Patent ID: 7548340

Claim:
An image processing apparatus, comprising: a first memory storing a first reference value representing a first characteristic quantity of a predetermined background dot pattern; a first copy protector unit configured to perform a first copy protection operation for detecting a characteristic quantity from image data of an original image, comparing the characteristic quantity from the image data of the original image with the first reference value stored in the first memory, and determining whether the characteristic quantity from the image data of the original image is identical to the first reference value; a second memory storing a second reference value representing a second characteristic quantity of the predetermined background dot pattern; and a second copy protector unit configured to perform a second copy protection operation, different from the first copy protection operation, for detecting a characteristic quantity from the image data of the original image, comparing the characteristic quantity from the image data of the original image with the second reference value stored in the second memory, and determining whether the characteristic quantity from the image data of the original image is identical to the second reference value, wherein the first and second copy protector units simultaneously perform the first and second copy protection operations, respectively, in parallel.