Associating first and second watermarks with audio or video content

• US 8,095,989 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2010
• Issued: 01/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Levy, Kenneth L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Song, Hosuk
• Application Number:
  US12/750,487
• Publication Number:
  US 20100313278A1
• Time in Patent Office: 651 Days
• Field of Search: 726 26- 27, 726 30- 31, 713/176, 380/54, 380200-203, 382/100, 705 57- 59
• US Class Current: 726/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/109 by using specially-adapted hardware at the client
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/16 Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0071 using multiple or alternating watermarks
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0064 for copy protection or copy management, e.g. CGMS, copy only once, one-time copy
• 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: H04N 2005/91335 the copy protection signal being a watermark
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/913 for scrambling ; for copy protection

Abstract

The present invention relates generally to processing audio or video content. One claim recites an apparatus comprising: electronic memory, and an electronic logic processor. The electronic memory is for storing data representing audio or video content, in which the data includes a protect watermark embedded therein, the protect watermark providing an indication that the data is protected, and in which the data further includes a rights watermark embedded in the data, the right watermark providing an indication of user rights associated with rendering the audio or video content, the protect watermark being more difficult to remove from the data relative to the rights watermark. The electronic logic processor is programmed for analyzing the data to retrieve the protect watermark only when the rights watermark does not exist in the data. Other claims are described and provided as well.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining data representing audio or video content;

using an electronic logic processor, embedding a protect watermark in the data, the protect watermark providing an indication that the data is protected;

using an electronic logic processor, embedding a rights watermark in the data, the rights watermark providing an indication of user rights associated with rendering the audio or video content, in which the protect watermark is more difficult to remove from the data relative to the rights watermark; and

reproducing the audio or video content after said acts of embedding a protect watermark in the data and embedding a rights watermark in the data.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the rights watermark includes a link between the data and at least one of a user, player, recorder or storage device.

3. The method of claim 2 in which the link determines if the user may copy or play the content.

4. The method of claim 1 in which the protect watermark is embedded prior to embedding the rights watermark.

5. The method of claim 1 in which said embedding the protect watermark in the data is more computationally intense relative to said embedding the rights watermark in the data.

6. An electronic logic processor programmed to perform the method of claim 1.

17. An electronic logic processor programmed to perform the method of claim 2.

18. An electronic logic processor programmed to perform the method of claim 3.

19. An electronic logic processor programmed to perform the method of claim 4.

20. An electronic logic processor programmed to perform the method of claim 5.

7. A method comprising:

obtaining data representing audio or video content, in which the data includes a protect watermark embedded therein, the protect watermark providing an indication that the data is protected, and in which the data further includes a rights watermark embedded therein, the rights watermark providing an indication of user rights associated with rendering the audio or video content, the protect watermark being more difficult to remove from the data relative to the rights watermark;

using an electronic logic processor, analyzing the data to retrieve the protect watermark only when the rights watermark does not exist in the data.

8. An electronic logic processor programmed to analyze the data according to the method of claim 7.

9. An apparatus comprising:

electronic memory for storing data representing audio or video content;

an electronic logic processor programmed for;

embedding a protect watermark in the data, the protect watermark providing an indication that the data is protected;

embedding a rights watermark in the data, the rights watermark providing an indication of user rights associated with rendering the audio or video content, in which the protect watermark is more difficult to remove from the data relative to the rights watermark; and

reproducing the audio or video content after said embedding a protect watermark in the data and embedding a rights watermark in the data.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 in which the rights watermark includes a link between the data and at least one of a user, player, recorder or storage device.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 in which the link determines if the user may copy or play the content.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 in which the protect watermark is embedded prior to embedding the rights watermark.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 in which said embedding the protect watermark in the data is more computationally intense relative to said embedding the rights watermark in the data.

14. The apparatus of claim 9 in which said electronic logic processor is operating to perform at least one of embedding a protect watermark in the data, embedding a rights watermark in the data, or reproducing the audio or video content.

15. An apparatus comprising:

electronic memory for storing data representing audio or video content, in which the data includes a protect watermark embedded therein, the protect watermark providing an indication that the data is protected, and in which the data further includes a rights watermark embedded therein, the rights watermark providing an indication of user rights associated with rendering the audio or video content, the protect watermark being more difficult to remove from the data relative to the rights watermark;

an electronic logic processor programmed for analyzing the data to retrieve the protect watermark only when the rights watermark does not exist in the data.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 in which said electronic logic processor is operating to analyzing the data.