Derivation and quantization of robust non-local characteristics for blind watermarking

• US 7,318,157 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2004
• Issued: 01/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Venkatesan, Ramarathnam, Jakubowski, Mariusz H., Mihcak, M. Kivanc
• Primary Examiner(s): Barron, Jr., Gilberto
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim, Jung
• Application Number:
  US10/987,058
• Publication Number:
  US 20050108543A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,152 Days
• Field of Search: 713/176, 380/54, 380/201, 382/251
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/16 Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/005 Robust watermarking, e.g. average attack or collusion attack resistant
• 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 2201/0083 whereby only watermarked image required at decoder, e.g. source-based, blind, oblivious
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for commerce, e.g. marketing, shopping, billing, auctions or e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1441 Countermeasures against malicious traffic countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms H04L9/002
• 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 1/32149 Methods relating to embedding, encoding, decoding, detection or retrieval operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32154 Transform domain methods H04N1/32309 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3217 using wavelet transforms
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32187 with selective or adaptive application of the additional information, e.g. in selected frequency coefficients
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32277 Compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3232 Robust embedding or watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32341 Blind embedding, i.e. the original image not being known beforehand
• 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 2201/3233 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

Abstract

An implementation of a technology is described herein for deriving robust non-local characteristics and quantizing such characteristics for blind watermarking of a digital good.

Claims

1. A method facilitating protection of digital signals, the method comprising:

normalizing amplitude of a subject digital signal;

transforming the normalized signal;

partitioning the normalized signal transform into segments by pseudorandomly segmenting the normalized signal transform using a secret key, wherein the partitioning comprises pseudorandomly segmenting the normalized signal transform, wherein such segments have the ability to overlap;

for one or more segments;

calculating statistics of a segment that are representative of that segment;

quantizing such statistics of a segment to generate a quantized value of that segment;

measuring the distance between such statistics of a segment and the quantized value of that segment;

determining whether a watermark is present in the digital signal based upon the quantized values of the one or more segments using quantization index modulation (QIM), wherein such QIM utilizes non-local characteristics of the signal and wherein the non-local characteristics comprise statistics representative of one or more pseudorandomly dimensioned segments of the signal.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein measuring the distance comprises using perceptual distortion metrics.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

determining an indication of confidence based upon the measured distances of the measuring;

indicating an indication of confidence.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising indicating whether a watermark is present.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising indicating whether a watermark is present, wherein such indication is selected from a group consisting of “

present,”

“

not present,” and

“

unknown.”

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the partitioning comprises pseudorandomly segmenting the normalized signal transform, wherein such segments are adjacent and non-contiguous.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the transforming comprises finding a low frequency subband.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the transforming comprises finding a significant frequency subband.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the statistics of the calculating comprises one or more finite order moments of a segment.

10. A computer comprising one or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the computer, perform the method as recited in claim 1.

11. One or more computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions thereon that, when executed by a computer, perform acts for facilitating protection of digital signals, the acts comprising:

normalizing amplitude of a subject digital signal;

transforming the normalized signal;

partitioning the normalized signal transform into segments by pseudorandomly segmenting the normalized signal transform using a secret key, wherein the partitioning comprises pseudorandomly segmenting the normalized signal transform, wherein such segments have the ability to overlap;

for one or more segments;

calculating statistics of a segment that are representative of that segment;

quantizing such statistics of a segment to generate a quantized value of that segment;

measuring the distance between such statistics of a segment and the quantized value of that segment;

determining whether a watermark is present in the digital signal based upon the quantized values of the one or more segments using quantization index modulation (QIM), wherein such QIM utilizes non-local characteristics of the signal and wherein the non-local characteristics comprise statistics representative of one or more pseudorandomly dimensioned segments of the signal.

12. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 11, wherein measuring the distance comprising using perceptual distortion metrics.

13. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 11 further comprising:

determining an indication of confidence based upon the measured distances of the measuring;

indicating an indication of confidence.

14. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 11 further comprising indicating whether a watermark is present.

15. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 11 further comprising indicating whether a watermark is present, wherein such indication is selected from a group consisting of “

present,”

“

not present,” and

“

unknown.”

16. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 11, wherein the partitioning comprises pseudorandomly segmenting the normalized signal transform, wherein such segments are adjacent and non-contiguous.

17. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 11, wherein the transforming comprises finding a low frequency subband.

18. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 11, wherein the transforming comprises finding a significant frequency subband.

19. One or more computer-readable storage media as recited in claim 11, wherein the statistics of the calculating comprises one or more finite order moments of a segment.

20. A method facilitating protection of digital signals, the method comprising:

partitioning a subject digital signal into segments by pseudorandomly segmenting the signal using a secret key, wherein the partitioning comprises pseudorandomly segmenting the signal, wherein such segments have the ability to overlap;

for one or more segments;

calculating statistics of a segment that are representative of that segment;

quantizing such statistics of a segment to generate a quantized value of that segment;

determining whether a watermark is present in the digital signal based upon the quantized values of the one or more segments using quantization index modulation (QIM), wherein such QIM utilizes non-local characteristics of the signal and wherein the non-local characteristics comprise statistics representative of one or more pseudorandomly dimensioned segments of the signal.

21. A method as recited in claim 20 further comprising:

normalizing amplitude of the subject digital signal;

transforming the normalized signal.

22. A method as recited in claim 20 further comprising:

for one or more segments, measuring the distance between such statistics of a segment and the quantized value of that segment;

determining an indication of confidence based upon the measured distances of the measuring;

indicating an indication of confidence.

23. A method as recited in claim 20 further comprising indicating whether a watermark is present.

24. A method as recited in claim 20 further comprising indicating whether a watermark is present, wherein such indication is selected from a group consisting of “

present,”

“

not present,” and

“

unknown.”

25. A method as recited in claim 20, wherein the partitioning comprises pseudorandomly segmenting the signal, wherein such segments are adjacent and non-contiguous.

26. A method as recited in claim 20, wherein the statistics of the calculating comprises one or more finite order moments of a segment.

27. A computer comprising one or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the computer, perform the method as recited in claim 20.

28. A system for facilitating protection of digital signals comprising:

means for partitioning a subject digital signal into segments by pseudorandomly segmenting the signal using a secret key, wherein the partitioning comprises pseudorandomly segmenting the signal, wherein such segments have the ability to overlap;

for one or more segments;

means for calculating statistics of a segment that are representative of that segment;

means for quantizing such statistics of a segment to generate a quantized value of that segment;

means for determining whether a watermark is present in the digital signal based upon the quantized values of the one or more segments using quantization index modulation (QIM), wherein such QIM utilizes non-local characteristics of the signal and wherein the non-local characteristics comprise statistics representative of one or more pseudorandomly dimensioned segments of the signal.

29. A system as recited in claim 28 further comprising:

means for normalizing amplitude of the subject digital signal;

means for transforming the normalized signal.

30. A system as recited in claim 28 further comprising:

for one or more segments, means for measuring the distance between such statistics of a segment and the quantized value of that segment;

means for determining an indication of confidence based upon the measured distances of the measuring;

means for indicating an indication of confidence.

31. A system as recited in claim 28 further comprising means for indicating whether a watermark is present.

32. A system as recited in claim 28 further comprising means for indicating whether a watermark is present, wherein such indication is selected from a group consisting of “

present,”

“

not present,” and

“

unknown.”

33. A system as recited in claim 28, wherein the partitioning comprises pseudorandomly segmenting the signal, wherein such segments are adjacent and non-contiguous.

34. A system as recited in claim 28, wherein the statistics of the calculating comprises one or more finite order moments of a segment.