Integrating digital watermarks in multimedia content

• US 6,611,607 B1
• Filed: 03/15/2000
• Issued: 08/26/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Rhoads, Geoffrey B., Rodriguez, Tony F., Davis, Bruce L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Couso, Jose L.
• Application Number:
  US09/525,865
• Time in Patent Office: 1,259 Days
• Field of Search: 358/85, 358/86, 358/400, 358/402, 358/403, 358/407, 358/442, 379/94-98, 379/100, 379/105, 379/112-114, 379/118, 379/125, 380/3, 380/4, 380/5, 380/9, 380/16, 380/22, 380/23, 380/25, 380/49, 380/50, 380/54, 382/100, 382/112, 382/115, 382/232, 382/233, 382/236, 382/244, 382/248, 382/254, 382/280, 382/287, 348/460-468, 705/1, 705/41, 705/44, 713/176, 386/94
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/00 Information-bearing cards or sheet-like structures characterised by identification or security features; Manufacture thereof printing processes to produce identification or security features B41M3/14
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/333 Watermarks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1063 Personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/16 Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06046 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/14 the marking being sensed by radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/18 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2019/06253 for a specific application
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1447 extracting optical codes from image or text carrying said optical code
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/123 Shopping for digital content
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1235 with control of digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40145 Biometric identity checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0021 Image watermarking
• 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: G06V 30/40 Document-oriented image-based pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/253 : visually
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/0032 : using holograms
• 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 17/0014 : for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/26 : for printing, stamping, franking, typing or teleprinting apparatus ticket printing or the like apparatus G07F17/42
• 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 7/1008 : Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1016 : Devices or methods for securing the PIN and other transaction-data, e.g. by encryption arrangements for secret communication, see H04L9/00
• 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: G11B 20/00094 : involving measures which result in a restriction to authorised record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00166 : involving measures which result in a restriction to authorised contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier, e.g. music or software
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00173 : wherein the origin of the content is checked, e.g. determining whether the content has originally been retrieved from a legal disc copy or another trusted source
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0021 : involving encryption or decryption of contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00289 : wherein the key is stored as a watermark
• 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 20/00891 : embedded in audio data
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 : DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/665 : using psychoacoustic properties of the ear, e.g. masking effect
• 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 1/00846 : based on detection of a dedicated indication, e.g. marks or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00875 : Inhibiting reproduction, e.g. by disabling reading or reproduction apparatus
• 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 1/32154 : Transform domain methods H04N1/32309 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3216 : using Fourier transforms
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32203 : Spatial or amplitude domain methods H04N1/32309 takes precedence
• 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 1/32251 : in multilevel data, e.g. greyscale or continuous tone data
• 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 1/32352 : 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 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 2005/91321 : the copy protection signal being a copy protection control signal, e.g. a record inhibit signal
• 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 21/44008 : involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• 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 21/8355 : involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed
• 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 21/858 : Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• 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 2201/327 : 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3284 : for error correction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/913 : for scrambling ; for copy protection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only

Abstract

A method for decoding auxiliary data from media signals in multimedia content decodes watermarks from different media signals and uses the watermarks to control processing of the multimedia content. A copy control method decodes a watermark from one of the media signals in multimedia content, and uses the watermark to control processing of the multimedia content. Another method uses a watermark decoded from a first media signal to decode a second media signal. Yet another method uses a watermark decoded from a media signal to decode metadata associated with the media signal. Finally, another method forms a key for decoding data from at least first and second watermarks extracted from first and second media signals.

Claims

1. A method for decoding auxiliary data in multimedia content with two or more media signals of different media types, comprising:

decoding watermarks in the media signals; and

using the watermarks from the different media signals to control processing of the multimedia content.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the watermark in one media signal is used to locate the watermark in another media signal.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the one media signal is a video track and the other is an audio track of a movie, and there is a temporal relationship between the video and audio track such that a watermark in one track is within a predefined temporal distance of a watermark in another track.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein watermark messages from different signal types are combined after being decoded from the media signals.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the combined message is used to control playback, copying or recording of the multimedia content.

6. A method for copy control of multimedia content with two or more media signals of different media types, comprising:

decoding a watermark from one of the media signals; and

using the watermark to control processing of the multimedia content.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein a watermark in an audio signal is used to control processing of a video signal in the multimedia content.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein a watermark in a video signal is used to control processing of an audio signal in the multimedia content.

9. A method for watermark decoding comprising:

decoding a watermark from a first media signal of a first media type;

and decoding a second media signal using the watermark.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the second media signal is a part of a composite media signal including both the first and second media signals.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the first and second media signals are the same media type.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the first and second media signals are parts of a composite media signal.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the decoding comprises decompressing the second media signal.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein the decoding comprises de-scrambling or decrypting the second media signal.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein the decoding comprises using the watermark as a watermark key for decoding a different watermark from the second media signal.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the watermark key specifies a location of the different watermark in the second media signal.

17. A method for watermark decoding comprising:

decoding a watermark from a first media signal of a first media type;

and decoding metadata associated with the first media signal using the watermark.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the watermark specifies a location of metadata and decoding comprises using the watermark to locate the metadata.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the metadata is located on a storage medium that also includes the first media signal.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the storage medium is a portable storage device.

21. The method of claim 17 wherein the watermark includes a decryption key and the decoding comprises decrypting metadata with the decryption key.

22. A method of watermark decoding comprising:

decoding at least a first watermark from a first media signal;

decoding at least a second watermark from a second media signal; and

forming a key for decoding data from at least the first and second watermarks.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the first and second media signals are of the same media type.

24. The method of claim 22 wherein the first and second media signals are of different media types.

25. The method of claim 22 wherein the first and second media signals are stored in the same storage medium.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the storage media is a portable storage medium.

27. The method of claim 22 wherein the key comprises a watermark key used to decode a watermark from a media signal.

28. The method of claim 22 wherein the key comprises a decryption key used to decrypt a media signal.

29. The method of claim 22 wherein the key comprises a parameter used to decompress a media signal.