Digital Watermarking and Its Impact on Intellectual Property Limitation for the Digital Age

Abstract

Digital media like audio, video, images, and other multimedia documents can be protected against copyright infringements with invisible, integrated patterns. Such methods are based on steganography and digital watermarking techniques. Most watermarks are inserted as a plain-bit or adjusted digital signal using a key-based embedding algorithm. The embedded information is hidden (in low-value bits or least significant bits of picture pixels, frequency, or other value domains) and linked inseparably with the source data structure. For the optimal watermarking application a trade-off between competing criteria like robustness, nonperceptibility, nondetectability, and security has to be made. Most watermarking algorithms are not resistant against all attacks—even friendly attacks like file and data modifications can destroy the watermark very easily. This chapter gives an overview about the basic ideas of watermarking, applications for e-business, problems, and limitations.