Tamper-Resistant Media ID Verification for Content Protection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional technologies fail to prevent unauthorized duplication of identification information on multiple recording medium devices, allowing illicit playback of encrypted content, which compromises the protection of digital content rights.

Innovation Solution

A recording/playback system with a tamper-resistant unit that generates certification information to verify the validity of the recording medium device, prohibiting decryption or encryption if verification fails, ensuring that only authorized devices can access and play back encrypted content.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If identification information is stored on recording medium devices, then the devices can be identified and authenticated, but the identification information can be duplicated on unauthorized devices allowing illicit playback

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveauthentication reliabilityVSAvoidunauthorized duplication
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the identification information from the recording medium device itself and stores it separately in a secure database accessible only to the management device. This separation prevents unauthorized devices from copying the identification information, as the ID is no longer physically present on the recording medium but must be retrieved through authenticated access to the database.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a management device as an intermediary between the recording medium device and the playback device. This intermediary controls access to identification information and manages authentication, preventing direct copying of IDs while enabling legitimate playback through controlled information distribution.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If identification information is stored securely to prevent duplication, then unauthorized playback is prevented, but the system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveunauthorized playback preventionVSAvoidsystem structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple functions into the management device: storing identification information, managing authentication, controlling playback permissions, and distributing decryption keys. This consolidation simplifies the overall system architecture by centralizing control functions that would otherwise require multiple separate components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The management device serves multiple purposes: it acts as a secure storage repository for identification information, an authentication server, a permission controller, and a key distribution center. This multi-functionality reduces system complexity by eliminating the need for separate specialized components for each function.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP2330533B1Recording/reproducing system, recording medium device, and recording/reproducing device
Publication Date: 2021.02.17 PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO LTD
  • EP2330533B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2330533B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2330533B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A memory card and a recording/playback device are provided that are capable of deterring a memory card manufacturer from illicitly storing a same media ID on a plurality of memory cards. A memory card (100) includes a media ID storage module unit (610) and a memory unit (120). The media ID storage module unit (610) includes a media ID storage unit (611) that stores therein a media ID that is specific to the memory card, and a certification unit (609) that generates certification information that certifies the validity of the memory card based on the media ID. The memory unit (120) includes an encrypted content storage unit (122) for storing encrypted digital content. The recording/playback device (200) includes a memory card verification unit (200) that acquires the certification information from the memory card (100), verifies the validity of the memory card (100) based on the acquired certification information, and when the verification has failed, prohibits decrypting an encrypted content or encrypting a content, and a content encryption unit (209) that, when the verification has succeeded, encrypts the digital content or decrypts the encrypted digital content.