Music methods and systems

Abstract

The disclosure details a variety of applications of steganographic encoding and decoding of auxiliary information in physical and media objects. In particular, digital watermarks embedded in media content are used to initiate automated transactions associated with the content and to link creative content with information or transactions.

Description

RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 09 / 574,726, filed May 18, 2000, which claims priority to provisional application 60 / 134,782, filed May 19, 1999, incorporated herein by reference. U.S. application Ser. No. 09 / 574,726 is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09 / 186,962, filed Nov. 5, 1998 (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,171,016), which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 08 / 649,419, filed May 16, 1996 (now U.S. Pat. No. 5,862,260), which is a continuation-in-part of the following applications: PCT / US96 / 06618, filed May 7, 1996; U.S. application Ser. No. 08 / 637,531, filed Apr. 25, 1996 (now U.S. Pat. No. 5,822,436); U.S. application Ser. No. 08 / 534,005, filed Sep. 25, 1995 (now U.S. Pat. No. 5,832,119); U.S. application Ser. No. 08 / 508,083, filed Jul. 27, 1995 (now U.S. Pat. No. 5,841,978); U.S. application Ser. No. 08 / 436,102, filed May 8, 1995 (now U.S. Pat. No. 5,748,783); and U.S. application Ser. No. 08 / 3...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0010]Another aspect of the invention is a method for making payments to the proprietor of content based on steganographic data embedded in the content. The method receives an object steganographically encoded with plural-bit auxiliary data, and decodes this auxiliary data from the object. The method consults a registry to determine a proprietor of the object, by reference to said decoded plural-bit auxiliary data, and makes a payment to the proprietor. Another aspect of the invention is a method of encoding a digital object with a watermark: signal. This method encodes the object with a first information signal having relatively small information content, but permitting rapid decoding. The method also encodes the object with a second information signal, having more information content, requiring relatively more time to decode. The first and second information signals comprise at least one watermark embedded in the digital object.

Problems solved by technology

Further, the method decodes from the object the second information signal, which requires relatively more time to decode.

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