Method and apparatus to protect media existing in an insecure format

• US 20010037456A1
• Filed: 03/07/2001
• Published: 11/01/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Acouste Information Processing Lab, LLC
• Inventors: Levy, Kenneth L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,127,744 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/109 by using specially-adapted hardware at the client
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/16 Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0071 using multiple or alternating watermarks
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0064 for copy protection or copy management, e.g. CGMS, copy only once, one-time copy
• 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 20/00884 involving a watermark, i.e. a barely perceptible transformation of the original data which can nevertheless be recognised by an algorithm
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91335 the copy protection signal being a watermark
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/913 for scrambling ; for copy protection

Abstract

Previous methods of protecting content that exists in an insecure format from piracy are computationally intense. This novel process and apparatus protect the content with a more efficient technique, which leads to less expensive consumer electronics. The technique is based upon two watermarks, labeled a “rights” and “protect” watermark. The rights watermark is efficient, robust to duplication, embedded for each reproduction of the content, and retrieved every time played and/or copied. The protect watermark is robust to removal, embedded only when the content is created, retrieved when tampering is suspected, and allowed to be computationally intense. The apparatus includes a logic processor and storage unit to implement the embedding and retrieving process.

Claims

1. A method of protecting content by including two watermarks, a protect watermark which is difficult to remove and declares the content is protected, and al rights watermark which is efficient to embed or retrieve and declares the content'"'"'s rights, thereby improving efficient and reducing costs of copy protection hardware.

2. The method of

claim 1

in which rights watermark is difficult to duplicate.

3. The method of

claim 1

in which the embedding process adds the protect watermark when the content is created, and the protect watermark is copied with the content in each reproduction.

4. The method of

claim 3

in which the embedding process adds the rights watermark each time the content is reproduced.

5. The method of

claim 1

in which the embedding process adds the rights watermark each time the content is reproduced.

6. The method of

claim 1

in which the retrieving process searches for the rights watermark each time the content is acted upon.

7. The method of

claim 6

in which the retrieving process enables the desired action if rights watermark is retrieved and contains the correct information.

8. The method of

claim 7

in which the retrieving process only searches for the protect watermark if the rights watermark is not found.

9. The method of

claim 8

in which the retrieving process enables the desired action in the absence of the protect watermark.

10. The method of

claim 1

in which the retrieving process enables the desired action if rights watermark is retrieved and contains the correct information.

11. The method of

claim 1

in which the retrieving process only searches for the protect watermark if the rights watermark is not found.

12. The method of

claim 1

in which the retrieving process enables the desired action in the absence of the protect watermark.

13. An apparatus consisting of a logic processor and storage unit implementing a means of embedding either the protect or rights watermark, or both.

14. The apparatus of

claim 13

where the logic processor is a digital signal processor and the memory is digital random access memory.

15. An apparatus consisting of a logic processor and storage unit implementing a means of retrieving either the protect or rights watermark, or both.

16. The apparatus of

claim 15

in which the apparatus contains a portable section and loader, and is designed such that the portable section never needs to check for the protect watermark, thereby reducing the computational power required on the portable section.

17. The apparatus of

claim 15

where the logic processor is a digital signal processor and the memory is digital random access memory.