Tracking source and transfer of a media asset

1. A method comprising:

identifying, using at least one processor, a new media asset;

integrating source information associated with the new media asset within a data portion of the new media asset;

receiving a request to transfer the new media asset;

integrating transfer information associated with the request to transfer the new media asset within the data portion of the new media asset, wherein the transfer information comprises a sender identifier and a receiver identifier; and

transferring the new media asset.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the new media asset comprises a media asset selected from among: a video asset, a text asset, a sound asset, a page-layout asset, a pixel-based asset, a vector-based asset, an animation asset, a data asset, and a multimedia asset.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein integrating transfer information associated with the request to transfer the new media asset within the data portion of the new media asset comprises integrating one or more of: a date the new media asset was transferred and a time the new media asset was transferred from the sender to the receiver.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein integrating transfer information associated with the request to transfer the new media asset within the data portion of the new media asset comprises integrating distribution channel information into the data portion of the new media asset.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein integrating distribution channel information into the data portion of the new media asset comprises integrating an electronic communications log into the data portion of the new media asset.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein integrating source information associated with the new media asset within the data portion of the new media asset comprises:

integrating information about a creator of the media asset within the data portion of the new media asset; and

integrating source information from one or more additional source entities into the data portion of the new media asset.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein integrating source information from one or more additional source entities into the data portion of the new media asset comprises integrating source information from one or more of: a device, a person, and a website into the data portion of the new media asset.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein integrating source information associated with the new media asset within the data portion of the new media asset comprises integrating the source information in an audit trail within the data portion of the new media asset; and

wherein integrating transfer information associated with the request to transfer the new media asset comprises integrating the transfer information in the audit trail.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the new media asset comprises a plurality of data portions.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of data portions comprises a metadata portion and a content portion.

11. A method comprising:

identifying, using at least one processor, a new media asset comprising source information within a content portion of the new media asset;

detecting, using the at least one processor, a transfer of the new media asset;

integrating transfer information associated with the transfer of the new media asset within the content portion of the new media asset;

receiving a request for one or more of the source information or the transfer information; and

providing access to the one or more of the source information and the transfer information.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the new media asset comprises a media asset selected from among: a video asset, a text asset, a sound asset, a page-layout asset, a pixel-based asset, a vector-based asset, an animation asset, a data asset, and a multimedia asset.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

identifying the transfer information contained within the content portion of the new media asset; and

extracting the transfer information from within the content portion of the new media asset.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein extracting the transfer information from within the content portion of the new media asset comprises extracting transfer metadata from an audit trail contained within the content portion of the new media asset.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the transfer information associated with the transfer of the new media asset comprises one or more of: a date of the transfer of the new media asset, a time of the transfer of the new media asset, and distribution channel information corresponding to the transfer of the new media asset.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the source information associated with the new media asset comprises one or more of: a source ID, a source creator, a source data, a source type, and other source information.

17. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

integrating source information about a creator of the new media asset within the content portion of the new media asset; and

integrating source information from one or more additional source entities, the source information from the one or more additional source entities associated with the new media asset.

18. A computer program product for use at a computer system, the computer program product comprising one or more non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed at a processor, cause the computer system to perform a method, including the following:

identify a new media asset;

integrate source information associated with the new media asset within a content portion of the new media asset;

receive a request to transfer the new media asset;

integrate transfer information associated with the request to transfer the new media asset within the content portion of the new media asset, wherein the transfer information comprises a sender identifier and a receiver identifier; and

transfer the new media asset.

19. The computer program product of claim 18 , wherein the new media asset, comprises a media asset selected from among: a video asset, a text asset, a sound asset, a page-layout asset, a pixel-based asset, a vector-based asset, an animation asset, a data asset, and a multimedia asset.

20. The computer program product of claim 18 , wherein computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to integrate transfer information associated with the new media asset within the content portion of the new media asset comprise computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to integrate one or more of: a date of the transfer of the new media asset, a time of the transfer of the new media asset, and distribution channel information corresponding to the transfer of the new media asset, into the content portion of the new media asset.

21. The computer program product of claim 18 , wherein computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to integrate source information associated with the new media asset within the content portion of the new media asset comprise computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to encode source metadata in an audit trail within the content portion of the new media asset; and

wherein computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to integrate transfer information associated with the request to transfer the new media asset within the content portion of the new media asset comprise computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to encode transfer metadata in the audit trail.

22. The computer program product of claim 18 , wherein the computer system is a mobile electronic device.