Copyright detection and protection system and method

• US 8,645,279 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2009
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Audible Magic Corporation
• Original Assignee: Audible Magic Corporation
• Inventors: Schmelzer, Richard A.
• Primary Examiner(s): NIQUETTE, ROBERT R
• Application Number:
  US12/488,504
• Publication Number:
  US 20090328236A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,691 Days
• Field of Search: 705/51, 705/54, 713/176, 704/E19.009, 382/190, 382/232, 382/306
• US Class Current: 705/67
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/433 using audio data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/434 using image data, e.g. images, photos, pictures taken by a user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/683 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• 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: G06F 21/60 Protecting data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/383 Anonymous user system
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/18 Legal services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/184 Intellectual property management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for commerce, e.g. marketing, shopping, billing, auctions or e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/102 applying security measure for e-commerce data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/103 applying security measure for protecting copy right protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment, e.g. protection the software providers copyright G06F21/10; data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; secrecy systems or subscription systems H04N7/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1408 : by monitoring network traffic monitoring network traffic per se H04L43/00

Abstract

A method for detecting against unauthorized transmission of digital works comprises the steps of maintaining a registry of information permitting identification of digital copyrighted works, monitoring a network for transmission of at least one packet-based digital signal, extracting at least one feature from the at least one digital signal, comparing the extracted at least one feature with registry information and applying business rules based on the comparison result.

Claims

1. A method for altering the behavior of a network device of a copyright protection computer system based on transmissions of digital works comprising:

maintaining a registry of information permitting identification of digital works in a database hosted by a computer system, the registry information comprising data for a hierarchy of assessment criteria ordered based on consumption of a processing resource, the hierarchy of assessment criteria comprising at least two of a file name, a file size, a source address, a metadata identifier, and a watermark;

monitoring a network for transmission of at least one packet-based digital signal associated with a digital work, the digital work including at least one of audio content and video content;

determining whether the digital work is a registered digital work by comparing a feature, which corresponds to the first assessment criterion and is extracted from the at least one digital signal,

to the registry information corresponding to the first assessment criterion;

in response to a determination using the first assessment criterion that the digital work is not a registered digital work, repeating a use of a next assessment criterion to determine whether the digital work is a registered digital work until one of the hierarchy of assessment criteria results in the digital work being a registered digital work or none of the hierarchy of assessment criteria results in the digital work being a registered digital work;

in response to a determination that none of the hierarchy of assessment criteria results in the digital work being a registered digital work, generating a fingerprint for the at least one digital signal, utilizing the fingerprint to assess whether the digital work associated with the at least one digital signal is a registered digital work, and altering a functional behavior of the network device with respect to a transmission of the digital work associated with the at least one digital signal; and

in response to a determination that one of the hierarchy of assessment criteria results in the digital work being a registered digital work, altering, by the copyright protection computer system, the functional behavior of the network device with respect to the transmission of the digital work associated with the at least one digital signal based on the comparison of the digital work associated with the at least one digital signal with the registry information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the network device is a network appliance operable to analyze content of digital works.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the altering comprises:

upon determining that the digital work associated with the at least one digital signal is a registered digital work, triggering the network device to cause at least one of;

blocking or interrupting the transmission without notifying an intended recipient of the transmission that the transmission includes a registered digital work,

sending a message to at least one of a source address of the transmission and a recipient address of the transmission to provide additional information pertaining to the digital work or the transmission of the digital work,

redirecting a future communication from the recipient address to a web site,

recording the transmission,

reporting the transmission, and

forwarding an advertisement to the recipient address.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein interrupting the transmission comprises inserting different content into the transmission.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the message sent to at least one of the source address and the recipient address identifies a website with the additional information pertaining to the digital work or the transmission of the digital work.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the message is sent to at least one of the source address and the recipient address via an instant messaging protocol.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein sending the message to at least one of the source address and the recipient address comprises:

detecting an active client application on a computing device intended to receive the transmission, the client application having communication capability; and

transmitting the message to the client application.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the client application is a web browser and the message is an HTTP message or an HTTPS message.

9. A computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method for altering the behavior of a network device of a copyright protection computer system based on transmissions of digital works, the method comprising:

maintaining a registry of information permitting identification of digital works in a database hosted by a computer system, the registry information comprising data for a hierarchy of assessment criteria ordered based on consumption of a processing resource, the hierarchy of assessment criteria comprising at least two of a file name, a file size, a source address, a metadata identifier, and a watermark;

monitoring a network for transmission of at least one packet-based digital signal associated with a digital work, the digital work including at least one of audio content and video content;

determining whether the digital work is a registered digital work by comparing a feature, which corresponds to the first assessment criterion and is extracted from the at least one digital signal, to the registry information corresponding to the first assessment criterion;

in response to a determination using the first assessment criterion that the digital work is not a registered digital work, repeating a use of a next assessment criterion to determine whether the digital work is a registered digital work until one of the hierarchy of assessment criteria results in the digital work being a registered digital work or none of the hierarchy of assessment criteria results in the digital work being a registered digital work;

in response to a determination that none of the hierarchy of assessment criteria results in the digital work being a registered digital work, generating a fingerprint for the at least one digital signal, utilizing the fingerprint to assess whether the digital work associated with the at least one digital signal is a registered digital work, and altering a functional behavior of the network device with respect to a transmission of the digital work associated with the at least one digital signal; and

in response to a determination that one of the hierarchy of assessment criteria results in the digital work being a registered digital work, altering, by the copyright protection computer system, the functional behavior of the network device with respect to the transmission of the digital work associated with the at least one digital signal based on the comparison of the digital work associated with the at least one digital signal with the registry information.

10. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the network device is a network appliance operable to analyze content of digital works.

11. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the altering comprises:

upon determining that the digital work associated with the at least one digital signal is a registered digital work, triggering the network device to cause at least one of;

blocking or interrupting the transmission without notifying an intended recipient of the transmission that the transmission includes a registered digital work,

sending a message to at least one of a source address of the transmission and a recipient address of the transmission to provide additional information pertaining to the work or the transmission of the work,

redirecting a future communication from the recipient address to a web site,

recording the transmission,

reporting the transmission, and

forwarding an advertisement to the recipient address.

12. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein interrupting the transmission comprises inserting different content into the transmission.

13. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the message sent to at least one of the source address and the recipient address identifies a website with the additional information pertaining to the digital work or the transmission of the work.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the message is sent to at least one of the source address and the recipient address via an instant messaging protocol.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein sending the message to at least one of the source address and the recipient address comprises:

detecting an active client application on a computing device intended to receive the transmission, the client application having communication capability; and

transmitting the message to the client application, wherein the client application is a web browser and the message is an HTTP message or an HTTPS message.

16. A computer system for altering the behavior of a network device based on transmissions of digital works, the computer system comprising:

a memory to store a registry of information permitting identification of digital works, the registry information comprising data for a hierarchy of assessment criteria ordered based on consumption of a processing resource, the hierarchy of assessment criteria comprising at least two of a file name, a file size, a source address, a metadata identifier, and a watermark; and

at least one processor, coupled to the memory, to

monitor a network for transmission of at least one packet-based digital signal associated with a digital work, the digital work including at least one of audio content and video content,

determine whether the digital work is a registered digital work by comparing a feature, which corresponds to the first assessment criterion and is extracted from the at least one digital signal, to the registry information corresponding to the first assessment criterion,

in response to a determination using the first assessment criterion that the digital work is not a registered digital work, repeating a use of a next assessment criterion to determine whether the digital work is a registered digital work until one of the hierarchy of assessment criteria results in the digital work being a registered digital work or none of the hierarchy of assessment criteria results in the digital work being a registered digital work,

in response to a determination that none of the hierarchy of assessment criteria results in the digital work being a registered digital work, generating a fingerprint for the at least one digital signal, utilizing the fingerprint to assess whether the digital work associated with the at least one digital signal is a registered digital work, and altering a functional behavior of the network device with respect to a transmission of the digital work associated with the at least one digital signal, and

in response to a determination that one of the hierarchy of assessment criteria results in the digital work being a registered digital work, alter the functional behavior of the network device with respect to the transmission of the digital work associated with the at least one digital signal based on the comparison of the digital work associated with the at least one digital signal with the registry information.

17. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the network device is a network appliance operable to analyze content of digital works.

18. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the processor is to alter the functional behavior by determining that the digital work associated with the at least one digital signal is a registered digital work, and to trigger the network device to cause at least one of:

blocking or interrupting the transmission without notifying an intended recipient of the transmission that the transmission includes a registered digital work, wherein interrupting the transmission comprises inserting different content into the transmission

sending a message to at least one of a source address of the transmission and a recipient address of the transmission to provide additional information pertaining to the work or the transmission of the work;

or

redirecting a future communication from the recipient address to a web site.

19. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the message is sent to at least one of the source address and the recipient address via an instant messaging protocol.

20. The computer system of claim 16, wherein sending the message to at least one of the source address and the recipient address comprises:

detecting an active client application on a computing device intended to receive the transmission, the client application having communication capability; and

transmitting the message to the client application, wherein the client application is a web browser and the message is an HTTP message or an HTTPS message.