US 5,636,292 · Granted 1997-06-03

The Hidden Watermark Patent That Lets Companies Track Their Media

Imagine being able to hide an invisible fingerprint inside a photo, video, or song that stays there even if someone copies it, crops it, or degrades it. This patent describes exactly that—a way to embed a secret ID code into digital or physical media so the original owner can always prove what's theirs.

Curated and verified by the IsItPatented Editorial team

The plain-English version

What it protects

The patent covers the core method of embedding an identification code (called a steganographic signal) into a carrier medium—whether that's digital data like images or audio, or physical media—in such a way that the code survives even when the carrier is degraded, compressed, or altered. What's protected here is both the technique of embedding the signal throughout the carrier and the use of calibration data to make sure the hidden code remains detectable and robust.

Why it matters

This patent laid groundwork for digital watermarking technology, which has become essential for copyright protection, content authentication, and anti-counterfeiting across entertainment, publishing, and brand protection industries. By making it possible to embed ownership information that survives copying and manipulation, Digimarc created a defensible way for companies to prove they own digital content and track where unauthorized copies appear.

Real-world use

When a movie studio distributes a film to theaters or streaming services, watermarking technology can embed a unique identifier into each copy so the studio knows exactly which distributor leaked an unauthorized version online.

Original USPTO abstract

An identification code signal is impressed on a carrier to be identified (such as an electronic data signal or a physical medium) in a manner that permits the identification signal later to be discerned and the carrier thereby identified. The method and apparatus are characterized by robustness despite degradation of the encoded carrier, and by permeation of the identification signal throughout the carrier.

Patent details

Publication number: US 5,636,292
Filing date: 1995-05-08
Grant date: 1997-06-03
Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
Inventor(s): RHOADS; GEOFFREY B.
CPC class: H04N19/00

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Want to file your own patent?

If you're designing a consumer product that uses embedded identification or anti-counterfeiting features, explore how watermarking could protect your design before filing your own patent application.

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