System for controlling the distribution and use of rendered digital works through watermarking

• US 7,031,471 B2
• Filed: 02/07/2001
• Issued: 04/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ContentGuard Holdings, Inc. (Pendrell Corporation)
• Original Assignee: ContentGuard Holdings, Inc. (Pendrell Corporation)
• Inventors: Stefik, Mark J., Petrie, Glen W., Okamoto, Steve A., Briggs, Nicholas H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Decady, Albert
• Assistant Examiner(s): JACK, TODD M
• Application Number:
  US09/778,005
• Publication Number:
  US 20010008557A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,896 Days
• Field of Search: 380/231, 713/176
• US Class Current: 380/231
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• 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: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0021 Image watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0064 for copy protection or copy management, e.g. CGMS, copy only once, one-time copy
• 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 17/16 for devices exhibiting advertisements, announcements, pictures or the like
• 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 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 2201/3236 Details of authentication information generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3269 of machine readable codes or marks, e.g. bar codes or glyphs

Abstract

A trusted rendering system for use in a system for controlling the distribution and use of digital works. A trusted rendering system facilitates the protection of rendered digital works which have been rendered on a system which controls the distribution and use of digital works through the use of dynamically generated watermark information that is embedded in the rendered output. The watermark data typically provides information relating to the owner of the digital work, the rights associated with the rendered copy of the digital work and when and where the digital work was rendered. This information will typically aid in deterring or preventing unauthorized copying of the rendered work to be made. The system for controlling distribution and use of digital works provides for attaching persistent usage rights to a digital work. Digital works are transferred between repositories which are used to request and grant access to digital works. Such repositories are also coupled to credit servers which provide for payment of any fees incurred as a result of accessing a digital work.

Claims

1. A system that controls the distribution and use of digital documents comprising:

a usage right determination device that determines a usage right that identifies how a digital document may be used or distributed; and

a usage right association device that associates the usage right, the digital document and a rendering right, wherein the rendering right governs rendering of the digital document and includes information that embeds watermark information into a rendered digital document, the watermark information including information relating to the rendering of the digital document.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the rendering right includes security information and watermarking criteria of a rendering device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the rendering right is a print right.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a digital document authoring device that allows creation of the digital document and encoding of the watermark information.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the watermark information includes a dynamic watermark font.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the watermark information is based on a quantity of data to be placed in a watermark.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a rendering repository that receives the digital document and generates a watermark based on the watermark information.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the watermark is a dynamic watermark.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a usage right verification device that determines the validity of the usage right.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a billing device that tracks expenses associated with the usage right.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the usage right, the digital document and the rendering right are communicated within a trusted environment.

12. A method of controlling the distribution and use of digital documents comprising:

determining a usage right that identifies how a digital document may be used or distributed; and

associating the usage right, the digital document and a rendering right, wherein the rendering right governs rendering of the digital document and includes information that embeds watermark information into a rendered digital document, the watermark information including information relating to the rendering of the digital document.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the rendering right includes security information and watermarking criteria of a rendering device.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the rendering right is a print right.

15. The method or claim 12, further comprising creating of the digital document and encoding of the watermark information.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the watermark information includes a dynamic watermark font.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the watermark information is based on a quantity of data to be placed in a watermark.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising receiving the digital document and generating a watermark based on the watermark information.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the watermark is a dynamic watermark.

20. The method of claim 12, further comprising determining the validity of the usage right.

21. The method of claim 12, further comprising tracking expenses associated with the usage right.

22. The method of claim 12, wherein the usage right, the digital document and the rendering right are communicated within a trusted environment.

23. An information storage media comprising information that controls the distribution, and use of digital documents comprising:

information that determines a usage right that identifies how a digital document may be used or distributed; and

information that associates the usage right, the digital document and a rendering right, wherein the rendering right governs rendering of the digital document and includes information that embeds watermark information into a rendered digital document, the watermark information including information relating to the rendering of the digital document.

24. The information storage media of claim 23, wherein the rendering right includes security information and watermarking criteria of a rendering device.

25. The information storage media of claim 23, wherein the rendering right is a print right.

26. The information storage media of claim 23, further comprising information that creates the digital document and encodes the watermark information.

27. The information storage media of claim 26, wherein the watermark information includes a dynamic watermark font.

28. The information storage media of claim 26, wherein the watermark information based on a quantity of data to be placed in a watermark.

29. The information storage media of claim 23, further comprising information that receives the digital document and generates a watermark based on the watermark information.

30. The information storage media of claim 23, wherein the watermark is a dynamic watermark.

31. The information storage media of claim 23, further comprising information that determines the validity of the usage right.

32. The information storage media of claim 23, further comprising information that tracks expenses associated with the usage right.

33. The information storage media of claim 23, wherein the usage right, the digital document and the rendering right are communicated within a trusted environment.