Digital asset monitoring system and method

1. A method for monitoring a digital asset communicated over a network, comprising:

passively inspecting packets communicated between a first party and a plurality of other parties, wherein the packets collectively include at least a portion of data associated with a digital asset;

identifying at least one aspect associated with the first party based on the inspected packets;

identifying at least one aspect associated with the digital asset based on the inspected packets; and

identifying at least one aspect associated with at least one of the plurality of other parties based on the inspected packets;

wherein the at least one aspect associated with the first party and the at least one aspect associated with the digital asset are identified for market analysis;

wherein the at least one aspect associated with the digital asset identifies the digital asset;

wherein the at least one aspect associated with the first party includes a time when the packets were communicated.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the at least one aspect associated with the first party identifies an identity of the first party.

3. The method as recited in claim 2 , wherein the at least one aspect associated with the first party includes an Internet Protocol (IP) address.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the at least one aspect associated with the digital asset includes a file name.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the packets are communicated via a peer-to-peer protocol.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the packets are communicated via a client-server protocol.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 , and further comprising determining whether the digital asset is compressed, and decompressing the digital asset prior to identifying the at least one aspect associated with the first party and the at least one aspect associated with the digital asset.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 , and further comprising determining whether the digital asset is encrypted, and decrypting the digital asset prior to identifying the at least one aspect associated with the first party and the at least one aspect associated with the digital asset.

9. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the packets communicated between the first party and the plurality of other parties are inspected at two or more separate nodes on the network, and the at least one aspect associated with the first party and the at least one aspect associated with the digital asset are identified based on the inspection of the packets at the two or more separate nodes on the network.

10. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the at least one aspect associated with the first party and the at least one aspect associated with the digital asset are identified for detecting a copyright infringement associated with the communication of the digital asset associated with the packets.

11. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the at least one aspect associated with the first party and the at least one aspect associated with the digital asset are identified for generating revenue for the communication of the digital asset associated with the packets.

12. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the at least one aspect associated with the first party and the at least one aspect associated with the digital asset are identified for fraud analysis.

13. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the at least one aspect associated with the first party and the at least one aspect associated with the digital asset are identified for service level management.

14. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the portion of data associated with the digital asset is filtered to reduce the amount of processing involved.

15. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the at least one aspect associated with the first party and the at least one aspect associated with the digital asset include demographics and interests of digital media users.

16. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:

collecting a record associated with the communication of the digital asset over a network; and

enhancing the record to facilitate monitoring of the digital asset;

wherein the enhancing includes the identifying the at least one aspect associated with the first party to the communication and the identifying the at least one aspect associated with the digital asset;

wherein the enhancing removes anonymity associated with the digital asset and removes anonymity associated with the first party to the communication.

17. The method as recited in claim 16 , wherein the at least one aspect associated with the first party includes an Internet Protocol (IP) address.

18. The method as recited in claim 16 , wherein the at least one aspect associated with the first party includes a time when the digital asset was communicated.

19. The method as recited in claim 16 , wherein the at least one aspect associated with the digital asset includes a file name.

20. The method as recited in claim 16 , wherein the enhancing removes the anonymity by additional processing.

21. The method as recited in claim 20 , wherein the additional processing is utilized by the first party to the communication to overcome the anonymity.

22. The method as recited in claim 20 , wherein the additional processing includes a look-up.

23. The method as recited in claim 20 , wherein the additional processing involves an index.

24. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:

generating at least one record including the at least one aspect associated with the first party and the at least one aspect associated with the digital asset; and

collecting and enhancing the record to facilitate monitoring of the digital asset;

wherein the enhancing includes the identifying the at least one aspect associated with the first party to the communication and the identifying the at least one aspect associated with the digital asset;

wherein the enhancing removes anonymity associated with the digital asset and removes anonymity associated with the first party to the communication.

25. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:

capturing the portion of data associated with the digital asset;

decoding the portion of data associated with the digital asset; and

comparing the portion of data associated with the digital asset with a library of digital assets;

wherein the portion of data associated with the digital asset is filtered to reduce the amount of processing involved with the comparing.

26. The method as recited in claim 25 , wherein the portion of data associated with the digital asset is compared with a subset of the library of digital assets to reduce the amount of processing involved with the comparing.

27. The method as recited in claim 25 , wherein the decoded portion of data associated with the digital asset is compared with the library of digital assets utilizing a phase to facilitate the comparing.

28. The method as recited in claim 27 , wherein at least one of a resolution, a frequency, and a frame rate of the decoded portion of data associated with the digital asset is synchronized with that of the library of digital assets to facilitate the comparing.

29. The method as recited in claim 25 , wherein an amplitude of the decoded portion of data associated with the digital asset is normalized.

30. The method as recited in claim 29 , wherein the normalization involves a multiplication operation.

31. The method as recited in claim 29 , wherein the normalized decoded portion of data associated with the digital asset and the library of digital assets are subtracted to generate a difference during the comparing.

32. The method as recited in claim 31 , wherein the difference is subjected to a root mean square (RMS) operation.

33. The method as recited in claim 31 , wherein the difference is compared to a number that is substantially zero.

34. The method as recited in claim 33 , wherein it is determined that the portion of data associated with the digital asset matches at least one of the digital assets of the library of digital assets based on the comparison with zero.

35. The method as recited in claim 25 , wherein the filtering of the portion of data associated with the digital asset occurs in a random manner.

36. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the at least one aspect associated with the digital asset includes a sampling rate.

37. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the at least one aspect associated with the digital asset includes an index within an album.

38. A computer program product embodied on a tangible computer readable medium for monitoring a digital asset communicated over a network, comprising:

computer code for passively inspecting packets communicated between a first party and a plurality of other parties, wherein the packets collectively include at least a portion of data associated with a digital asset;

computer code for identifying at least one aspect associated with the first party based on the inspected packets;

computer code for identifying at least one aspect associated with the digital asset based on the inspected packets; and

computer code for identifying at least one aspect associated with at least one of the plurality of other parties based on the inspected packets;

wherein the at least one aspect associated with the first party and the at least one aspect associated with the digital asset are identified for market analysis;

wherein the at least one aspect associated with the digital asset identifies the digital asset;

wherein the at least one aspect associated with the first party includes a time when the packets were communicated.

39. The computer program product as recited in claim 38 , further comprising:

computer code for collecting a record associated with the communication of the digital asset over a network; and

computer code for enhancing the record to facilitate monitoring of the digital asset;

wherein the enhancing includes the identifying the at least one aspect associated with the first party to the communication and the identifying the at least one aspect associated with the digital asset;

wherein the enhancing removes anonymity associated with the digital asset and removes anonymity associated with the first party to the communication.

40. The computer program product as recited in claim 38 , further comprising:

computer code for capturing the portion of data associated with the digital asset;

computer code for decoding the portion of data associated with the digital asset; and

computer code for comparing the portion of data associated with the digital asset with a library of digital assets;

wherein the portion of data associated with the digital asset is filtered to reduce the amount of processing involved with the comparing.

41. A system including a tangible computer readable medium for monitoring a digital asset communicated over a network, comprising:

a module adapted for passively inspecting packets communicated between a first party and a plurality of other parties, wherein the packets collectively include at least a portion of data associated with a digital asset;

wherein at least one aspect associated with the first party and at least one aspect associated with the digital asset are identified based on the inspected packets;

wherein at least one aspect associated with at least one of the plurality of other parties is identified based on the inspected packets;

wherein the at least one aspect associated with the first party and the at least one aspect associated with the digital asset are identified for market analysis;

wherein the at least one aspect associated with the digital asset identifies the digital asset;

wherein the at least one aspect associated with the first party includes a time when the packets were communicated.

42. The system as recited in claim 41 , the module further adapted for:

collecting a record associated with the communication of the digital asset over a network, and

enhancing the record to facilitate monitoring of the digital asset;

wherein the enhancing includes the identifying the at least one aspect associated with the first party to the communication and the identifying the at least one aspect associated with the digital asset;

wherein the enhancing removes anonymity associated with the digital asset and removes anonymity associated with the first party to the communication.

43. The system as recited in claim 41 , the module further adapted for:

capturing the portion of data associated with the digital asset,

decoding the portion of data associated with the digital asset, and

comparing the portion of data associated with the digital asset with a library of digital assets;

wherein the portion of data associated with the digital asset is filtered to reduce the amount of processing involved with the comparing.