Program encoding and counterfeit tracking system and method

Abstract

Unique encoding of each of a substantial number of distribution video copies of a program such as a motion picture is produced by altering the images slightly at several pre-selected locations in the program in a uniquely coded pattern. Suspected counterfeits can be compared with an unaltered master video to determine the encoded number for the copy which was counterfeited to enable tracking the source of the counterfeit. Preferably, each frame of several whole scenes is altered at each location by shifting an image so as to make the alterations largely undetectable by counterfeiters but easily detected by comparison with an unaltered master video. Artifacts are inserted in patterns representing a unique number for the program. These supplement the encoding by alteration of images and gives added means to aid in tracing counterfeit copies.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for uniquely identifying a copy of an audio-visual program recorded in an electronic recording medium or optically recorded form, said method comprising:
 selecting a master version of an audio-visual program to be copied;   making at least one copy of the master version of an audio-visual program such that each copy includes its own unique identification; and   embedding the unique identification into each copy of the audio-visual program when making each copy of the audio-visual program by performing the following steps:
 (a) altering visible images appearing at selected ones of a plurality of different locations in said master version of an audio-visual program by enlarging an image in at least one frame in each of said selected locations; and 
 (b) selecting said ones of said locations in each copy to create a unique pattern of enlarged images in each copy to uniquely identify each copy. 
   
     
     
       2. A method as in  claim 1  including the step of storing at a location separate from said copy information representing said pattern for each copy. 
     
     
       3. A method as in  claim 1  in which all of the images in a scene are altered at each of said locations. 
     
     
       4. A method as in  claim 1  in which said enlarging step comprises enlarging said image in at least one dimension by from approximately four to ten percent. 
     
     
       5. A method as in  claim 1  including distributing a plurality of said copies to a plurality of recipients with each of said copies having a unique pattern, recording the identity of each of said recipients, and storing the patterns of each copy distributed to each of said recipients. 
     
     
       6. A method as in  claim 1  including the step of introducing artifacts forming an encoded symbol in each copy at further selected ones of a plurality of other locations. 
     
     
       7. A method as in  claim 6  including storing the locations of said artifacts for each copy and storing the identification of the recipients of each copy. 
     
     
       8. A method as in  claim 6  in which said artifacts are introduced at locations immediately following an edit. 
     
     
       9. A method as in  claim 6  in which a plurality of specific locations is provided at each of a plurality of larger locations, there being one specific location in a larger location for each of ten numbers which forms one digit of an identification number for the copy being made, whereby the place and the digit can be determined by the specific location of the artifacts. 
     
     
       10. A method as in  claim 1  in which the presence of an altered image in a selected frame indicates one of a digital 1 and a digital 0, and the absence of an altered image in said frame indicates the other of said digital 1 and 0, and the combination of digital 1's and 0's in a given sequence of selected frames forms a number unique to the program copy in which it appears. 
     
     
       11. A method as in  claim 1  in which said alteration is repeated in a plurality of different scenes at each of said locations. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the image is enlarged by altering an aspect ratio of the image. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising making a plurality of copies of the master version of an audio-visual program such that each of the a plurality of copies includes its own respective unique pattern of enlarged images to uniquely identify each copy. 
     
     
       14. A method for uniquely identifying a copy of an audio-visual program having a sequence of frames of images, the method comprising
 selecting a master version of the audio-visual program to be copied; and   making at least one copy of the master version of the audio-visual program such that each respective copy includes its own unique identification, wherein   the making of the respective copy of the master version of the audio-visual program comprises embedding the unique identification into the respective copy of the audio-visual program by
 obtaining in a computing device a unique identifier corresponding to the unique identification of the respective copy; 
 selecting by the computing device a plurality of different locations in the sequence of frames to form a set of predetermined locations; 
 enlarging by the computing device an image contained within one or more frames at each of the plurality of different locations in the sequence of frames; and 
 creating by the computing device a unique pattern of enlarged images within the frames in the sequence of frames in the respective copy, the unique pattern corresponding to the unique identifier; 
 wherein the enlarging and the creating further comprise 
 receiving, in a router, the master version of the audio-visual program; 
   receiving, in the router, an altered version of the audio-visual program, wherein the altered version of the audio-visual program has enlarged images within the frames at each location in the set of predetermined locations; and
 switching, by the router, between the master version of the audio-visual program and the altered version of the audio-visual program at selected locations within the set of predetermined locations in accordance with the unique identifier to generate the respective copy of the master version of the audio-visual program having the unique pattern of enlarged images within the frames.  
   
     
     
       15. The method of claim 14, further comprising identifying a set of different scenes in the audio-visual program; and selecting the set of predetermined locations based on the set of different scenes.  
     
     
       16. A non-transitory computer storage medium storing instructions which when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method for uniquely identifying a copy of an audio-visual program having a sequence of frames of images, the method comprising
 receiving, in a computing device, a master version of the audio-visual program to be copied;   generating, by the computing device, an altered version of the audio-visual program by
 determining a set of predetermined locations in the sequence of frames; 
 enlarging an image within one or more frames at each location within the set of predetermined locations in the sequence of frames; and 
 replacing frames of the master version at the set of predetermined locations with altered frames containing the enlarged images; and 
   making a plurality of copies of the master version of the audio-visual program, such that each respective copy includes a respective unique identification, by embedding the respective unique identification into each respective copy of the audio-visual program, wherein the embedding further comprises
 obtaining, in the computing device, a unique identifier corresponding to the unique identification of the respective copy; 
 switching, by the computing device, at a subset of the set of predetermined locations, between the master version of the audio-visual program and the altered version of the audio-visual program, in accordance with the unique identifier; and 
 creating, through the switching, a unique pattern of the altered frames within the set of predetermined locations within the sequence of frames in the respective copy of the master version of the audio-visual program, wherein the unique pattern corresponds to the unique identifier.  
   
     
     
       17. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 16, wherein
 each unique identifier includes a plurality of bits corresponding to the set of predetermined locations in the sequence of frames; and   for each respective bit of the unique identifier, the switching between the master version and the altered version further comprises
 in response to a determination that the respective bit is in a first predetermined state, outputting frames from the master version of the audio-visual program as frames of the respective copy; and 
 in response to a determination that the respective bit is in a second predetermined state, outputting frames from the altered version of the audio-visual program as frames of the respective copy.  
   
     
     
       18. A computing device, comprising
 at least one server; and   a non-transitory computer storage medium storing instructions which when executed by the at least one server, causes the at least one server to
 receive a master version of an audio-visual program having a sequence of frames of images; 
 generate an altered version of the audio-visual program through replacing, at a set of predetermined locations within the sequence of frames, respective frames of the master version with altered frames of the respective frames of the master version having enlarged images within the altered frames; and 
 make a plurality of copies of the master version of the audio-visual program, such that each respective copy includes a respective unique identification, by embedding the respective unique identification into each respective copy, wherein the embedding further comprises
 obtaining a unique identifier corresponding to the unique identification of the respective copy; 
 switching, at a subset of the set of predetermined locations, between outputting the master version of the audio-visual program and outputting the altered version of the audio-visual program in accordance with the unique identifier; and 
 generating, via the switching, a unique pattern of the altered frames within the set of predetermined locations within the sequence of frames in the respective copy, wherein the unique pattern corresponds to the unique identifier.  
 
   
     
     
       19. The computing device of claim 18, wherein each unique identifier includes a plurality of bits corresponding to the set of predetermined locations in the sequence of frames; and
 wherein, for each respective bit of the unique identifier, the switching between the master version and the altered version comprises   in response to a determination that the respective bit is in a first predetermined state, outputting frames from the master version of the audio-visual program as frames of the respective copy; and   in response to a determination that the respective bit is in a second predetermined state, outputting frames from the altered version of the audio-visual program as frames of the respective copy.    
     
     
       20. A method for uniquely identifying a copy of an audio-visual program having a sequence of frames of images, the method comprising
 selecting a master version of the audio-visual program to be copied; and   making at least one copy of the master version of the audio-visual program such that each respective copy includes its own unique identification, wherein   the making of the respective copy of the master version of the audio-visual program comprises embedding the unique identification into the respective copy of the audio-visual program by
 obtaining in a computing device a unique identifier corresponding to the unique identification of the respective copy; 
 selecting by the computing device a plurality of different locations in the sequence of frames to form a set of predetermined locations; 
 enlarging by the computing device an image within one or more frames at each of the plurality of different locations in the sequence of frames; and 
 creating by the computing device a unique pattern of enlarged images within the frames in the sequence of frames in the respective copy, the unique pattern corresponding to the unique identifier; wherein 
 the unique identifier includes a plurality of bits corresponding to the set of predetermined locations in the sequence of frames; 
 a first subset of locations in the set of predetermined locations having enlarged images within the frames corresponds to bits of the unique identifier having a first state; and 
 a second subset of locations in the set of predetermined locations having no enlarged images within the frames corresponds to bits of the unique identifier having a second state.  
   
     
     
       21. The method of claim 20, wherein the enlarging and the creating comprise:
 receiving, in a router, the master version of the audio-visual program;   receiving, in the router, an altered version of the audio-visual program, wherein the altered version of the audio-visual program has enlarged images within the frames at each location in the set of predetermined locations; and   switching, by the router, between the master version of the audio-visual program and the altered version of the audio-visual program at selected locations within the set of predetermined locations in accordance with the unique identifier to generate the respective copy of the master version of the audio-visual program having the unique pattern of enlarged images within the frames.    
     
     
       22. The method of claim 20, further comprising identifying a set of different scenes in the audio-visual program; and selecting the set of predetermined locations based on the set of different scenes.  
     
     
       23. The method of claim 20, further comprising storing by the computing device at a location separate from the respective copy an identity of a recipient of the respective copy and information representing the unique pattern.  
     
     
       24. The method of claim 20, wherein the enlarging of the image within the frames at each of the plurality of different locations in the sequence of frames according to the unique identifier includes enlarging images within all of the frames at each of the plurality of locations in the sequence of frames.  
     
     
       25. The method of claim 20, wherein the enlarged images within the frames at each of the plurality of locations in the sequence of frames are enlarged in at least one dimension by four to ten percent.