Syndication System Melody Recognition for Copyright Management

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Solution Overview

Problem

Media hosting services face challenges in managing and identifying ownership rights for user-uploaded media content, particularly for sound recordings and compositions, due to the complexity of varying rights holders and the impracticality of manual identification for large volumes of uploads.

Innovation Solution

A syndication system utilizing a content recognition system that generates melody and audio fingerprints to identify compositions and sound recordings, matching them against reference databases to determine ownership information, and implementing rights management policies such as blocking, monetization, or tracking usage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If manual identification of media content is used, then accuracy of ownership identification can be maintained, but productivity becomes unacceptably low for large volumes of uploads

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaccuracy of ownership identificationVSAvoidprocessing speed of media uploads
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces manual identification processes with automated content recognition systems that use audio and video analysis algorithms. These systems automatically identify media content through fingerprinting and matching techniques, eliminating the need for manual review while maintaining high accuracy rates.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The system creates digital fingerprints or signatures of media content that can be rapidly copied and compared against databases. These fingerprints serve as unique identifiers that enable fast automated matching without requiring human intervention, thus improving both speed and scalability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

2Productivity

If traditional automated identification mechanisms are used, then processing speed is improved, but reliability of ownership identification deteriorates for unrecognized content

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprocessing speed of media uploadsVSAvoidaccuracy of ownership identification
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system employs multiple identification methods simultaneously - audio fingerprinting, video analysis, metadata extraction, and similarity matching. This multi-functional approach ensures that content can be identified through various means, improving reliability for content that may not be recognized by a single method.

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

Solution Approach 2:

The system incorporates feedback loops where identification results are continuously refined. When automated systems encounter uncertain content, the results can be reviewed and fed back into the system to improve future identifications, thereby increasing reliability while maintaining high processing speeds.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Measurement precision

If comprehensive content recognition is implemented, then ownership identification accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaccuracy of ownership identificationVSAvoidsystem architecture complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The content recognition system is divided into separate modular components - audio processing modules, video processing modules, fingerprinting engines, and matching algorithms. Each module performs a specific function independently, making the overall complex system manageable through segmentation and allowing parallel processing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces intermediary layers such as fingerprinting algorithms that translate complex media content into simplified unique identifiers. These intermediaries bridge the gap between raw content and ownership databases, reducing complexity by creating standardized representation formats that are easier to process and match.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

4Productivity

If automated content recognition is deployed at scale, then productivity is improved, but loss of information increases due to handling of diverse content formats

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevolume of media content processedVSAvoidaccuracy of content identification
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts processing parameters based on content characteristics. Different audio codecs, video resolutions, and formats are handled with optimized parameters specific to each type, minimizing information loss during processing while maintaining high throughput for diverse content volumes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP2638516B1Syndication including melody recognition and opt out
Publication Date: 2024.03.13 GOOGLE LLC
  • EP2638516B1 patent drawingFigure 1A
  • EP2638516B1 patent drawingFigure 1B
  • EP2638516B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

A syndication system facilitates rights management services between media content owners and media hosting services that elect to participate in the syndication system and mutually elect to participate with each other. The syndication system utilizes a content recognition system to identify hosted media content and ownership rights associated with the hosted content. By applying melody recognition, the content recognition system can identify compositions embodied in hosted media content even when these compositions do not precisely match any known sound recording. Thus, the content recognition system is beneficially able to detect, for example, recorded cover performances and recorded live performances embodied in hosted media content. Once identified, ownership information is determined and the syndication system can facilitate rights management policies associated with the content such as monetizing or blocking the protected content.