System and method for audio encoding and counterfeit tracking a motion picture
View Patent ↗A system and method is provided for encoding an identifiable code into the audio content of a motion picture. The audio content is altered in at least one specific pre-selected location in the audio soundtrack of the motion picture so as to be essentially unnoticeable to the listener. The audio content is altered to form an audio code which represents a unique number applied to that copy of the motion picture, whereupon any audio recording of such audio content would capture the audio code. The unique number is stored together with an identification of the location, entity or person who receives the copy when it is distributed, so as to enable suspected counterfeit copies of the motion picture to be analyzed to read the code number and identify the recipient of the copy and thereby track down the source of the counterfeit copies.
1. A method for uniquely identifying a plurality of copies of an audio recording, said method comprising: altering copies of the audio recording at a selected location to create a code in the audio recording, wherein each of the copies of the audio recording is altered differently at the selected location in the audio recording so that each of the copies of the audio recording has its own unique code, wherein the audio recording altering step includes selectively muting portions of the audio recording at the selected location to create the code in the audio recording.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the copies of the audio recording include an analog soundtrack that is altered by the audio recording altering step to insert the code into the analog soundtrack.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the copies of the audio recording further include at least one digital soundtrack, the method further comprising altering the digital soundtrack to cause the analog soundtrack to be played at the selected location where the analog soundtrack is altered.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the copy of the audio recording is a film copy of a motion picture having an audio soundtrack, wherein the digital soundtrack is altered by re-exposing the digital soundtrack on the copy of the motion picture.
5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the copy of the audio recording is a film copy of a motion picture having an audio soundtrack, wherein the analog soundtrack is muted by re-exposing the analog soundtrack on the copy of the motion picture.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising selecting the location to create the code in the audio recording by choosing a portion of the audio recording where the alternation will be substantially unnoticeable to a listener.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising storing information representing the unique codes associated with each of the copies of the audio recording at a location separate from the copies.
8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising distributing said copies to a plurality of recipients, recording the identity of each of said recipients, and storing the unique code of each copy distributed to each of said recipients.
9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising selecting additional locations in the audio recording to alter the audio recording and repeating the audio recording altering step at the selected additional locations to insert the unique code at multiple locations in the audio recording.
10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising inserting a visual representation of the unique code into the copy of the audio recording.
11. A method for uniquely identifying a plurality of copies of an audio recording, said method comprising: altering copies of the audio recording at a selected location to create a code in the audio recording, wherein each of the copies of the audio recording is altered differently at the selected location in the audio recording so that each of the copies of the audio recording has its own unique code, wherein the code is created by altering the audio recording to include a sequence of alternating periods of silence and periods of audio recording.
12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising utilizing a 2 of 5 code for the sequence.
13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the copies of the audio recording include a digital soundtrack, the method further comprising:
altering the digital soundtrack at a selected location to insert a digital representation of the code into the digital soundtrack.
14. An apparatus for uniquely identifying a plurality of copies of an audio recording, said apparatus comprising:
a computer-controlled device for altering copies of an audio recording at a selected location to create a code in the audio recording, wherein each of the copies of the audio recording is altered differently at the same selected location in the audio recording so that each of the copies of the audio recording has its own unique code, wherein the computer-controlled device alters the audio recording by causing portions of the audio recording to be selectively muted at the selected location to create the code in the audio recording.
15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the copy of the audio recording is a film copy of a motion picture having an audio soundtrack, wherein the computer-controlled device selectively mutes the audio soundtrack by re-exposing the audio soundtrack on the film copy of the motion picture.
16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the copy of the motion picture further include at least one digital soundtrack, wherein the computer-controlled device alters the at least one digital soundtrack to cause the selectively muted portion of the audio soundtrack to be played at the selected location where the audio recording is altered.
17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the computer-controlled device alters the digital soundtrack by re-exposing the digital soundtrack on the film copy of the motion picture.
18. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the computer-controlled device includes at least one light source for altering the audio recording using emitted light.
19. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the at least one light source respectively alters digital and analog soundtrack components of the audio recording.
20. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the copies of the audio recording include a digital soundtrack, wherein the computer-controlled device alters the digital soundtrack at a selected location to insert a digital representation of the code into the digital soundtrack.
21. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the computer-controlled device inserts a visual representation of the unique code into the copy of the audio recording.
22. An audio soundtrack recorded on a medium bearing a coded identification number, the audio soundtrack including a coded portion including a plurality of muted segments that at least partially represent the coded identification number, wherein the audio soundtrack is located on a motion picture film copy.
23. The audio soundtrack recording of claim 22 , wherein the coded portion of the audio soundtrack includes alternating segments of audio content and muted segments.
24. The audio soundtrack of claim 22 , further comprising a visual representation of the coded identification number.
25. An audio soundtrack recorded on a medium bearing a coded identification number, the audio soundtrack including a coded portion including a plurality of muted segments that at least partially represent the coded identification number, wherein the audio soundtrack is located on a digital copy of a motion picture.
26. The audio soundtrack recording of claim 25 , wherein the coded portion of the audio soundtrack includes alternating segments of audio content and muted segments.