Methods and systems for encoding and protecting data using digital signature and watermarking techniques

• US 8,850,214 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2013
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: PLS IV, LLC (Pretium Partners, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intertrust Technologies Corporation (Fidelio Acquisition Co LLC)
• Inventors: Serret-Avila, Xavier, Boccon-Gibod, Gilles
• Primary Examiner(s): Barron, Jr., Gilberto
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALMEIDA, DEVIN E
• Application Number:
  US13/892,021
• Publication Number:
  US 20130297941A1
• Time in Patent Office: 508 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 713/176
• 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: G06T 1/0071 using multiple or alternating watermarks
• 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 20/00123 the record carrier being identified by recognising some of its unique characteristics, e.g. a unique defect pattern serving as a physical signature of the record carrier
• 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: G11B 20/00898 based on a hash function
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/608 Watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3236 using cryptographic hash functions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• 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 1/32208 involving changing the magnitude of selected pixels, e.g. overlay of information or super-imposition H04N1/32219, H04N1/32224 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32283 Hashing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32288 Multiple embedding, e.g. cocktail embedding, or redundant embedding, e.g. repeating the additional information at a plurality of locations in the image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32293 Repeating the additional information in a regular pattern
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32304 Embedding different sets of additional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3232 Robust embedding or watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/00 Methods or arrangements for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/467 characterised by the embedded information being invisible, e.g. watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91335 the copy protection signal being a watermark
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23892 involving embedding information at multiplex stream level, e.g. embedding a watermark at packet level
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3235 : Checking or certification of the authentication information, e.g. by comparison with data stored independently
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/913 : for scrambling ; for copy protection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/162 : Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for determining a presence of a watermark in electronic data. In certain embodiments, a plurality of keys is generated, and a plurality of payloads are retrieved from electronic data using the keys. A statistical indicia of randomness is generated based on the payloads, and the presence of a watermark is determined when the indicia is below a threshold.

Claims

1. A method for determining a presence of a watermark in electronic data comprising:

generating a plurality of keys;

retrieving a plurality of payloads from the electronic data using the plurality of keys;

generating a statistical indicia of randomness of the plurality of payloads; and

determining the presence of the watermark in the electronic data based on the indicia being less than a threshold,

wherein the plurality of keys comprises randomly generated keys.

2. The method claim 1, wherein retrieving the plurality of payloads further comprises:

identifying a set of mark holder candidates in the electronic data;

using each key of the plurality of keys to select a subset of the mark holder candidates; and

retrieving a payload of the plurality of payloads from each selected subset of the mark holder candidates.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises recording the plurality of payloads.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold is based on a watermarking algorithm used to insert the watermark into the electronic data.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the watermarking algorithm is tuned empirically such that a statistically significant mark hit rate can be obtained regardless of whether an incorrect key is used to retrieve the watermark.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the hit rate comprises a number of mark holder candidates in the electronic data containing payloads divided by a total number of mark holder candidates in the electronic data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the watermark comprises a strong watermark.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold comprises a statistical threshold of randomness indicating an absence of the watermark in the electronic data.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising:

generating a plurality of keys;

retrieving a plurality of payloads from the electronic data using the plurality of keys;

generating a statistical indicia of randomness of the plurality of payloads; and

determining the presence of the watermark in the electronic data based on the indicia being less than a threshold,

wherein the plurality of keys comprises randomly generated keys.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium claim 9, wherein retrieving the plurality of payloads further comprises:

identifying a set of mark holder candidates in the electronic data;

using each key of the plurality of keys to select a subset of the mark holder candidates; and

retrieving a payload of the plurality of payloads from each selected subset of the mark holder candidates.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises recording the plurality of payloads.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the threshold is based on a watermarking algorithm used to insert the watermark into the electronic data.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the watermarking algorithm is tuned empirically such that a statistically significant mark hit rate can be obtained regardless of whether an incorrect key is used to retrieve the watermark.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the hit rate comprises a number of mark holder candidates in the electronic data containing payloads divided by a total number of mark holder candidates in the electronic data.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the watermark comprises a strong watermark.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the threshold comprises a statistical threshold of randomness indicating an absence of the watermark in the electronic data.