System and method for managing, tracking, and utilizing copy and/or paste events

Abstract

A method of enforcing copyright rights over a distributed computer network includes the steps of transmitting website content to a remote user computer, transmitting computer executable instructions to the remote user computer, the computer executable instructions being operable to identify execution of a copy command applied to at least a portion of the website page content, receiving notification, via the computer executable instructions, of execution of a copy command applied to at least a portion of the website content, receiving identification information associated with either the remote user computer or a user of the remote user computer, and identifying publication of the at least a portion of the web site page content.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of preventing theft of web site content over a distributed computer network, the method comprising the steps of:
 receiving web site content at a remote user computer;   receiving a computer executable instruction at the remote user computer, the computer executable instruction being associated with at least a portion of the website content and operable to identify execution of a copy command applied to the at least a portion of the website content, the copy command being associated with a copy buffer on the remote user computer;   identifying, via the computer executable instruction, a copy command applied to the at least a portion of the website content;   executing the computer executable instruction in response to the identifying step; and   replacing, via the computer executable instruction, contents of the copy buffer on the remote user computer with content that does not include the at least a portion of the website content on which the copy command was applied.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 sending to a remote computing device identification information associated with at least one of:
 the at least a portion of the website content on which the copy command was applied; 
 the remote user computer; and 
 a user of the remote user computer. 
   
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least a portion of the website content comprises text, graphics, or photographs. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the computer executable instruction is a short code applied to the at least a portion of the website content.   
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the content that does not include the at least a portion of the website content is an advertisement.   
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the first computer executable instruction includes an instruction to display a message on the remote use computer.   
     
     
         7 . A method of preventing theft of web site content over a distributed computer network, the method comprising the steps of:
 transmitting computer executable instructions to a remote user computer, the computer executable instructions associated with website content displayed at the remote user computer and the computer executable instructions being operable to identify execution of a copy command applied to at least a portion of the website content, the copy command being associated with a clipboard buffer on the remote user computer;   receiving notification, via the computer executable instructions, of execution of a copy command applied to at least a portion of the website content; and   receiving an indication, via the computer executable instruction, that the contents of the clipboard buffer on the remote user computer was replaced with content that does not include the at least a portion of the website content on which the copy command was applied.   
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 7 , further comprising:
 receiving identification information associated with at least one of:
 the remote user computer; and 
 a user of the remote user computer. 
   
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 8 , wherein:
 the identification information is an Internet Protocol (IP) address.   
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 7 , further comprising:
 identifying publication of the at least a portion of the website content.   
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 10 , wherein:
 a user of the remote user computer is not informed of the receiving notification step until the identifying publication step is complete.   
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 7 , further comprising:
 transmitting website content to the remote user computer in response to receiving a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request message from the remote user computer.   
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 7 , wherein:
 the computer executable instructions are at least part of the website's computer code.   
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 7 , wherein:
 the computer executable instructions are at least partially supplied to the website by a plug in software component.   
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 7 , wherein:
 the computer executable instructions include a protocol for the exchange of data with a server hosting the website.   
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 7 , wherein:
 the computer executable instructions are executed by a web browser.   
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 7 , further comprising:
 upon identifying execution of the copy command, appending a tracking pixel element into the clipboard buffer of the remote user computer.   
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 17 , wherein:
 the tracking pixel element includes an image link to a tracking pixel image stored on a remote computer.   
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 18 , further comprising:
 receiving a request for the tracking pixel image at the computer identified by the image link.   
     
     
         20 . A method of monitoring copyright usage over a distributed computer network, the method comprising:
 transmitting computer executable instructions to a remote user computer, the computer executable instructions associated with website content at the remote use computer and the computer executable instructions being operable to identify execution of a copy command applied, by the remote user computer, to at least a portion of the website content, the copy command being associated with a clipboard buffer on the remote user computer;   receiving notification, via the computer executable instructions, of execution of a copy command applied to at least a portion of the website content, the computer executable instructions including an instruction to replace contents of the clipboard buffer on the remote user computer with content that does not include the at least a portion of the website content on which the copy command was applied;   monitoring execution of copy commands applied to the at least a portion of the web site content at a plurality of remote user computers; and   notifying a third party of the monitored execution of copy commands applied to the at least a portion of the website content.