Systems and methods for securing content delivered using a playlist

• US 9,532,113 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2011
• Issued: 12/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verimatrix Incorporated (Verimatrix SA)
• Original Assignee: Verimatrix Incorporated (Verimatrix SA)
• Inventors: Thorwirth, Niels J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rahman, Mahfuzur
• Application Number:
  US13/579,020
• Publication Number:
  US 20130054972A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,140 Days
• Field of Search: 713/176
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/14 using a plurality of keys or algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• 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 21/23895 involving multiplex stream encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26258 for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• 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 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02

Abstract

Systems and methods in accordance with embodiments of the invention enhance the security of content distribution using individualized playlists. In many embodiments, a playlist is individually composed for a client device so that the selection of content included in the playlist encodes information. One embodiment includes generating a watermark sequence, where each watermark sequence is a unique identifier, selecting between alternative chunks of encoded content based upon the watermark sequence, where each of the alternative chunks of encoded content includes the same perceptual content and differs in the way it is watermarked, and listing the selected chunks in a playlist, where content assembled using the playlist includes a unique watermark sequence.

Claims

1. A method of generating a plurality of unique playlists, where content assembled using each playlist includes a unique watermark sequence, and the method of generating each of the plurality of unique playlists comprises:

generating a watermark sequence using a server, where each watermark sequence is a unique identifier;

preparing, using the server, a plurality of alternative groups of chunks of encoded content for each of a plurality of sections of a piece of content, where each of the alternative groups of chunks contains a plurality of chunks having different embedded digital watermark information from chunks in another alternative group of chunks, and where each chunk within an alternative group of chunks contains the same perceptual content encoded using the same embedded digital watermark information but encoded at a different bitrate as another chunk within the alternative croup of chunks;

selecting an alternative group of chunks from the plurality of alternative groups of chunks for each of the plurality of sections of the piece of content based upon the watermark sequence using the server;

listing the selected chunks from the selected alternative groups of chunks in a playlist using the server, where the sequence of chunks assembled in the playlist is based on the watermark sequence;

requesting the playlist using a client device; and

selecting chunks to download using the client device based upon the playlist, where the client device does not possess information enabling access to the chunks in the alternative groups of chunks stored on the server that are not referenced by the playlist.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the alternative groups of chunks includes an imperceptibly embedded watermark, and one of the alternative groups of chunks is unmodified.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the alternative groups of chunks includes a different imperceptibly embedded watermark.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein each of the alternative groups of chunks includes a different amount of embedded information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the number of alternative groups of chunks differs for different sections of the content.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected chunks are listed in the playlist using links to the selected chunks of encoded content.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein at least one of the links is a single use link.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein each single use link includes a unique token.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein at least one of the links is a destination link.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein each destination link includes a token indicative of a client device.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising inserting a playlist-bound key into the playlist.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting an alternative group of chunks from the plurality of alternative groups of chunks for each of the plurality of sections of the piece of content based upon the watermark sequence further comprises selecting between alternative groups of chunks where each of the alternative groups of chunks is encrypted in a different way.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein each of the alternative groups of chunks is encrypted using a different encryption key.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein selection of an alternative groups of chunks is performed as the watermark sequence is generated.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein listing the selected chunks from the selected alternative groups of chunks in a playlist using the server comprises listing, in an M3U playlist file, URLs pointing to the selected chunks from the selected alternative groups of chunks.

16. A method of providing content for downloading using a plurality of unique playlists, where content assembled using each playlist includes a unique watermark sequence, comprising:

encoding a plurality of sections of a piece of content, using a server, as a plurality of alternative groups of chunks, where each of the alternative groups of chunks contains a plurality of chunks having different embedded digital watermark information from chunks in another alternative group of chunks, and where each chunk within an alternative group of chunks contains the same perceptual content encoded using the same embedded digital watermark information but encoded at a different bitrate as another chunk within the alternative group of chunks;

generating a plurality of unique playlists using the server, where each playlist is generated by;

generating a watermark sequence using the server, where each watermark sequence is a unique identifier;

selecting an alternative group of chunks from the plurality of alternative groups of chunks for each of the plurality of sections of the piece of content based upon the watermark sequence using the server; and

listing the selected chunks from the selected alternative groups of chunks in a playlist, where the sequence of chunks assembled in the playlist is based on the watermark sequence;

providing the plurality of unique playlists to a plurality of client devices using the server; and

providing chunks of content to the client devices in accordance with requests made by the client devices using the plurality of unique playlists, where the content assembled by each client device includes a unique watermark sequence and where each client device does not possess information enabling access to chunks in the alternative groups of chunks stored on the server that are not referenced by the unique playlist received by the client device.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein listing the selected chunks from the selected alternative groups of chunks in a playlist comprises listing, in an M3U playlist file, URLs pointing to the selected chunks from the selected alternative groups of chunks.

18. A system configured to generate a plurality of unique playlists, where content assembled using each playlist includes a unique watermark sequence, the system comprising:

a server configured to generate a watermark sequence, where each watermark sequence is a unique identifier;

wherein the server is also configured to prepare a plurality of alternative groups of chunks of encoded content for each of a plurality of sections of a piece of content, where each of the alternative groups of chunks contains a plurality of chunks having different embedded digital watermark information from chunks in another alternative group of chunks, and where each chunk within an alternative group of chunks contains the same perceptual content encoded using the same embedded digital watermark information but encoded at a different bitrate as another chunk within the alternative group of chunks;

wherein the server is also configured to select an alternative group of chunks from the plurality of alternative groups of chunks for each of the plurality of sections of the piece of content based upon the watermark sequence;

wherein the server is configured to;

list the selected chunks from the selected alternative groups of chunks in a playlist, where the sequence of chunks assembled in the playlist is based on the watermark sequence;

send the playlist to a client device; and

send chunks to the client device in response to requests for the chunks, where the client device does not possess information enabling access to chunks in the alternative groups of chunks stored on the server that are not referenced by the playlist.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the server being configured to list the selected chunks from the selected alternative groups of chunks in a playlist comprises the server being configured to list, in an M3U playlist file, URLs pointing to the selected chunks from the selected alternative groups of chunks.

20. A system configured to provide content for downloading using a plurality of unique playlists, where content assembled using each playlist includes a unique watermark sequence, the system comprising:

an encoder configured to encode each of a plurality of sections of a piece of content as a plurality of alternative groups of chunks of encoded content, where each of the alternative groups of chunks contains a plurality of chunks having different embedded digital watermark information from chunks in another alternative group of chunks, and where each chunk within an alternative group of chunks contains the same perceptual content encoded using the same embedded digital watermark information but encoded at a different bitrate as another chunk within the alternative group of chunks;

a server configured to generate a plurality of unique playlists, where each playlist is generated by;

generating a watermark sequence, where each watermark sequence is a unique identifier;

selecting an alternative group of chunks from the plurality of alternative groups of chunks for each of the plurality of sections of the piece of content based upon the watermark sequence; and

listing the selected chunks from the selected alternative groups of chunks in a playlist, where the sequence of chunks assembled in the playlist is based on the watermark sequence; and

a server configured to provide chunks of content to client devices in accordance with requests made using one of the plurality of unique playlists, where the sequence of chunks assembled by each client device is based on the watermark sequence embedded in the playlist received by the client device and where the each client device does not possess information enabling access to the chunks in the alternative groups of chunks stored on the server that are not referenced by the playlist received by the client device.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein listing the selected chunks from the selected alternative groups of chunks in a playlist comprises listing, in an M3U playlist file, URLs pointing to the selected chunks from the selected alternative groups of chunks.