Steganographic techniques for securely delivering electronic digital rights management control information over insecure communication channels

Abstract

Electronic steganographic techniques can be used to encode a rights management control signal onto an information signal carried over an insecure communications channel. Steganographic techniques ensure that the digital control information is substantially invisibly and substantially indelibly carried by the information signal. These techniques can provide end-to-end rights management protection of an information signal irrespective of transformations between analog and digital. An electronic appliance can recover the control information and use it for electronic rights management to provide compatibility with a Virtual Distribution Environment. In one example, the system encodes low data rate pointers within high bandwidth time periods of the content signal to improve overall control information read/seek times.

1 - 29 . (canceled) 
     
     
         30 . A rights management method performed by an electronic appliance comprising a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the electronic appliance to perform the method, the method comprising:
 receiving, at an interface of the electronic appliance, from a communications channel, an information signal, the information signal comprising a first pointer, the first pointer indicating a location of first control information governing use of the information signal;   retrieving the first control information using the first pointer;   receiving a request to use the information signal; and   governing use of the information signal based on the first control information.   
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the location of the first control information is a location in the information signal. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the location in the information signal is a location where the communications channel has high available bandwidth. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the location of the first control information is a remote location from the electronic appliance. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the location of the first control information is a location on a storage medium associated with the electronic appliance storing, at least in part, the information signal. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the information signal further comprises a second pointer encoded in one or more second locations in the information signal where the communication channel has low available bandwidth, the second pointer indicating a location of second control information governing use of the information signal. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 35 , wherein the method further comprises retrieving the second control information using the second pointer. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein the method further comprises governing, by the rights management component, use of the information signal based on the second control information. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 35 , wherein the first control information and second control information are configured to govern use of the information signal according to one or more rules. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 35 , wherein the first control information is configured to govern use of the information signal according to a first set of rules and the second control information is configured to govern use of the information signal according to a second set of rules different from the first set of rules. 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the first pointer is steganographically encoded in the information signal. 
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the first pointer is included in a secure container encoded in the information signal at the one or more first locations. 
     
     
         42 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor included in an electronic appliance, cause the electronic appliance to:
 receive an information signal from a communications channel, the information signal comprising a first pointer encoded in one or more first locations in the information signal where the communications channel has low available bandwidth, the first pointer indicating a location of first control information governing use of the information signal;   retrieve the first control information using the first pointer;   receive a request to use the information signal; and   govern use of the information signal based on the first control information.   
     
     
         43 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 42 , wherein the location of the first control information is a location in the information signal. 
     
     
         44 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 43 , wherein the location in the information signal is a location where the communications channel has high available bandwidth. 
     
     
         45 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 42 , wherein the location of the first control information is a remote location from the electronic appliance. 
     
     
         46 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 42 , wherein the location of the first control information is a location on a storage medium associated with the electronic appliance storing, at least in part, the information signal. 
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 42 , wherein the information signal further comprises a second pointer encoded in one or more second locations in the information signal where the communication channel has low available bandwidth, the second pointer indicating a location of second control information governing use of the information signal. 
     
     
         48 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 47 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to retrieve the second control information using the second pointer. 
     
     
         49 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 48 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to govern use of the information signal based on the second control information. 
     
     
         50 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 47 , wherein the first control information and second control information are configured to govern use of the information signal according to one or more rules. 
     
     
         51 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 47 , wherein the first control information is configured to govern use of the information signal according to a first set of rules and the second control information is configured to govern use of the information signal according to a second set of rules different from the first set of rules. 
     
     
         52 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 42 , wherein the first pointer is steganographically encoded in the information signal. 
     
     
         53 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 42 , wherein the first pointer is included in a secure container encoded in the information signal at the one or more first locations.