content;

utilizing a processor or electronic processing circuitry, embedding a third digital watermark payload layer in the audio or video content, said act of embedding transforms at least some data representing the audio or video content to embed the digital watermark payload,

where each of the first watermark payload layer, the second watermark payload layer and the third digital watermark payload layer are embedded in the audio or video content with different watermark protocols.

11. A computer readable medium comprising instructions to perform the method of claim 10.

12. An apparatus comprising:

a processor or electronic processing circuitry;

instructions for execution by said processor electronic processing circuitry, said instructions comprising instructions to;

i) digital watermark a content item including at least an advertisement, a digital watermark including a content identifier, a distributor identifier and a broadcaster identifier related to a broadcaster of the advertisement, wherein each of the content identifier, distributor identifier and broadcast identifier is provided as a distinct digital watermark layer, and

ii) associate the content identifier with at least some information related to the content item.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the instructions to digital watermark a content item includes instructions to transform at least some data representing the content item.

14. An apparatus comprising:

a processor or electronic processing circuitry;

instructions for execution by said processor electronic processing circuitry, said instructions comprising instructions to;

i) control receipt of audio or video content, the audio or video content comprising at least two digital watermark payload layers, a first watermark payload layer comprising a content identifier which uniquely identifies the content, and a second watermark payload layer comprising a distributor identifier which identifies a distributor or distribution channel associated with the content; and

ii) embed a third digital watermark payload layer in the audio or video content, where each of the first watermark payload layer, the second watermark payload layer and the third digital watermark payload layer are embedded in the audio or video content with different watermark protocols.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 where said instructions to embed include instructions to transform at least some data representing the audio or video content.

16. An apparatus comprising:

a processor or electronic processing circuitry;

instructions for execution by said processor electronic processing circuitry, said instructions comprising instructions to;

i) decode a first forensic identifier in a digital watermark, the first forensic identifier being associated with a forensic database, the first digital watermark having been embedded in the audio or video content; and

ii) decoding a second forensic identifier, the second forensic identifier being associated with a content user, the second forensic identifier being carried with the audio or video content,

the first forensic identifier and the second forensic identifier were embedded in the audio or video content at remote embedding locations, and

the first forensic identifier is associated with information in a first server, and the second forensic identifier is associated with information in both the first server and in a second server that is remotely located with respect to the first server.