Abstract: Provided are a method and apparatus for managing a digital rights management (DRM) module. A DRM module for removing a DRM scheme applied to a content selected from among contents, and the content being protected with the DRM scheme, are received. The content is used by using the DRM module, and then the DRM module is partially or completely removed.

Abstract: A digital video processing method and an apparatus thereof are provided. The method for processing digital images received in the form of compressed video streams comprising the step of determining a region intensity histogram (RIH) based on information on motion compensation of inter frames. The RIH information is obtained based on the motion compensation values of inter frames, and the RIH information is a good indicator of motion information of a video scene. Also, since the RIH information is quite a good indicator of intensity of the video scene, video streams having similar intensities can be effectively searched by searching for similar video scenes based on the RIH information obtained by the digital video processing method.

Abstract: Provided is a method of restricting use of contents in a virtual system comprising at least one virtual machine implemented by applying virtualization technology to a predetermined device. The method includes: reading a first device identifier from the device in order to identify the device; reading a second device identifier, which is a device identifier allocated to the at least one virtual machine, from the at least one virtual machine; determining whether the first device identifier is identical to the second device identifier; and selectively restricting use of contents in the at least one virtual machine based on a result of the determining.

Abstract: A scheduled recording method, which schedules recording of copy-protected content, is provided. The scheduled recording method involves determining whether copy control information of content of interest exists in a recording device storing various copy control information; if the copy control information does not exist in the recording device, newly receiving copy control information and then determining whether the copy control information exists among the newly received information; if the copy control information of the content exists in the recording device, determining whether the copy control information “copy never”; and if the copy control information of the content is “copy never”, transmitting an error message to a user indicating that the content of interest is not recordable to a user.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for restricting the use of a disc are provided. In this method, first, lead-in data is read out from a loaded disc. Then, a user key is read out from a lead-in area of the disc. Thereafter, the user key undergoes authentication based on a user key received from a host. The authentication is performed by comparing a random number produced by a disc drive with a decrypted random number obtained by the disc drive decrypting a random number encrypted by the host. Accordingly, the use of the disc by an unauthorized third person is restricted, thus preventing a leakage of personal information and a protection of the copyrights of data.

Abstract: Provided are methods of generating and verifying an electronic signature of software data, wherein software data is split into a plurality of blocks, electronic signatures corresponding to each of the blocks are generated, and some of the electronic signatures are randomly selected for verification. Accordingly, a time required for verifying an electronic signature can be reduced while maintaining the advantages of an electronic signature system.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for generating a content identifier and preventing alteration of the content identifier are provided. The method includes generating at least one random number, generating location information for designating a plurality of locations within a content by using the at least one generated random number, extracting a plurality of parts of the content, which correspond to the generated location information, from the content, generating a integrity verification value based on the extracted parts of the content, which correspond to the generated location information, and generating the content identifier having the integrity verification value and the at least one generated random number.

Abstract: A search facility for classifying search queries prior to executing the search queries. The facility can receive a search query from a user and perform one or more of a set of evaluations of the search query to determine likely query classifications. The facility can also decompose the search query into constituent parts and perform one or more of a set of evaluations of the individual constituent parts to determine likely classifications. The facility can then arbitrate amongst the likely query classifications and rank the arbitrated likely query classifications. The ranked arbitrated query classifications can be mapped to data sources and services. The facility can retrieve content from the mapped data sources and services using the user's original search query. Each of the ranked arbitrated query classifications can correspond to a display region that can display content from the mapped one or more data sources and services to the user.

Abstract: An image retrieval method and apparatus independent of an illumination change are provided. The image retrieval method involves: inputting a query image; detecting an illumination color from the query image and converting the illumination color into a standard illumination color; extracting color information of the query image by using color descriptors; and retrieving a similar image by comparing the extracted color information with color information of a database which converts a variety of images into images of standard illumination colors and extracts and stores the color information of the images in advance. According to the method, without changing the structures of color descriptors or a similarity comparison using color information, an image retrieval independent of illumination changes is enabled by adding only a preceding step of standard illumination conversion.

Abstract: An encryption-based security protection method and apparatus are provided. The method includes generating a random key pattern table in order to allocate a plurality of random key patterns of original data to be transmitted; generating an address pattern table in order to allocate a plurality of address patterns of addresses in which the original data is stored; and generating a mapping table in order to map the plurality of random key patterns and the plurality of address patterns. The apparatus includes an address pattern table generation unit; a random key pattern table generation unit; a mapping table generation unit; and an internal memory unit which stores the address pattern table, the random key pattern table, and the mapping table.

Abstract: Provided are a method and apparatus for checking the integrity of firmware. The method includes storing a first hash function value of unhacked firmware for determining whether actual firmware of an external processor has been hacked; reading the actual firmware via a bus; calculating a second hash function value of the actual firmware; comparing the first hash function value with the second hash function value; and sharing a bus key with the external processor, based on the comparison result.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of sharing a bus key is provided, the method including receiving at a first device a device key, encrypted using an encryption key, from a storage device; decrypting the encrypted device key using a decryption key corresponding to the encryption key; creating a random number, and generating a bus key using the created random number and the decrypted device key, by which data to be transmitted through a bus can be encrypted using the bus key; and transmitting the generated bus key to a predetermined device connected to the first device via the bus.

Abstract: Provided are a method and apparatus for controlling transmission of content data. In the method, a communication channel is initially established to transmit the content data, the content data is transmitted through the established communication channel, verification is performed a plurality of times to determine whether the content data is transmitted within an acceptable transmission range, and whether to continue the transmission of the content data is determined according to the verification result. Accordingly, when a client moves to a location outside a predetermined acceptable transmission range in a wireless environment, a server stops transmission of the content data. In addition, content data can be continuously transmitted regardless of interference caused by a temporary obstacle between a server and a client.

Abstract: An AV stream processing system includes an AV stream input unit which receives an AV stream having an AV content information field including first copy control information, and an AV content field including second copy control information, a determination unit which extracts the first and second copy control information from the received AV stream and determines whether the first copy control information has been modified, and an AV stream decryption unit which processes the received AV stream according to predetermined criteria, when the first copy control information has been modified.

Abstract: A method of constructing a unique domain for preventing content from being illegally used by an unauthorized third person in a public key-based architecture and applying the constructed domain to a home network using universal plug and play (UPnP). The method of the present invention includes selecting one of controlled devices that are operable as a master device and determining the selected device as the master device; performing device authentication in such a manner that other controlled devices receive a secret information block from the determined master device and create certificates; and determining slave devices by selecting one or more devices among the authenticated controlled devices.

Abstract: An apparatus and method to encrypt data having hierarchical information are provided. The apparatus includes an N-th layer key generator, which generates an N-th layer key, an (N+1)-th layer key generator, which generates an (N+1)-th layer key by applying the N-th layer key to a predetermined function, an N-th layer data encryptor, which encrypts N-th layer data using the N-th layer key, and an (N+1)-th layer data encryptor, which encrypts (N+1)-th layer data using the (N+1)-th layer key.

Abstract: An object activity modeling method which can efficiently model complex objects such as a human body is provided. The object activity modeling method includes the steps of (a) obtaining an optical flow vector from a video sequence; (b) obtaining the probability distribution of the feature vector for a plurality of video frames, using the optical flow vector; (c) modeling states, using the probability distribution of the feature vector; and (d) expressing the activity of the object in the video sequence based on state transition. According to the modeling method, in video indexing and recognition field, complex activities such as human activities can be efficiently modeled and recognized without segmenting objects.

Abstract: Managing metadata in a metadata transmission server by generating a plurality of metadata fragment data by partitioning metadata to be transmitted based upon predetermined segment units, selecting predetermined metadata fragment data from among the plurality of the metadata fragment data, generating metadata-related authentication information using the selected metadata fragment data, and transmitting the selected metadata fragment data and the metadata-related authentication information including data format information indicating type of the selected metadata fragment data. A metadata receiving client uses the transmitted metadata fragment data, the metadata-related authentication information and the metadata format type information to authenticate the received metadata.

Abstract: A method for describing pattern repetitiveness which may exist within an image, is provided. The method of describing pattern repetitiveness of an image comprises: (a) projecting an image on a predetermined axis having a predetermined direction, (b) decomposing the projected image down one level, (c) increasing a threshold value while a pattern quantizing value is retained, and denoising the decomposed data, and (d) describing pattern repetitiveness of the image using the pattern quantizing value of the denoised data and the threshold value used for denoising. Because the method of describing pattern repetitiveness of an image effectively denoises the original image without damaging the pattern repetitiveness of the original image, and the pattern repetitiveness is described using the denoised data, it is possible to describe more definite pattern repetitiveness.

Abstract: Provided is a contents sharing method between a mobile terminal and a local server. The contents sharing method between a client terminal storing metadata and a server terminal storing the metadata, the method comprising requesting the server terminal for a contents share service; and receiving information on contents corresponding to matching metadata as a result of comparing the metadata stored in the, client terminal and the metadata stored in the server terminal, thereby sharing contents desired by the user without the user's intervention. Also, the user can communicate desired contents information with people in a bus, subway, library, etc., which forms a social network, and produces a contents flow between mobile terminals, thereby creating a new business model such as contents resale, promotion, etc.