IP Library Granted Patent US 12,373,520
Granted Patent B2
US 12,373,520 · App. 17/915,336 · Granted Jul 29, 2025

Neural network watermarking

Inventors: Jakob Sternby (Lund, SE); Björn Johansson (Bjärred, SE)
Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (Publ)
G06F21/16G06N3/08
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,373,520
App. No.
17/915,336
Granted
Jul 29, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Training a neural network and embedding a watermark in the network to prove ownership. The network includes a plurality of trainable parameters associated with network nodes in which the plurality of trainable parameters is split into a first set of trainable parameters and a second set of trainable parameters. A first set of training samples is input to the network and the network is trained by iterating the first set of samples through the network to update the first set of parameters and hindering the second set of parameters to be updated during iteration of the first set of samples. A second set of samples is input and the watermark is embedded by iterating the second set of samples through the network to update the second set of parameters and hindering the first set of parameters to be updated during iteration of the second set of samples.

Claims (48)

1. A method for training a neural network and embedding a watermark in the neural network, the watermark for proving ownership of the neural network, the neural network comprising a plurality of trainable parameters associated with a number of network nodes, the method comprising:

splitting the plurality of trainable parameters into a first set of trainable parameters and a second set of trainable parameters;

inputting a first set of training samples to the neural network;

training the neural network by iterating the first set of training samples through a neural self learning network to update the first set of trainable parameters and preventing the second set of trainable parameters from being updated during iteration of the first set of training samples;

inputting a second set of training samples, to the neural network; and

embedding the watermark by iterating the second set of training samples through the neural network to update the second set of trainable parameters and preventing the first set of trainable parameters from being updated during iteration of the second set of training samples.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first set of trainable parameters and the second set of trainable parameters form parallel layers in the neural network, and wherein the method further comprises iterating the first set of training samples and the second set of training samples through the respective set of trainable parameters in sequence.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

choosing the second set of training samples to comprise a first number of training samples; and

choosing the second set of trainable parameters to comprise a second number of trainable parameters, wherein the first number is smaller than the second number.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first set of training samples comprises general training samples for training the neural network, and wherein the second set of training samples comprises training samples for watermarking.

5. The method according to claim 4 , further comprising training the neural network to associate the training samples for watermarking of the second set of training samples with an unexpected class.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second set of training samples comprises training samples from the first set of training samples.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second set of training samples comprises training samples from the first set of training samples that have been misclassified by the neural network during iteration of the first set of training samples.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second set of training samples comprises training samples unrelated to the first set of training samples.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second set of training samples comprises training samples formed by noise.

10. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising iterating the second set of training samples through the second set of trainable parameters until a classification confidence associated with the second set of training samples is above a confidence threshold.

11. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising extracting the embedded watermark by:

inputting at least one key sample to the neural network, wherein the at least one key sample is associated with the embedded watermark; and

evaluating an output from the neural network by performing at least one of:

determining that a confidence value associated with the output of the at least one key sample inputted to the neural network is above a confidence threshold; and

determining that a predetermined subset of network nodes of the number of network nodes are activated when the at least one key sample is inputted to the neural network.

12. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program comprising program instructions configured to be loadable into a data-processing unit, comprising a processor and a memory associated with or integral to the data-processing unit, when loaded into the data-processing unit, the computer program is configured to be stored in the memory, the computer program, when loaded into and run by the processor is configured to perform a method for training a neural network and embedding a watermark in the neural network, the watermark for proving ownership of the neural network, the neural network comprising a plurality of trainable parameters associated with a number of network nodes, the method comprising:

splitting the plurality of trainable parameters into a first set of trainable parameters and a second set of trainable parameters;

inputting a first set of training samples to the neural network;

training the neural network by iterating the first set of training samples through the neural self learning network to update the first set of trainable parameters and preventing the second set of trainable parameters from being updated during iteration of the first set of training samples;

inputting a second set of training samples, to the neural network; and

embedding the watermark by iterating the second set of training samples through the neural network to update the second set of trainable parameters and preventing the first set of trainable parameters from being updated during iteration of the second set of training samples.

13. An apparatus for training a neural network and embedding a watermark in the neural network, the watermark for proving ownership of the neural network, the neural network comprising a plurality of trainable parameters associated with a number of network nodes, the apparatus comprising a controller configured to cause:

splitting of the plurality of trainable parameters into a first set of trainable parameters and a second set of trainable parameters;

inputting of a first set of training samples to the neural network;

training of the neural network by iteration of the first set of training samples through the neural self learning network to update the first set of trainable parameters and preventing the second set of trainable parameters from being updated during iteration of the first set of training samples;

inputting of a second set of training samples, to the neural network; and

embedding of the watermark by iteration of the second set of training samples through the neural network to update the second set of trainable parameters and preventing the first set of trainable parameters from being updated during iteration of the second set of training samples.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the first set of trainable parameters and the second set of trainable parameters form parallel layers in the neural network and wherein the controller is further configured to cause iteration of the first set of training samples and the second set of training samples through the respective set of trainable parameters in sequence.

15. The apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the controller is further configured to cause:

choosing of the second set of training samples to comprise a first number of training samples; and

choosing of the second set of trainable parameters to comprise a second number of trainable parameters, wherein the first number is smaller than the second number.

16. The apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the first set of training samples comprises general training samples for training the neural network, and wherein the second set of training samples comprises training samples for watermarking.

17. The apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the controller is further configured to cause training of the neural network to associate the training samples for watermarking of the second set of training samples with an unexpected class.

18. The apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the second set of training samples comprises training samples from the first set of training samples.

19. The apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the second set of training samples comprises training samples from the first set of training samples that have been misclassified by the neural network during iteration of the first set of training samples.

20. The apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the second set of training samples comprises training samples unrelated to the first set of training samples.

21. The apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the second set of training samples comprises training samples formed by noise.

22. The apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the controller is further configured to cause iteration of the second set of training samples through the second set of trainable parameters until a classification confidence associated with the second set of training samples is above a confidence threshold.

23. The apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the controller is further configured to cause inputting of at least one key sample to the neural network, wherein the at least one key sample is associated with the embedded watermark and to evaluate an output from the neural network by performing at least one of:

determination of that a confidence value associated with the output of the at least one key sample inputted to the neural network is above a confidence threshold; and

determination of that a predetermined subset of network nodes of the number of network nodes are activated when the at least one key sample is inputted to the neural network.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 27, 2022
From: STERNBY, JAKOB; JOHANSSON, BJÖRN
To: TELEFONAKTIEBOLAGET LM ERICSSON (PUBL)
Reel/Frame 061560/0765 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230145544A1 · May 11, 2023
References Cited (34)
US 7565549B2 · Satterlee · 2009 [cited by examiner]
US 8250375B2 · Carpenter · 2012 [cited by examiner]
US 8289971B2 · Furber · 2012 [cited by examiner]
US 8355514B2 · Rhoads · 2013 [cited by examiner]
US 8433582B2 · Ramabadran · 2013 [cited by examiner]
US 11483317B1 · Bolignano · 2022 [cited by examiner]
US 20030088778A1 · Lindqvist · 2003 [cited by examiner]
US 20040042650A1 · Ii · 2004 [cited by examiner]
US 20070174633A1 · Draper · 2007 [cited by examiner]
US 20150317496A1 · Olmos · 2015 [cited by examiner]
US 20160080250A1 · Ramachandran · 2016 [cited by examiner]
US 20170230391A1 · Ferguson · 2017 [cited by examiner]
US 20170318034A1 · Holland · 2017 [cited by examiner]
US 20190005387A1 · Blayvas · 2019 [cited by examiner]
US 20190050368A1 · Chen · 2019 [cited by examiner]
US 20190122096A1 · Husain · 2019 [cited by examiner]
US 20190362232A1 · Nagai · 2019 [cited by examiner]
US 20200074581A1 · Nemes · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 20200366690A1 · Cheng · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 20220141026A1 · Smith · 2022 [cited by examiner]
US 20220313140A1 · Atasoy · 2022 [cited by examiner]
WO 2016043734A1 · 2016 [cited by applicant]
International Search Report and Written Opinion dated Sep. 21, 2020 for International Application No. PCT/EP2020/059283 filed Apr. 1, 2020; consisting of 25 pages. [cited by applicant]
Srivastava, Nitish, et al.; Dropout: A Simple Way to Prevent Neural Networks from Overfitting; Journal of Machine Learning Research 15; pp. 1929-1958; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Jun. 2014; consisting of 30 pages. [cited by applicant]
Barrow, E., et al.; Selective dropout for deep neural networks; Lecture notes in computer science; pp. 519-528; Oct. 16-21, 2016; Springer; Kyoto, Japan; consisting of 10 pages. [cited by applicant]
Le Merrer, Erwan, et al.; Adversarial frontier stitching for remote neural network watermarking; Aug. 7, 2019; consisting of 12 pages. [cited by applicant]
Uchida, Yusuke, et al.; Embedding Watermarks into Deep Neural Networks; Apr. 20, 2017; consisting of 10 pages. [cited by applicant]
Shokri, Reza, et al.; Membership Inference Attacks Against Machine Learning Models; 2017 IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy; IEEE Computer Society; 2017; consisting of 16 pages. [cited by applicant]
Adi, Yossi, et al.; Turning Your Weakness Into a Strength: Watermarking Deep Neural Networks by Backdooring; Jun. 11, 2018; consisting of 17 pages. [cited by applicant]
Zhang, Jialong, et al.; Protecting Intellectual Property of Deep Neural Networks with Watermarking; In ASIA CCS '18: 2018 ACM Asia Conference on Computer and Communications Security; Jun. 4-8, 2018; Incheon, Republic of… [cited by applicant]
Rouhani, Bita Darvish, et al.; DeepSigns: An End-to-End Watermarking Framework for Protecting the Ownership of Deep Neural Networks; 2019; San Diego, California; consisting of 12 pages. [cited by applicant]
Nagai, Yuki, et al.; Digital Watermarking for Deep Neural Networks; Feb. 6, 2018; consisting of 14 pages. [cited by applicant]
Veeraprasit, S. et al.; Neural Network-Based Teeth Recognition Using Singular Value Decomposition and Color Histogram; Information Engineering and Computer Science (ICIECS); 2010 2nd International Conference on, IEEE, P… [cited by applicant]
Bulot, R. et al.; Explicit Knowledge and Neural Networks for Speech Recognition; ISCA Archive; First European Conference on Speech Communication and Technology (Eurospeech); Paris, France, Sep. 27-29, 1989; consisting o… [cited by applicant]