Autonomy Automates Copyright Infringement Detection

Intellectual property is not free and media publishers are trying hard to stifle unauthorized use of their materials. Autonomy Corporation plc, a global provider of infrastructure software for the enterprise, has released Virage Automatic Copyright Infringement Detection (ACID). Virage ACID enables copyright owners such as broadcasters, production houses and publishers to maintain control of their intellectual property by automating the detection of illegal distribution of copyrighted material on the Internet.

Using Autonomy’s unique "Meaning-Based Computing," which includes patented image and audio analysis technology, and powered by the company’s Intelligent Data Operating Layer (IDOL), ACID offers a scalable method of detecting breaches of copyright, wherever they are located and whatever format they are in.

By automatically detecting any rich media that infringes an organization’s copyright, Virage ACID eliminates the need for content owners to spend hours trawling through video sharing websites, or manually scanning p2p file contents.

Virage says ACID’s functions are particularly valuable for organizations that see Internet distribution of user-generated or hosted content as critical to their business model. Instead of relying on copyright owners to alert hosting agents to offending material (a legally contentious strategy), content hosts can take a more proactive approach by scanning material as it is uploaded and quarantining content that may be breaching copyright.

This real-time approach can deliver extensive return on investment as hosts can avoid potentially expensive legal disputes by removing risky content before it is posted. In addition, this is done without frustrating users with the lengthy delays between uploading and posting that more manual processes inevitably cause.

Unlike many Digital Rights Management solutions, the system does not rely on watermarking and so is not undermined by random noise or format and codec changes.

Virage’s ACID module is not restricted to one form of data. Being totally independent of media format, ACID can not only detect whether distributed video infringes copyright, but also whether audio content ripped from a copyrighted video or audio track that is overlaid on legitimate video has been uploaded.