Digital watermarks

• US 20070031000A1
• Filed: 10/05/2006
• Published: 02/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/1995
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Rhoads, Geoffrey, Carr, J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,602,977 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/1418 the inserts being deformed or preformed, e.g. by the injection pressure
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/29 Securities; Bank notes
• 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 1/0028 Adaptive watermarking, e.g. Human Visual System [HVS]-based watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/005 Robust watermarking, e.g. average attack or collusion attack resistant
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0078 using multiple thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0052 Embedding of the watermark in the frequency domain
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0065 Extraction of an embedded watermark; Reliable detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0202 whereby the quality of watermarked images is measured; Measuring quality or performance of watermarking methods; Balancing between quality and robustness
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/40 Document-oriented image-based pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/253 visually
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/0034 using watermarks
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/004 using digital security elements, e.g. information coded on a magnetic thread or strip
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/08 by coded identity card or credit card or other personal identification means without personal verification means G07F7/02
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/086 by passive credit-cards adapted therefor, e.g. constructive particularities to avoid counterfeiting, e.g. by inclusion of a physical or chemical security-layer for security documents G07D7/00; for the reading of record-carriers in general G06K7/00; for the design of coded credit-cards G06K19/10
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/12 Card verification
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/018 Audio watermarking, i.e. embedding inaudible data in the audio signal
• 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: H04N 1/00005 relating to image data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00037 Detecting, i.e. determining the occurrence of a predetermined state H04N1/00031 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00079 : remotely
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00838 : Preventing unauthorised reproduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32122 : in a separate device, e.g. in a memory or on a display separate from image data
• 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 1/32219 : involving changing the position of selected pixels, e.g. word shifting, or involving modulating the size of image components, e.g. of characters H04N1/32224 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32261 : in binary data H04N1/32256 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32304 : Embedding different sets of additional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32352 : Controlling detectability or arrangements to facilitate detection or retrieval of the embedded information, e.g. using markers for decoding, detection or retrieval operations H04N1/32149 and subgroups take precedence
• 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 21/8358 : 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 2201/3205 : of identification information, e.g. name or ID code H04N2201/3209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3207 : of an address
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3225 : of data relating to an image, a page or a document
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3226 : of identification information or the like, e.g. ID code, index, title, part of an image, reduced-size image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3233 : of authentication information, e.g. digital signature, watermark
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3239 : using a plurality of different authentication information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/327 : which are undetectable to the naked eye, e.g. embedded codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3271 : Printing or stamping
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3274 : Storage or retrieval of prestored additional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/328 : Processing of the additional information

Abstract

The present invention relates generally to digital watermarking and steganographic data hiding. In one embodiment a method of rendering content to a user is provided. The rendered content includes a digital watermark embedded therein. In another embodiment, digital watermarking is utilized to facilitate purchase or lease of audio or video content over a network or with a remote computer. In still another embodiment, a compression characteristic is determined, and subsequent steganographic embedding is influenced based on the characteristic. Other embodiments are provided as well.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving packaged content over a network as a result of a negotiated transaction involving payment by a user, the content being packaged with at least encryption;

unpackaging the content for rendering to the user,

but prior to rendering, embedding a digital watermarking in the unpackaged content,

the digital watermarking including auxiliary information,

the auxiliary information comprising a first portion associated with permissible uses of the content and a second portion including information generated upon unpackaging the content, and

the digital watermarking carrying the auxiliary information in the unpackaged content through alterations to data representing the content; and

rendering the embedded content to the user.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the information generated upon unpackaging the content comprises information associated with a distributor of the packaged content.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein information generated upon unpackaging the content comprises information associated with the user.

4. A method comprising:

through a computerized user interface, receiving a selection identifying an object displayed through the computerized user interface;

analyzing the object to decode a digital watermark embedded in the object, the digital watermark being embedded in the object through alterations to data representing the object,

the digital watermark comprising information to facilitate a transaction via a remote computer, the transaction involving purchase or selection of audio or video content associated with the object,

receiving transaction information through the computerized user interface;

communicating the transaction information to the remote computer;

receiving from the remote computer an authorization,

the digital watermark information cooperating with the authorization to allow access to the audio or video content associated with the object.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the digital watermark information comprises executable code, the executable code utilizing the authorization to allow access to the audio or video content associated with the object.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the digital watermark information comprising a pointer to executable code, the executable code utilizing the authorization to allow access to the audio or video content associated with the object.

7. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon including instructions to perform the method of claim 4.

8. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon including instructions to perform the method of claim 5.

9. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon including instructions to perform the method of claim 6.

10. The method of claim 4 wherein the data representing the object comprises transform domain coefficients.

11. The method of claim 4 wherein the object comprises a compressed or encrypted version of the audio or video.

12. The method of claim 4 wherein the object comprises a graphical representation associated with the audio or video content.

13. A method comprising:

obtaining first audio content or first video content, the first audio content or first video content comprising a steganographic signal embedded therein;

determining at least one compression characteristic associated with the embedded first audio content or first video content;

influencing steganographic embedding of second audio content or second video content based at least in part on the compression characteristic.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the steganographic embedding utilizes a transform domain.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the compression characteristic comprises a bit rate.

16. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon including instructions to perform the method of claim 13.

17. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon including instructions to perform the method of claim 15.

18. A method comprising:

obtaining compressed content;

determining at least one characteristic associated with compression of the compressed content;

adjusting steganographic embedding of content based at least in part on the characteristic associated with the compression,

the steganographic embedding hiding plural-bits in content through alterations to data representing content.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the characteristic is associated with a relationship between steganographic embedding and compression.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the adjusting enables relatively more robust stegangraphic embedding with respect to the compression.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein the data representing content comprises transform domain coefficients.

22. A method comprising:

obtaining compressed content;

determining at least one characteristic associated with compression of the compressed content;

adjusting detection of a steganographically hidden code based at least in part on the characteristic associated with the compression,

the steganographically hidden code comprising plural-bits hidden in the content through alterations to data representing the content.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the data representing the content comprises transform domain coefficients.

24. The method of claim 22 wherein the content comprises audio or video.