Location-based content protection

• US 7,617,542 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2001
• Issued: 11/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Vataja, Timo
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Jung
• Assistant Examiner(s): PERUNGAVOOR, VENKATANARAY
• Application Number:
  US10/024,224
• Publication Number:
  US 20030120940A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,881 Days
• Field of Search: 380/258, 380/217, 380/247, 713175-180, 726 2- 5, 726 16- 18, 726/30, 342450-451, 342/459, 340/989, 340/995.28
• US Class Current: 726/30
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02 using radio waves using satellite radio beacon systems for determining position G01S19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1013 to locations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/61 Time-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/71 Hardware identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/72 Subscriber identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A system and system is disclosed to protect media content via location-based data. Multimedia devices are equipped with locator devices, such as a GPS unit, or similar device. The multimedia devices preferably contain the device'"'"'s International Mobile Equipment Identification (IMEI), and International Mobile Subscriber Identification (IMSI). When multimedia content is created on the multimedia device, such as image or sound files, the present invention encodes the multimedia content with location data from the locator device. Additionally, the multimedia device'"'"'s IMEI and IMSI, as well as the time and the date, may be encoded onto the multimedia content. Under an alternate embodiment, a remote server performs the encoding of the multimedia content.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining a current location for a multimedia device using positional information provided by a cellular network or short-range wireless communication medium;

computing location-based authentication data using the positional information;

encoding multimedia content created on the multimedia device with said location-based authentication data by computing a hash value on a combined expression of the multimedia content, said location-based authentication data and identification data including at least one of user identification data and device identification data, wherein said encoding creates a content identity key that authenticates the multimedia content as being created at a certain physical location and time; and

transmitting the encoded multimedia content to a content certification entity via wireless communication, the content certification entity verifying the authenticity of the encoded multimedia content based on the content identity key prior to distribution.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the location-based authentication data comprises data indicating the physical location of the multimedia device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the physical location is determined by Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the physical location is determined through a connection to a personal area network.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the physical location is determined through a connection to a Bluetooth™

terminal.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the physical location is determined through a connection to a WLAN terminal.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the physical location is determined through a connection to a mobile phone network.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the location-based authentication data is date of the content'"'"'s creation.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the location-based authentication data is the time of the content'"'"'s creation.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the location-based authentication data is the content creator'"'"'s International Mobile Equipment Identification (IMEI).

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the location-based authentication data is the content creator'"'"'s International Mobile Subscriber Identification (IMSI).

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the location-based authentication data comprises one or more of the following:

the content creator'"'"'s physical location, date and time of content creation, International Mobile Equipment Identification (IMEI), and International Mobile Subscriber Identification (IMSI).

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the creation of content and encoding are substantially simultaneously executed.

14. An apparatus, comprising:

a location device, wherein said location device determines a current location for the multimedia device using positional information provided by a cellular network or short-range wireless communication medium;

a time device, wherein said time device generates data corresponding to the date and time;

at least one storage medium for storing data identifying the multimedia device and at least one encryption algorithm;

a media generation switch, wherein said switch initiates the generation of digital multimedia data and further initiates the at least one encryption algorithm to encode said multimedia data with the location data by computing a hash value on a combined expression of the multimedia data, said location data and identification data including at least one of user identification data and device identification data, wherein said encoding creates a content identity key that authenticates the multimedia content as being created at a certain physical location and time; and

a communication device for transmitting the encoded multimedia content to a content certification entity via wireless communication, the content certification entity verifying the authenticity of the encoded multimedia content based on the content identity key prior to distribution.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the location device is a Global Positioning System (GPS).

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the location device is a Bluetooth™

terminal.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the location device is a WLAN terminal.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the location device establishes location through a Local Area Network (LAN).

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the location device establishes location through a mobile phone network.

20. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the data identifying the multimedia device comprises of an International Mobile Equipment Identification (IMEI) number.

21. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the data identifying the multimedia device comprises of an International Mobile Subscriber Information (IMSI) number.

22. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the at least one encryption algorithm is a hash algorithm.

23. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the digital multimedia data is image data.

24. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the digital multimedia is audio data.

25. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the digital multimedia is video data.

26. A method, comprising:

determining a current location for a multimedia device using positional information provided by a cellular network or short-range wireless communication medium;

receiving digital multimedia content created on a multimedia device into a context server through a wireless communication network;

receiving location-based authentication data computed using the positional information through a network into an authentication server, wherein the location-based authentication data is correlated with the multimedia device that created the multimedia content;

forwarding the correlated location-based authentication data to the context server; and

executing an encryption algorithm in the context server, wherein the correlated location-based authentication data is encoded into the multimedia content by computing a hash value on a combined expression of the multimedia content said location-based authentication data and identification data including at least one of user identification data and device identification data, to create a multimedia content identity key that authenticates the multimedia content as being created at a certain physical location and time.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the digital multimedia content comprises image data.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the digital multimedia content comprises video data.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the digital multimedia content comprises audio data.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein the digital multimedia content comprises video and audio data.

31. The method of claim 26, wherein the location-based authentication data comprises data indicating the physical location of the multimedia device.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the physical location is determined by Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the location-based authentication data further comprises the time and date that the content was created.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the physical location is determined through a connection to a personal area network.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the physical location is determined through a connection to a Bluetooth™

terminal.

36. The method of claim 31, wherein the location-based authentication data further comprises the time and date that the content was created.

37. The method of claim 31, wherein the location-based authentication data further comprises the International Mobile Equipment Identification (IMEI) of the multimedia device.

38. The method of 31, wherein the location based authentication data further comprises the International Mobile Subscriber Identification (IMSI) of the multimedia device.

39. A system, comprising:

a storage medium;

a network interface;

a processor, coupled to the storage medium and network interface, said processor, storage medium and network interface configured to;

determining a current location for a multimedia device using positional information provided by a cellular network or short-range wireless communication medium;

receive digital multimedia content created in the multimedia device into a context server through a wireless communication network;

receive location-based authentication data computed using the positional information through a network into an authentication server, wherein the location-based authentication data is correlated with the multimedia device that created the multimedia content;

forward the correlated location-based authentication data to the context server; and

execute an encryption algorithm in the context server, wherein the correlated location-based authentication data is encoded into the multimedia content by computing a hash value on a combined expression of the multimedia content said location-based authentication data and identification data including at least one of user identification data and device identification data, to create a multimedia content identity key that authenticates the multimedia content as being created at a certain physical location and time.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein the digital multimedia content comprises image data.

41. The system of claim 39, wherein the digital multimedia content comprises video data.

42. The system of claim 39, wherein the digital multimedia content comprises audio data.

43. The system of claim 39, wherein the digital multimedia content comprises video and audio data.

44. The system of claim 39, wherein the location-based authentication data comprises data indicating the physical location of the multimedia device.

45. The system of claim 44, wherein the physical location is determined by Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates.

46. The system of claim 45 wherein the location-based authentication data further comprises the time and date that the content was created.

47. The system of claim 44, wherein the physical location is determined through a connection to a personal area network.

48. The system of claim 47, wherein the physical location is determined through a connection to a Bluetooth™

terminal.

49. The system of claim 45, wherein the location-based authentication data further comprises the time and date that the content was created.

50. The system of claim 44, wherein the location-based authentication data further comprises the International Mobile Equipment Identification (IMEI) of the multimedia device.

51. The system of claim 44, wherein the location based authentication data further comprises the International Mobile Subscriber Identification (IMSI) of the multimedia device.

52. Computer executable software code stored on a multimedia device, comprising:

code to determine a current location for a multimedia device using positional information provided by a cellular network or short-range wireless communication medium;

code to compute location-based authentication data using the positional information;

code to encode multimedia content created on the multimedia device with said location-based authentication data by computing a hash value on a combined expression of the multimedia content said location-based authentication data and identification data including at least one of user identification data and device identification data, wherein said encoding creates a content identity key that authenticates the multimedia content as being created at a certain physical location and time; and

code to transmit the encoded multimedia content to a content certification entity via wireless communication, the content certification entity verifying the authenticity of the encoded multimedia content based on the content identity key prior to distribution.