Network-based content distribution system

Abstract

A method and system for transferring electronic media information over a public network in such a way as to provide safeguards for inappropriate distribution of copyright or otherwise protected materials are described. The media information is transparently watermarked with a unique ID, such as one generated from X.509 Digital Certificate and public-key cryptography public / private key pairs, such that the information can be identified as belonging to a particular individual. A system and method for monitoring the movement of such watermarked files, positively identifying people who have inappropriately distributed copyright materials over a public network without permission, and taking appropriate enforcement action against such people.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION[0001]The present application is a Continuation of co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 09 / 789,298 filed on Feb. 20, 2001, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 250,445 filed on Nov. 30, 2000, U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 223,128 filed on Aug. 7, 2000, U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 209,506 filed on Jun. 5, 2000, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 183,638 filed on Feb. 18, 2000, and which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09 / 782,707 filed on Feb. 12, 2001 (abandoned), and the contents of each of the aforementioned prior applications is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.BACKGROUND[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]The present invention relates to the field of electronic media file content distribution. Additionally, the invention relates to embedding unique electronic signature information, referred to as watermarks, and inserting these watermarks into an electronic media file to facilitate th...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0016]The solution to the numerous problems confronting the rights owners of digital media is, therefore, not simply an issue of adding encryption. It is more accurately an issue of uniquely marking and identifying digital media files with authenticated information from a trusted authority and making business decisions that will maximize the potential return-on-investment for such files. Therefore, there is a need in the electronic media content distribution field to be able to mark content files with an authenticated digital signature that uniquely identifies the person who is the source, to be able to monitor the files if they are transferred to others, and to have these capabilities while imposing minimal burden and inconvenience on the consumer.

Problems solved by technology

Users may download such electronic media files legitimately from a content provider, for example a record label such as Sony Records or Capitol Records, or inappropriately from one of the content download services without the permission of the copyright owner.

Such consumers who inappropriately distribute copyright material over public networks cannot currently be positively identified, if they can even be tracked down at all.

Therefore, these consumers can quite often successfully deny culpability.

Since a digital media file such as a music or movie file can be duplicated essentially an unlimited number of times and distributed at virtually no cost, the economics for providing such digital materials to the public is not viable.

Although encryption schemes have provided solutions to other problems involving digital media content, it is not the preeminent answer to the problem of identifying and monitoring content files.

1) Encryption schemes are often targets for many hackers, and it is typically only a matter of time before decryption algorithms will be discovered and published on a wide scale.

2) The market is overwhelmed with a number of encryption schemes. Therefore, no single standard is likely to be adopted and enforced.

3) Encryption adds a great deal of expense to the distribution of digital media. In some cases, this extra expense may make the difference between profitable and unprofitable distribution.

4) Encryption adds a layer of complexity for the consumer that will most likely result in lower consumer satisfaction.

5) Popular media sharing facilities, for example Napster, have educated tens of millions of consumers about the ease with which media files can be transferred. It may in fact be too late to successfully change the accepted model for electronic media distribution.

Consumers generally will learn to accept models that add a level of complexity if these models are in fact the only models available.

However, the complexities that content distributors would like to introduce into the market with encryption will arrive after the superior model has been introduced.

This will likely result in media content file protection schemes such as encryption and copy protection disappearing over time.

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