Abstract: To enable the control of rendering contents in part by using digital watermark technique: a contents serving center for embedding watermark in contents 4 embeds control information as digital watermarks within at least one of a plurality of blocks constituting electronic data by which contents are represented, thereby specifying the application of filtering to a part of the contents corresponding to the block; a contents distribution center 1 distributes the watermark-including contents to a receiving terminal 2 where checks the blocks of the received data to detect whether the control information as digital watermarks is embedded therein and applies the filtering to the block for which the embedded control information embedded has been detected in advance of reproducing the contents.

Abstract: A technology of digital watermarking for binary images (including documents) is provided, which is capable of adjusting the amount of information to be embedded while avoiding the deterioration of image quality as far as possible. The watermark information is inserted by giving the standard for judgment of modification and the order of preference for modification according to the characteristic properties of the human visual sense for binary images and performing modification on pixels sequentially in the descending order of preference.

Abstract: A method of embedding information into contents includes a changeable range calculating step of obtaining a range where value change of the contents is imperceptible to the human being and a step of embedding information by changing the values of the contents within the changeable range.

Abstract: A method for using digital contents is provided. In the method, a request is made to a provider apparatus for a certificate containing a first provider ID embedded therein by a certification authority, and the certificate is received from the provider apparatus. A decision is made by using the certificate as to whether or not the provider is authorized by the certification authority. A request is made to the provider apparatus for a digital content having a second provider ID embedded therein by a contents guarantee authority when the provider is authorized by the certification authority, and the digital content is received from the provider. The first provider ID is read from the certificate, the digital content is correlated with the second provider ID, and the digital content is stored in a storage medium. The second provider ID is detected from the digital content in response to a request to use the digital content.

Abstract: A data embedding method and apparatus and a data reproducing method and apparatus are provided which can apply a digital watermark to various contents. Instead of embedding watermarking information in respective pixels or by using a relation between pixels, the watermarking information is embedded as a position pattern of changed pixels in the contents. Reliability comparable with conventional techniques can be obtained irrespective of a change in a smaller number of pixels for the contents.

Abstract: A digital watermark information is extracted from geometrically deformed image without using a calibrating digital watermark. Pixel data at positions predetermined in an X-Y coordinate used when embedding the watermark is extracted from image data in which the digital watermark has been embedded for given pixel data and compared with a reference value to determine whether the watermark has been embedded in the pixel data concerned or not. This processing is repeated until it is confirmed that the information is embedded in the pixel data concerned, while applying geometric deformation to the image data.

Abstract: A watermark information embedding method, and apparatus, capable of suppressing the quality degradation of contents and increasing the survivability of embedded information. When embedding watermark information in moving picture data formed of a plurality of still picture frames arranged in time series, a motion vector representing a property specific to moving picture is detected for each of image blocks generated by dividing a target frame. According to a motion quantity, a pixel change factor specifying rule is selected for each block. Out of pixels permitted to be changed in luminance depending upon the state of an image in each block representing a property specific to still picture, as many pixels as a number specified by the selected rule are selected. Luminance change processing for forming watermark information is conducted on the selected pixels.

Abstract: A system for distributing broadcast contents, in which the copyright of the broadcast contents can be protected, is provided. The system is a watermarking application system for broadcast contents copyright protection, constituted by a broadcasting station of broadcast contents, a broadcasting receiver of the broadcast contents, a network monitoring agent for monitoring secondary contents of the broadcast contents, a secondary content player for playing secondary contents, communication receivers for recognizing distribution of secondary contents, etc. Pieces of digital watermarking embedding equipment are provided in the broadcasting station and the broadcasting receiver respectively. Pieces of digital watermarking extraction equipment are provided in the network monitoring agent and the secondary content player. Particularly, the broadcast contents are outputted through an analog output or an internal disk.

Abstract: When watermark information is embedded in moving image data formed of plural still image frames arranged in time sequence, the motion vector and deformation quantity (motion estimation data) of each block in the current frame are estimated. By using this motion estimation data in both digital watermark embedding process and encoding process, it is possible to make watermark embedding and encoding faster while suppressing the degradation of the content and improving the survivability of the embedded information.

Abstract: The present invention can detect watermark information from motion picture of various scanning methods and various picture sizes without causing increase of a memory capacity.

Abstract: A digital watermark information is extracted from geometrically deformed image without using a calibrating digital watermark. Pixel data at positions predetermined in an X-Y coordinate used when embedding the watermark is extracted from image data in which the digital watermark has been embedded for given pixel data and compared with a reference value to determine whether the watermark has been embedded in the pixel data concerned or not. This processing is repeated until it is confirmed that the information is embedded in the pixel data concerned, while applying geometric deformation to the image data.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus having an adding unit to add information by changing a data value of image data and a detecting unit to detect the information added to the image data. In a digital watermark image processing method in the image processing apparatus, filter passage image data is formed by performing an image filtering process to original image data, watermark core image data is formed by performing a process to obtain a difference between the filter passage image data and the original image data, change amount image data is formed by performing a process to obtain a value to change the data value of the image data on the basis of the watermark core image data and desired information to be added, and watermark inserted image data is formed by performing a process to add the original image data and the change amount image data.

Abstract: A network system capable of preventing the leakage of a confidential file by an inadvertent act of a transmitting party and capable of meeting the requirement for an arbitrary file format is disclosed. A label indicating a security level (“confidential” or “unclassified”) is attached to the file in a client terminal, which transmits the labeled file outside. A transmission management program on a gateway server checks the label of the file, and in the case where the security level is “unclassified”, transmits the file to an external network. Also, a label management program manages the labeled file in the client terminal.

Abstract: According to a digital watermark information extracting method, pixel data located at predetermined positions on X-Y coordinate used when digital watermark information is embedded are extracted from image data, and the data value of the pixel data is compared with a reference value to judge whether the watermark information is embedded in the pixel data concerned. This processing is repetitively executed while a geometrical deformation is applied to the image data until it is confirmed that the information is embedded in the pixel data.

Abstract: A digital watermark information is extracted from geometrically deformed image without using a calibrating digital watermark. Pixel data at positions predetermined in an X-Y coordinate used when embedding the watermark is extracted from image data in which the digital watermark has been embedded for given pixel data and compared with a reference value to determine whether the watermark has been embedded in the pixel data concerned or not. This processing is repeated until it is confirmed that the information is embedded in the pixel data concerned, while applying geometric deformation to the image data.

Abstract: A digital watermark information detection method for detecting information inserted as a digital watermark from contents has a step of converting the contents into a predetermined specified format and a step of trying to detect information from the converted contents. When a plurality of specified formats are defined in advance and detection of the information from the converted contents fails, the contents is converted into another specified format and the information detection is retried.

Abstract: A contents control method for controlling a process on the receiving side which is applied to contents transmitted from the transmitting side to the receiving side, includes a step of adding, when a predetermined block of the transmitted contents is an area where control information for controlling the process substance on the receiving side which is applied to the contents is added, the control information to the block. The method also includes a step of receiving a process designation concerning the transmitted contents, and a step of applying, when user information stored in a receiving side apparatus which receives the transmitted contents, or information concerning the receiving side apparatus satisfies conditions corresponding to the received process designation in the control information added to the block of the contents, a process corresponding to the process designation to the received block.

Abstract: A digital watermark information is extracted from geometrically deformed image without using a calibrating digital watermark. Pixel data at positions predetermined in an X-Y coordinate used when embedding the watermark is extracted from image data in which the digital watermark has been embedded for given pixel data and compared with a reference value to determine whether the watermark has been embedded in the pixel data concerned or not. This processing is repeated until it is confirmed that the information is embedded in the pixel data concerned, while applying geometric deformation to the image data.

Abstract: An extraction process includes the steps of carrying out a geometric transformation on a picture being inspected to transform the size of the picture being inspected into a reduced scale of an original picture; creating a plurality of degraded original pictures with different types each obtained as a result of degradation of the original picture; creating a plurality of differential pictures by subtraction of the degraded original pictures with different types from the picture being inspected with a transformed size to cancel degradation components in the picture being inspected with a transformed size; and extracting the information corresponding to the authentication information.

Abstract: A method of embedding information into contents includes a changeable range calculating step of obtaining a range where value change of the contents is imperceptible to the human being and a step of embedding information by changing the values of the contents within the changeable range.