Identifying Constraints on Media Content Usage using Watermarks

Number: 20240411840
Published: 2024-12-12
Filed: 2023-06-09
Assignee: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
Inventors: Arana; Mark et al.
CPC: H04N21/4627; H04N21/8358; G06F21/105
Verdict: Set aside digital watermarking, DRM/business
Source: Google Patents · FreePatentsOnline

Abstract

A system includes a hardware processor and a system memory storing a software code. The hardware processor configured to execute the software code to receive a media content, receive a command to perform an action using the media content, and inspect the media content for a presence of a watermark. The hardware processor is further configured to execute the software code to identify, when inspecting reveals an absence of the watermark, a first business rule corresponding to the absence of the watermark, identify, when inspecting reveals the presence of the watermark, a second business rule corresponding to the presence of the watermark, and permit or prevent executing the command to perform the action in response to identifying the first business rule or the second business rule.

Background

BACKGROUND

Due to its nearly universal popularity as a content medium, ever more audio-video (AV) content is being produced and distributed to consumers. As a result, the efficiency with which the appropriate use of audio and video content can be managed has become increasingly important to the producers, owners, and distributors of that content.

Moreover, a producer of AV content may wish to impose constraints on the use of that content using a mechanism other than traditional digital rights management (DRM) technologies. For example, a producer or distributor of AV content may want to limit the number of times a particular AV content title, such as a movie for example, can be played out or copied, or to restrict playout of that content to certain types of end user systems, but not others. In addition, it may be advantageous or desirable to embed instructions identifying the constraints on the use of such content in the content itself, so that a separate communication channel for transmitting those constraints to the end user systems is not necessary. Consequently, there is a need in the art for a content management solution that embeds information identifying constraints on the use of media content in the media content itself without negatively affecting the experience of a consumer of that content.

Claims

1. A system comprising: a hardware processor; and a system memory storing a software code; the hardware processor configured to execute the software code to: receive a media content; receive a command to perform an action using the media content; inspect the media content for a presence of a watermark; identify, when inspecting reveals an absence of the watermark, a first business rule corresponding to the absence of the watermark; identify, when inspecting reveals the presence of the watermark, a second business rule corresponding to the presence of the watermark; and permit or prevent executing the command to perform the action in response to identifying the first business rule or the second business rule. || 11. A method for use by a system including a hardware processor and a system memory storing a software code, the method comprising: receiving, by the software code executed by the hardware processor, a media content; receiving, by the software code executed by the hardware processor, a command to perform an action using the media content; inspecting, by the software code executed by the hardware processor, the media content for a presence of a watermark; identifying, by the software code executed by the hardware processor, when inspecting reveals an absence of the watermark, a first business rule corresponding to the absence of the watermark; identifying, by the software code executed by the hardware processor, when inspecting reveals the presence of the watermark, a second business rule corresponding to the presence of the watermark; and permitting or preventing executing of the command to perform the action, by the software code executed by the hardware processor, in response to identifying the first business rule or the second business rule.