Introduction: New Legal Challenges
With the increased digitalization of mass communication,
legal systems have to find new and creative ways to tackle issues of copyright
infringement. Because there are outlets on the internet that allow for files to
be shared to a mass audience, media companies and individuals are seeking ways
to protect their digital content. Digital Rights Management (DRM) is one example of this; it includes finding technologies that limit how and where copyrighted digital material can be shared. One of the technologiesthat are included in DRM is digital watermarking.
Digital Watermarks and how they Work
Digital watermarks are codes (invisible or sometimes visible) that are encrypted into a digital medium. This can include media such as text documents, audio, images, and videos. The code is unique to that particular medium, which enables the distributor to track the distribution of the content. According to Digimarc, a digital watermarking company, the goal of digital watermarking is to:
- Protect, identify, and track media content.
- Authenticate media content
- Discourage piracy and theft
- Monitor how content is distributed
Ultimately the purpose of watermarks are to authenticate and identify media content. This is done by encrypting a unique code to the medium, which connects it to the original distributor or source. This proves ownership of the content beyond any doubts, and it also allows for the owner of the content to track the medium and monitor illicit use. Media companies like the idea of this, because it enables them to protect their content, and deal with people who illegally distribute it.
Requirements of Digital Watermarks
In order for digital watermarks to serve their purpose, they have to meet certain requirements. These requirements enable them to fulfill their intended purpose. According to Alexander Huber, digital watermarks must:
Requirements of Digital Watermarks
In order for digital watermarks to serve their purpose, they have to meet certain requirements. These requirements enable them to fulfill their intended purpose. According to Alexander Huber, digital watermarks must:
- Be difficult or impossible to remove without destroying original content.
- Survive image modification techniques, such as cropping, resizing, etc.
- Not affect the user's experience.
- Be detectable by the appropriate authorities.
These are the basic requirements digital watermarks must adhere to.
Benefits of Digital Watermarks
Watermarking can have benefits for individuals too, not only media companies. One obvious benefit is that it protects the individual by proving ownership of the media, which serves as a protection against theft and illicit use. Photographers often use digital watermarks to protect their images from being illegally distributed. Digimarc is a company that offers a variety of watermarking services to individuals who wish to protect their digital media. On the website individuals, can upload the content they wish to protect, and then encrypt a watermark onto it. This enables them to monitor the distribution of their content, and to pursue legal action against people who illicitly use their content.Implications of Watermarks
Although the goal is to protect their digital media, watermarking can have implications on both individuals and media companies. There are many cases where advanced hackers have been able to decode encrypted watermark codes, thus having full access to the protected media. Instances like these prove that digital watermarks are not always effective in protecting digital media. Hackers are also sometimes able create counterfeit watermark codes of a particular medium. This is very problematic because it raises doubts regarding the ownership of the material, and it enables thieves to freely distribute the protected content.
There are also instances of watermarking restricting individuals' access to digital media they purchased. Sometimes false positives occur, which tag media that an individual purchased, such as audio files or software, as unauthorized. This can happen if an individual gets a new computer and registers it in a different name. It can also happen if the content is erased on the hard disk of the computer. Although the individual has purchased that content, the watermark restricts them from being able to obtain the content because it does not recognize that particular computer.
Instances such as these highlight flaws in watermarking, and the implications they have on individuals and media companies.
Conclusion: The Effectiveness of Digital Watermarks
With the widespread use and availability of digital media, it is understandable that people are concerned about protecting their digital content. The use of watermarks can be beneficial in protecting particular digital media. The owner's ability to trace the distribution of their content, can be beneficial if they wish to take legal actions against thieves; in this sense watermarks are useful. But the potential implications and restrictions of watermarks overshadow the benefits. Watermarks can be frustrating to consumers who change the medium of which they are obtaining the watermarked content they purchased. Like previously mentioned, it can make it difficult or completely restrict them from accessing digital content. I believe that media companies and individuals alike, have the right to be concerned about the distribution of their digital media content. This being said, there are limitations with watermarks that inhibit them from being as effective as intended. This is why I believe that companies and individuals should not solely rely on digital watermarks to protect their content.
In her ePortfolio, Ya Awa has a very clear structure, possibly a little too clear. She misinterpreted what subheadings were and instead used titles for each part of her portfolio: one for her introduction, one for each of her points, and one for her conclusion (I, however, personally found this to be helpful as a reader). Other than that her paragraphs and pictures are arranged nicely in appealing fashion, and has several embedded links (up to 3 in one paragraph) to display evidence of her points or examples. She also used bullet points a couple times which was something I haven’t seen in other ePortfolios but I believe to be vital for people who quickly just scroll through the page. Her informative title is very straightforward and informative, letting me leave with new information and allowing me to know what the whole post is about.
ReplyDeleteThe main point of her post is the issue of copyright infringement and how digital watermarks are thought of as a solution. She goes through how digital watermarks work, the requirements needed for their use, their benefits, and also their implications.
In her conclusion she shared her opinion on digital watermarking, stating that she believed the implications and restrictions overshadowed the benefits, but she could have proposed another method to open the conversation up. A good link to talk about at the end of her post would have been bringing up the idea of adding Metaadata (http://www.photometadata.org/META-Insights-Copyright-Copyright-Fundamentals).
I found your article very interesting. I've heard of digital watermarking for photos online, but I have never heard of it for music, videos, and other media. It is clearly a very interesting topic and has broad implications for the future of media online. The headline was concise and explanatory, and I immediately understood what your article was about.
ReplyDeleteI would suggest changing your subheads slightly though. The subheads could stand to be more explanatory; I could not summarize main points of the paragraph with just the subhead, especially the first one “Introduction: New Legal Challenges”. Using ‘introduction’ and ‘conclusion’ in the subheads is also unnecessary and slightly redundant; your readers should know that the first paragraph is the introduction without being told.
Your article overall was very well written; I found no grammatical or spelling errors and it seems very well put together. The topics seem to transition fairly smoothly between paragraphs and you do a good job of explaining all of the terms and the concept of digital watermarking. Your numbered lists were very helpful, as they made the text less dense and repetitive, and they do a good job of further explaining what you were talking about. Your use of pictures was also great, and the pictures did a really good job of helping to illustrate just how digital watermarking works. I especially appreciated that you included the issues with watermarks and why they are not widely used, as I was wondering about that through the article.
One interesting article I found, http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/37563/watermarked-copyright-protected-music-sucks-for-music-journalists-why-dont, discussed the impacts music-critics are facing because of the use of digital watermarking on promotional CD’s, and how this is changing the landscape of music distribution.