Managing Rights Management

Samsung and LG Electrnics DRM Related Patent Applications

On Thursdays the USPTO publishes new patent applications. Both of today's Spotlight Applications address various aspects of DRM. Assigned to Samsung, the first application discloses techniques for getting content information when DRM agent and rendering application are implemented on separate devices. Assigned to LG Electronics, the second application discloses verifying... Read more →

Will DRM Help E-Textbook Publishers?

DRM may help, at least for a while. That's the implication of Randall Stross' NYTimes article on evolving business models for college textbooks. The textbook publishers have abundantly good reasons to promote e-books. When Cengage sells an e-book version of “Organic Chemistry” directly to students, for $109.99, it not only... Read more →

Intertrust and Nikon Watermark Related Issued Patents

Tuesdays the USPTO issues new patents. Both of today's Spotlight Patents entail the use of watermarking techniques. Assigned to Intertrust, the first patent concerns watermarking as one technique used for data protection. Assigned to Nikon, the second patent describes image signal analysis for watermark detection and decoding. 7,406,603, "Data protection... Read more →

Backdooring Skype

[tip o' the hat to Dave Farber's IP list] Speculation abounds that Skype has incorporated backdoors so that national security agencies can listen in on Skype calls. So much for privacy. An article posted by Daniel AJ Sokolov on the heise security site says in part: At a meeting with... Read more →

Who Killed The Home Theater PC (HTPC)?

Writing in Ars Technica, Nate Anderson says the death of the Home Theater PC may be ascribed to several factors, including various rights management / copy protection / encryption technologies. While the recording industry has largely learned its lesson from DRM, the movie business still thinks it's a great idea.... Read more →

Selectable Output Control: MPAA, Others Lobby FCC

Ars Technica reports that the MPAA has petitioned the FCC to enable Selectable Output Controls (SOC) on theatrically released movies distributed via cable and satellite prior to their release on DVD. SOC lets video distributors close down analog or digital output on broadcasts, which could be used to force HD... Read more →

Watermarking and Fingerprinting Patent Applicatins

On Thurrsdays the USPTO publishes new patent applications. Today's Spotlight Applications address various uses of watermarking and fingerprinting. Assigned to IBM, the first application discloses a watermarking system for tracking digital content. The second application discloses ways of using fingerprinting for detecting duplicate and near duplicate files. 20080172747, "Watermarking system... Read more →

Irdeto Conditional Access and Samsung Copy Protection Patents

On Tuesdays the USTPO issues new patents. Today's Spotlight Patents concern aspects of conditional access systems and copy protection techniques for video. Assigned to Irdeto (NL), the first patent addresses conditional access techniques. Assigned to Samsung (KR), the second patent address copy protection techniques. 7,403,618, "Conditional access," assigned to Irdeto... Read more →

A Textbook Case of Piracy

The Boston Globe reports that textbook piracy is becoming rampant. "We think it's a significant problem," said William Sampson, manager of infringement and antipiracy at Cengage Learning Inc., a reference book publisher in Farmington Hills, Mich. Sampson said that in any given month, 200 to 300 of the company's titles... Read more →

User Generated Content: Mashups vs. the Copyright Industries

The San Jose Mercury reports that Universal is attempting to get Pennsylvania mom Stephanie Lenz to take down a video showing her toddler learning to with the music of Prince in the background. Alleging copyright violations, Universal sent Lenz a "takedown" letter. Calling it a "case of first impression," U.S.... Read more →