Watermarked material processing

A method of automatically processing material including a watermark independently of the user, the material having been watermarked by encrypting a watermark code word and combining the watermark code word with predetermined components of the material, comprising the steps of:

• retrieving from a database, data enabling the removal of the watermark included in the material to be processed, the enabling data providing the predetermined components of the material with which the watermark code word has been combined and including an encryption key;
• removing automatically the encrypted watermark independently of the user from the predetermined components of the material provided by the enabling data;
• decrypting the encrypted code word using the encryption key provided by the enabling data;
• processing the material from which the watermark has been removed using a processor;
• encrypting the watermark code word using the encryption key;
• and
• inserting the watermark automatically into the processed material independently of the user.

A method of automatically removing data embedded in material independently of a user comprising the steps of:

• receiving material in which data is embedded, the data having been embedded in the material by encrypting the data using an encryption key and combining the encrypted data with predetermined components of the material;
• accessing an information store storing information enabling the data to be removed;
• and
• removing the said data using the enabling data accessed from the store,
• wherein the enabling data indicates the predetermined components of the material with which the data has been combined and includes an encryption key for decrypting the encrypted code word.

An apparatus for automatically removing data embedded in material independently of a user comprising:

• an input for receiving material in which data is embedded, the data having been embedded in the material by encrypting the data using an encryption key and combining the data with predetermined components of the material;
• an information store for storing information enabling the data to be removed;
• and
• a remover arranged to remove the said data using the enabling data accessed from the store,
• wherein the enabling data indicates the predetermined components of the material with which the encrypted data has been combined and includes an encryption key for decrypting the encrypted code word.

A computer program product providing computer executable instructions which, when loaded onto a computer causes the computer to perform a method of processing material including a watermark, the material having been watermarked by encrypting a watermark code word and combining the encrypted watermark code word with predetermined components of the material, the computer program comprising program code for:

• retrieving, from a database, data enabling the removal of the encrypted watermark included in the material to be processed, the enabling data providing the predetermined components of the material with which the encrypted watermark code word has been combined;
• removing automatically the encrypted watermark code word using the enabling data independently of a user;
• processing the material from which the encrypted watermark code word has been removed using a processor;
• and
• inserting automatically the encrypted watermark code word into the processed material independently of the user wherein the enabling data includes an encryption key for decrypting after removal and enclypting when inserting the watermark code word in the material.