System for controlling the distribution and use of rendered digital works through watermarking

• US 8,205,089 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2009
• Issued: 06/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ContentGuard Holdings, Inc. (Pendrell Corporation)
• Original Assignee: ContentGuard Holdings, Inc. (Pendrell Corporation)
• Inventors: Stefik, Mark J., Petrie, Glen W., Okamoto, Steve A., Briggs, Nicholas H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Reza, Mohammad
• Application Number:
  US12/537,241
• Publication Number:
  US 20100037061A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 Days
• Field of Search: 713/176, 713/182, 726/2, 726/7, 726/27, 380/231
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• 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: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0021 Image watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0064 for copy protection or copy management, e.g. CGMS, copy only once, one-time copy
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/16 for devices exhibiting advertisements, announcements, pictures or the like
• 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 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 2201/3236 Details of authentication information generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3269 of machine readable codes or marks, e.g. bar codes or glyphs

Abstract

A trusted rendering system for use in a system for controlling the distribution and use of digital works. A trusted rendering system facilitates the protection of rendered digital works which have been rendered on a system which controls the distribution and use of digital works through the use of dynamically generated watermark information that is embedded in the rendered output. The watermark data typically provides information relating to the owner of the digital work, the rights associated with the rendered copy of the digital work and when and where the digital work was rendered. This information will typically aid in deterring or preventing unauthorized copying of the rendered work to be made. The system for controlling distribution and use of digital works provides for attaching persistent usage rights to a digital work. Digital works are transferred between repositories which are used to request and grant access to digital works. Such repositories are also coupled to credit servers which provide for payment of any fees incurred as a result of accessing a digital work.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for controlling the distribution and use of documents, the method comprising:

determining, with a computing device, a usage right that specifies how a first document may be used or distributed, wherein the usage right includes information for instructing a computing device to embed a watermark into a second document, the second document being generated as a result of exercising the usage right over the first document;

gathering, with a computing device, watermark data while the usage right is exercised over the first document;

generating, with a computing device, a watermark based on the gathered watermark data; and

embedding, with a computing device, the generated watermark into the second document in accordance with the information included in the usage right.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the usage right further includes information regarding gathering the watermark data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the usage right further includes information regarding generating the watermark based on the watermark data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the usage right further includes information regarding generating the second document.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of gathering watermark data comprises gathering watermark data upon exercising the usage right over the first document.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the usage right is a rendering right, and the second document is generated upon rendering of the first document.

7. A system for controlling the distribution and use of documents, the system comprising:

a computing device for determining a usage right that specifies how a first document may be used or distributed, wherein the usage right includes information for instructing a computing device to embed a watermark into a second document, the second document being generated as a result of exercising the usage right over the first document;

a computing device for gathering watermark data while the usage right is exercised over the first document; and

a computing device for generating a watermark based on the gathered watermark data and embedding the generated watermark into the second document in accordance with the information in the usage right.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the usage right further includes information regarding gathering the watermark data.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the usage right further includes information regarding generating the watermark based on the watermark data.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the usage right further includes information regarding generating the second document.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the watermark data is gathered upon exercising the usage right over the first document.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the usage right is a rendering right, and the second document is generated upon rendering of the first document.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions which when executed by a processor accomplish a method for controlling the distribution and use of documents, the method comprising the steps of:

determining, with a computing device, a usage right that specifies how a first document may be used or distributed, wherein the usage right includes information for instructing a computing device to embed a watermark into a second document, the second document being generated as a result of exercising the usage right over the first document;

gathering, with a computing device, watermark data while the usage right is exercised over the first document;

generating, with a computing device, a watermark based on the gathered watermark data; and

embedding, with a computing device, the generated watermark into the second document in accordance with the information included in the usage right.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the usage right further includes information regarding gathering the watermark data.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the usage right further includes information regarding generating the watermark based on the watermark data.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the usage right further includes information regarding generating the second document.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the step of gathering watermark data comprises gathering watermark data upon exercising the usage right over the first document.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the usage right is a rendering right, and the second document is generated upon rendering of the first document.