Forensic Watermarking via Adaptive Random Noise Injection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Video pirates employ difference attacks to circumvent forensic watermarks by calculating per-pixel differences between time-synchronized video frames, rendering a non-watermarked copy that obscures the original watermark locations, making it difficult to trace the source of illegally distributed content.

Innovation Solution

Introducing random pixel variations into video frames, increasing the ratio of non-identical to identical pixels, thereby obscuring the watermark locations and rendering the non-watermarked copy unusable, using a video rendering device that embeds forensic watermarks and random noise, ensuring the noise is imperceptible to viewers.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If random noise is introduced to prevent difference attacks, then security against piracy is improved, but video quality may deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesecurity against difference attacksVSAvoidvideo quality degradation

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by introducing random noise only in specific regions or at specific timestamps rather than uniformly across the entire video. This allows the watermark to be protected in critical areas while maintaining high video quality in other regions, thus resolving the contradiction between security and video quality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses partial action by applying random noise to only a subset of video frames or pixel regions rather than the entire video. This partial application provides sufficient protection against difference attacks while minimizing the impact on overall video quality, effectively balancing security requirements with visual fidelity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

2Difficulty of detecting and measuring

If random noise is introduced to obscure watermark locations, then detectability of watermarks by pirates is reduced, but imperceptibility to viewers may be compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedifficulty of detecting watermark locationsVSAvoidviewer perception of video quality

Core Design Contradiction:

Difficulty of detecting and measuringVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs parameter changes by dynamically adjusting the magnitude, distribution, and characteristics of random noise based on local video content properties. This allows the noise to be sufficiently strong to obscure watermark locations from pirates while remaining imperceptible to viewers, thus resolving the contradiction between detectability and imperceptibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies dynamics by making the random noise parameters adaptive and variable across different video frames and regions rather than static and uniform. This dynamic approach allows the noise to effectively hide watermarks in some areas while being imperceptible in others, balancing security and quality requirements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS10698988B2Difference attack protection

Publication Date: 2020.06.30 CISCO TECHNOLOGY INC

AI summary

In one embodiment, a method for preventing a difference attack on watermarked video content is implemented on at least one computing device and includes: manipulating values of a set of pixels to embed a forensic watermark in at least one video frame in a video content item, where the manipulating is in accordance with a given magnitude of change in the values, and introducing random noise to the at least one video frame, where the random noise is random noise of the given magnitude.