# US 8,787,613 B2 · Forensic mark insertion apparatus and method

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- Number: US 8,787,613 B2
- Document ID: US8787613B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/091,569
- Filed: 2011-04-21
- Published: 2011-10-27
- Granted: 2014-07-22
- Earliest claimed: 2010-04-22
- Assignees: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
- Applicants: Jung Ho Lee; Young Ho Suh; Wonyoung Yoo; Yong-Seok Seo; Sang Kwang Lee; Seungjae Lee; Young-Suk Yoon
- Inventors: Jung Ho Lee; Young Ho Suh; Wonyoung Yoo; Yong-Seok Seo; Sang Kwang Lee; Seungjae Lee; Young-Suk Yoon
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8787613B2

## CPC

- H04L 9/0866: {involving user or device identifiers, e.g. serial number, physical or biometrical information, DNA, hand-signature or measurable physical characteristics}
- G06F 21/16: Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking
- H04N 21/8358: involving watermark {(protecting executable software by watermarking G06F21/16; image watermarking in general G06T1/0021; watermarks inserted in still images for transmission purposes H04N1/32144; inserting watermarks during video coding H04N19/467)}
- H04N 21/8456: {by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments}
- H04L 2209/606: Traitor tracing
- H04L 2209/608: Watermarking
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION

## Abstract

A forensic mark insertion apparatus includes: an original content segment storage unit for storing multiple original contents; and a service control unit for, in response to a request for a content from a user, retrieving an original content corresponding to the request for the content from the original content segment storage unit, separating the retrieved original content into plurality of content segments, selectively inserting a forensic mark into some of the content segments, and assembling the content segments to produce an forensic-mark inserted content to be provided to the user.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A forensic mark insertion apparatus comprising:
an original content storage hardware unit configured to store multiple original contents; and
a service control hardware unit configured to:
in response to a request for content from a user, retrieve an original content corresponding to the request from the original content storage hardware unit;
segment the retrieved original content into a plurality of content segments, wherein the plurality of content segments comprises a first set of content segments and a second set of content segments;
generate a group comprising a plurality of complete copies of the first set of content segments, the plurality of complete copies of the first set of content segments comprising a quantity of complete copies of the first set of content segments equal to a number of unique characters available to construct any given forensic mark;
generate a copy of each segment in each complete copy of the first set of content segments for each actual character in a particular forensic mark corresponding to an identifier associated with the user;
insert a unique character into each copy of each segment in each complete copy of the first set of content segments such that all segments in each complete copy of the first set of content segments are associated with a common unique character and each complete copy of the first set of content segments is associated with a different unique character;
assemble a forensic mark inserted first set of content segments by selecting appropriate complete copies of the first set of segments based on an association between a given complete copy of the first set of segments and a given actual character and selecting a given copy of a given segment in the given complete copy of the first set of segments based on a position of the given actual character in the particular forensic mark to spell the particular forensic mark; and
assemble the forensic mark inserted first set of content segments and the second set of content segments not having forensic marks to produce a forensic-mark inserted content.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the service control hardware unit comprises:
a content segmentation unit configured to:
segment the retrieved original content into the first set of content segments and the second set of content segments
a forensic mark insertion unit configured to:
insert the unique character into each copy of each segment to produce forensic mark inserted segments; and
a content assembling unit configured to:
assemble the forensic mark inserted first set of content segments; and
assemble the forensic mark inserted first set of content segments and the second set of content segments not having forensic marks to thereby produce the forensic-mark inserted content.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the copies of the segments are decoded before inserting unique characters therein, and encoded by the same codec as that has been conducted to the original content after performing the insertion of the unique characters therein.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:
a communication hardware unit configured to receive the request for content, and transmit the forensic-mark inserted content to the user.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the service control hardware unit further comprises:
a collection unit configured to collect information on the user,
wherein the collected information corresponds to the particular forensic mark inserted into the first set of content segments.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the collected information comprises an ID of the user.

### Claim 7

A forensic mark insertion method comprising:
retrieving, in response to a request for content from a user, an original content corresponding to the request for content;
segmenting the retrieved original content into a plurality of content segments, wherein the plurality of content segments comprises a first set of content segments and a second set of content segments;
generating a group comprising a plurality of complete copies of the first set of content segments, the plurality of complete copies of the first set of content segments comprising a quantity of complete copies of the first set of content segments equal to a number of unique characters available to construct any given forensic mark;
generating a copy of each segment in each complete copy of the first set of content segments for each actual character in a particular forensic mark corresponding to an identifier associated with the user;
inserting a unique character into each copy of each segment in each complete copy of the first set of content segments such that all segments in each complete copy of the first set of content segments are associated with a common unique character and each complete copy of the first set of content segments is associated with a different unique character;
assembling forensic mark inserted set of content segments by selecting appropriate complete copies of the first set of segments based on an association between a given complete copy of the first set of segments and a given actual character and selecting a given copy of a given segment in the given complete copy of the first set of segments based on a position of the given actual character in the particular forensic mark to spell the particular forensic mark; and
assembling the forensic mark inserted first set of content segments and the second set of content segments not having forensic marks to produce a forensic-mark inserted content to be provided to the user.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein the copies of the segments are decoded before inserting unique characters therein, and are encoded by the same codec as that has been conducted to the original content after inserting the unique characters therein.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, further comprising:
collecting information on the user, wherein the collected information corresponds to the particular forensic mark inserted into the first set of content segments.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the collected user's information comprises an ID of the user.