Abstract: A high definition television video content management and/or copy protection method and apparatus are achieved by modifying portions of one or more channels of an HDTV (high definition television) signal. These modifications are generally in the blanking intervals but can extend into the overscanned portions. In one version, the signal modification defines tags or trigger bits for a content control system. This modification may follow the HDTV tri-level sync (synchronization) pulses for example, and it may occur in at least one of the HDTV video channels. In another version, portions of the tri-level sync pulse are modified to cause a reference sensing circuit such an AGC system (in a receiving device such as a video recorder) to produce an erroneous output. Optionally, a signal may be added or inserted following the modified tri-level sync pulses. In another version, tri-level pseudo sync pulses are added in blanking or overscanned intervals.

Abstract: A high definition television video content management and/or copy protection method and apparatus are achieved by modifying portions of one or more channels of an HDTV (high definition television) signal. These modifications are generally in the blanking intervals but can extend into the overscanned portions. In one version, the signal modification defines tags or trigger bits for a content control system. This modification may follow the HDTV tri-level sync (synchronization) pulses for example, and it may occur in at least one of the HDTV video channels. In another version, portions of the tri-level sync pulse are modified to cause a reference sensing circuit such an AGC system (in a receiving device such as a video recorder) to produce an erroneous output. Optionally, a signal may be added or inserted following the modified tri-level sync pulses. In another version, tri-level pseudo sync pulses are added in blanking or overscanned intervals.

Abstract: In the known color stripe process for preventing recording of video signals, the color burst present on each line of active video is modified so that any subsequent video tape recording of the video signal shows variations in the color fidelity that appear as undesirable bands or stripes of color error. This color stripe process is defeated first by determining the location of the video lines including the color stripe process, either by prior experimentation or by on-line detection. Then some or all of the lines including the modified color bursts are modified so as to render the overall video signal recordable. The modification is accomplished in a number of ways, including phase shifting the color stripe burst into the correct phase, replacing some of the color stripe bursts or a portion of particular color stripe bursts so that they are no longer effective, and mixing the color stripe burst with color stripe signals of the correct phase so as to eliminate most or all of the phase error present.

Abstract: A copy protection system and method enabling storage of copy protection information separately from protected content is disclosed. One embodiment includes a mechanism for playing a recording medium, the recording medium having stored thereon a digital content file and a copy protection information file, the mechanism producing a digital content signal from the digital content file and a copy protection signal from the copy protection file; a digital to analog converter operatively connected to the mechanism for converting the digital content signal to an analog signal; a copy protection detector connected to the mechanism for detecting a copy protection trigger present in the digital content signal; and a signal modifier connected to the copy protection detector for modifying the analog signal to include the copy protection signal in response to detection of the copy protection trigger.

Abstract: Enhancements to a video anticopying process that causes an abnormally low amplitude video signal to be recorded on a illegal copy. The enhancement in one version include a negative going waveform that appears to the television receiver or videotape recorder to be a sync signal, thereby causing an early horizontal or vertical retrace. In another version, selected horizontal sync pulses are narrowed, causing irregular vertical retraces. In another version, post-pseudo sync pulses that have a minimum level above the minimum level of sync pulses are added to enhance anti-copy effectiveness. The post pseudo-sync pulses may be amplitude modulated.

Abstract: A computer network having a requesting node and a providing node permits data transfer therebetween when permitted by an authorizing node. Reports generated in response to authorizations and reports generated in response to data transfers are reconciled at a reconciliation node to improve the accuracy of payments collected and paid for use of the data. Such payments include copyright royalties for audio, video, and other works recorded in digital format.

Abstract: An input profile is generated from an input audio file using a measurable attribute that was also used to generate reference profiles from reference audio files. The input profile is then subjected to a process that was also used to generate a reference profiles tree, which is structured as a sparse binary tree, from the reference profiles. As a result of the process, information of reference profiles having similar characteristics as the input profile, with respect to the measurable attribute, are retrieved from resulting nodes of the reference profiles tree. The input profile is then compared with this subset of the reference profiles, representing potential matches, to determine that either it matches one of the reference profiles, or that it is a spoof, or that it does not match any of the reference profiles.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for modifying a video signal to allow it to carry encoded data which is detectable at a suitably compliant receiver but is not recorded by a conventional video recorder. One application is to carry a descrambling key to prevent useful recording (but not viewing) of a scrambled television signal since the key will not be recorded. This encoded “hidden” data is not recorded by the conventional video recorders because, for instance, it is located in the vertical or horizontal blanking intervals of the video signal, or is carried by a high frequency carrier signal, or is expressed by phase modulation of the video signal's synchronization pulses.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for distributing proprietary material employs multiple watermarks embedded in the proprietary material for enhanced copy protection. A first watermark is to be processed by programmable and non-programmable devices configured to process the first watermark for copy protection of the proprietary material. If a programmable device eliminates the first watermark so that unauthorized copies of the proprietary material can be made, then non-programmable devices configured to process a second watermark as well as the first watermark look for and process the second watermark for copy protection of the proprietary material upon their failure to detect the first watermark.

Abstract: Various techniques and associated embodiments are disclosed for providing defensive measures against “black boxes,” wherein the techniques utilize unconventional schemes for detecting the vertical blanking interval (VBI) of a video signal containing a copy protection signal. The unconventional schemes would be of particular interest to the black boxes, which must locate the VBI to generate a vertical rate signal in order to perform the task of illegally removing the copy protection signal. The unconventional schemes utilize the particular characteristics or peculiarities of the video signals in the VBI to detect the VBI and generate therefrom a reliable vertical or frame rate signal. The characteristics include various pulse spacings and/or pulse widths which may occur in specific lines in the VBI, and which may be detected to allow deriving the reliable vertical or frame rate signal.

Abstract: A method and associated apparatus for identifying, to manufacturing test equipment, copy protection information contained on a compact disc (CD). The method includes adding data in standardized industry formats to unused sectors of a CD and providing the capability to test equipment to read the data. The added data is unreadable and ignored by conventional compact disc readers and compact disc drives. The added data is defined by manufacturers and users of copy protection techniques. Additional copy protection verification can be accomplished by using specialized verification tools.

Abstract: A multi-level and/or demand based method and apparatus for interdicting unauthorized copying in a decentralized network are described. In their preferred embodiments, the method and apparatus start out by performing search result manipulation to interdict unauthorized copying of protected files. If a trigger event is detected in network communications, however, such as a threshold number of requests being exceeded for a protected file by a network node, then the method floods that node with decoys of the protected file to enhance interdiction efforts.

Abstract: An instrumentation system estimates characteristics of a decentralized network, such as: the size, growth rate, and growth acceleration of the network; the number of instances, the rate of propagation, and the acceleration of propagation of a file in the network; and the search and download activities, in the aggregate and for particular files, in the network. A data center in the instrumentation system performs a set of interrelated methods for inferring these and other characteristics of the network. For estimating some characteristics, it identifies and uses a subset of the network, and uses information from the subset to infer or obtain information of the entire network. For estimating other characteristics, it deploys software agents to masquerade as nodes in the network.

Abstract: A copy protected optical disc has a first audio session and a second data session. The second data session has the conventional structure of a Lead-In, a program area, and a Lead-Out, and the information in the Lead-In area of the second session is altered to provide copy protection for the audio content on the disc. For example, the TOC of the second session has had the content at frames N+12, N+13 and N+14 indicated as an audio track by the setting of CONTROL to 0. This is equivalent to providing a pointer which is said to address an audio track but which points to an area of the program area at which there is no audio track. When reading data from an optical disc a user will use an application player to access the optical disc by an appropriate driver. Where the information on the disc is interpreted by a CD file system program CDFS.

Abstract: A computer network having a requesting node and a providing node permits data transfer therebetween when permitted by an authorizing node. Reports generated in response to authorizations and reports generated in response to data transfers are reconciled at a reconciliation node to improve the accuracy of payments collected and paid for use of the data. Such payments include copyright royalties for audio, video, and other works recorded in digital format.

Abstract: A system and methods for communicating over the Internet with devices of a decentralized network using transparent asymmetric return paths are described. Remote capture centers are geographically distributed so as to communicate with devices of a decentralized network that reside in diverse geographical locations. A centralized data center communicates with the remote capture centers so as to generate processed information in the form of reply packets from information received at the remote capture centers from the devices, and transmit the processed information back to the devices in a manner so that the processed information appears to have been transmitted from the remote capture centers.

Abstract: An interdiction system includes software agents masquerading as nodes in a decentralized network, a query matcher that receives search results captured by the software agents and reports matches with protected files back to the software agents, and a central coordinating authority that coordinates activities of the software agents by sending instructions to the software agents specifying actions to be taken. Possible activities and related interdicting methods include manipulating search results before forwarding them on in the network, quarantining selected nodes in the network, performing file impersonations such as transferring synthesized decoys, performing file transfer attenuation, and hash spoofing.

Abstract: A method for recoding data on an optical medium such as DVD. The method includes receiving main data from a data source, determining a plurality of data frame values in response to the main data, inverting at least one selected bit in at least one of the data frame values to generate a plurality of encoded data frames, scrambling the encoded data frames by a feedback shift register to generate scrambled data frames, generating ECC values in response to the scrambled data frames, adding the ECC values to the scrambled data frames to generate an ECC block, rearranging the ECC block to generate a plurality of recording frames, encoding the recording frame by an eight-to-sixteen modulation (ESM) encoder to generate code words, adding sync values to the code words to generate a plurality of physical sectors, and recording the physical sectors on the optical medium. There is a complementary method for reading and decoding data from an optical medium.

Abstract: The ability of a data reader, such as a CD-ROM drive, to access, extract, or otherwise read the data on a digital audio compact disc provides a problem for the music industry. A user can use his CD-ROM drive to read the data from an audio disc into a computer file, and then that data can be copied. To provide copy protection, errors are deliberately introduced into the data on a CD, but these errors are of a type which are generally transparent to an audio player but which will interfere with the reading of the audio data by a data reader. According to the standards, the data on a CD is encoded into frames by EFM (eight to fourteen modulation). Each frame has sync data, sub-code bits providing control and display symbols, data bits and parity bits, and includes 24 bytes of data, which is audio data for a CD-DA. The standard requires that 98 such frames are grouped into a sector. To provide copy protection, each is provided with a non-standard number of frames, for example, has 99 rather than 98 frames.

Abstract: Illegal cable decoders, i.e., black boxes, are defeated by adding, inserting and/or superimposing an added signal onto an already scrambled video signal, which added signal is capable of disrupting the operation of the illegal cable decoder. As a result of the added signal, the illegal cable decoder outputs an unstable or unviewable picture or signal and concealment is maintained. In another embodiment of an added signal, a modulated signal with a range from about blanking level to about peak white level is added, inserted and/or superimposed on the unstable scrambled video signal in the vertical blanking interval and/or its vicinity. As a result, the illegal cable decoder is caused to generate some horizontal instabilities at its output.