Unique watermarking of content objects according to end user identity

• US 8,806,558 B1
• Filed: 12/18/2013
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Limelight Networks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Limelight Networks, Inc.
• Inventors: Cassidy, Sean, Smith, Brandon
• Primary Examiner(s): ALAM, MUSHFIKH I
• Application Number:
  US14/133,478
• Time in Patent Office: 237 Days
• Field of Search: 725/116, 725/118, 725/119, 382/100, 382/232, 713/176
• US Class Current: 725/118
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/608 Watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/32 including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system or for message authentication, e.g. authorization, entity authentication, data integrity or data verification, non-repudiation, key authentication or verification of credentials
• 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 21/8358 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

Abstract

A machine-implementable method for uniquely watermarking a content object according to end user identity includes transcoding an original content object to a format that is compatible with end user systems, and storing the transcoded content object where it is accessible by one or more points of presence (POPs) of a content delivery network. One of the POPs receives identifying information associated with a specific one of the end user systems. A digital watermark engine adds uncorrected digital watermark information correlating to the end user system, to the content object, to form a uniquely watermarked content object. The uncorrected digital watermark information is correctable by error correction capability of the specific end user system to deliver a version of the content object that is indistinguishable by a human from the original content object. The method further includes transmitting the uniquely watermarked content object to the specific end user system.

Claims

1. A machine-implementable method for uniquely watermarking content objects according to end user identity, comprising:

transcoding an original content object to form a transcoded content object, the transcoded content object having a format that is compatible with;

transmission to an end user system, and

display by the end user system to an end user;

storing the transcoded content object in a storage medium that is accessible by one or more points of presence (POPs) of a content delivery network;

receiving, at one of the one or more POPs of the content delivery network, a first request and a second request for the transcoded content object from first and second end user systems respectively, wherein

the first request for the transcoded content object conveys first identifying information that is associated with at least one of;

identity of the first end user system and

identity of a first end user of the first end user system;

the second request for the transcoded content object conveys second identifying information that is associated with at least one of;

identity of the second end user system and

identity of a second end user of the second end user system;

the first and second end users are not the same, and

the first and second end user systems are not the same;

adding, by the one of the one or more POPs of the content delivery network, first and second uncorrected digital watermark information to the transcoded content object to form respective first and second uniquely watermarked content objects, wherein;

the first and the second uncorrected digital watermark information are different from one another, and correspond to the first and second identifying information respectively, and

both the first and the second uncorrected digital watermark information are correctable by error correction capability of the respective end user systems such that the respective first and second end user systems display content that is indistinguishable by the first and second end users from the transcoded content object; and

transmitting the first and second uniquely watermarked content objects from the one of the one or more POPs of the content delivery network to the first and second end user systems respectively.

2. The machine-implementable method for uniquely watermarking a content object according to end user identity of claim 1, wherein the first identifying information is a digital token that authorizes release of the first uniquely watermarked content object to the first end user system.

3. The machine-implementable method for uniquely watermarking a content object according to end user identity of claim 1, wherein the first uncorrected digital watermark information is correctable by error correction capability of the first end user system to create a version of the content object that is identical to the transcoded content object without the first uncorrected digital watermark information.

4. The machine-implementable method for uniquely watermarking a content object according to end user identity of claim 1, wherein the first uncorrected digital watermark information is a code associated with the first identifying information in a look-up table, and further comprising:

adding, by the one of the one or more POPs of the content delivery network, the code and the first identifying information to the look-up table.

5. The machine-implementable method for uniquely watermarking a content object according to end user identity of claim 4, wherein the code is a random bit stream.

6. The machine-implementable method for uniquely watermarking a content object according to end user identity of claim 1, wherein the first identifying information is associated with identity of one or both of the first end user system and the first end user.

7. The machine-implementable method for uniquely watermarking a content object according to end user identity of claim 1, wherein the first identifying information is encrypted to form the first uncorrected digital watermark information.

8. The machine-implementable method for uniquely watermarking a content object according to end user identity of claim 1, wherein the first uncorrected digital watermark information is added as error information to one or more of color pixel data, luminance pixel data, motion vector data, audio track data, key frame metadata, macroblock ordering, slice ordering or quantization factors.

9. The machine-implementable method for uniquely watermarking a content object according to end user identity of claim 8, wherein the content object is a video file, and the first uncorrected digital watermark information is added as error information to pixel data within a dark area of an image within the video file.

10. The machine-implementable method for uniquely watermarking a content object according to end user identity of claim 8, wherein the content object is a video file, and the first uncorrected digital watermark information is added within an area of an image within the video file that corresponds to one of surf, fire, an explosion and a crowd.

11. The machine-implementable method for uniquely watermarking a content object according to end user identity of claim 1, wherein the first uncorrected digital watermark information is added to the content object at a plurality of locations within the content object.

12. The machine-implementable method for uniquely watermarking a content object according to end user identity of claim 11, wherein the first uncorrected digital watermark information in one of the plurality of locations within the content object can be used to identify others of the plurality of locations within the content object where the first identifying information is added.

13. The machine-implementable method for uniquely watermarking a content object according to end user identity of claim 11, wherein the first uncorrected digital watermark information is encoded using two or more differing modalities selected from the group consisting of color pixel data, luminance pixel data, motion vector data, audio track data, key frame metadata, macroblock ordering, slice ordering and quantization factors, at two or more of the plurality of locations.

14. One or more machine-readable media having machine-executable instructions configured to perform the machine-implementable method for uniquely watermarking a content object according to end user identity of claim 1.

15. A machine adapted to perform the machine-implementable method for uniquely watermarking a content object according to end user identity of claim 1.

16. A system for uniquely watermarking an original content object according to end user identity, comprising:

storage that is accessible by one or more points of presence (POPs) of a content delivery network, and stores the content object as a transcoded content object in a format that is compatible with;

transmission to an end user system, and

display by the end user system to an end user;

an edge server, within one of the one or more POPs, that is configured to receive a request for the transcoded content object from the end user system, wherein the request for the transcoded content object conveys identifying information, the identifying information being associated with at least one of;

identity of the end user system, and

identity of the end user; and

a watermark engine, within the one of the one or more POPs, that adds uncorrected digital watermark information to the transcoded content object to form a uniquely watermarked content object, wherein;

the uncorrected digital watermark information corresponds to the identifying information,

the uncorrected digital watermark information is correctable by error correction capability of the end user system such that the end user system displays a version of the content object that is indistinguishable by the end user from the original content object, and

the uniquely watermarked content object is transmitted to the end user system.

17. The system for uniquely watermarking an original content object according to end user identity of claim 16, wherein the edge server acts as the watermark engine.

18. The system for uniquely watermarking an original content object according to end user identity of claim 16, further comprising a codec within the one of the one or more POPs, wherein the system receives the original content object, and the codec transcodes the content object into the format to form the transcoded content object.

19. The system for uniquely watermarking an original content object according to end user identity of claim 16, wherein the watermark engine adds the uncorrected digital watermark information to the transcoded content object at a plurality of locations to form the uniquely watermarked content object.

20. The system for uniquely watermarking an original content object according to end user identity of claim 19, wherein the uncorrected digital watermark information comprises different information added to at least two of the plurality of locations.