Patent ID: 8752185

Claim:
A method comprising: receiving, from a plurality of end-users of a content aggregator, by the content aggregator, a plurality of content items; the content aggregator allowing a second plurality of end-users to access the plurality of content items; receiving, from an end-user, at the content aggregator, a particular content item; generating, by the content aggregator, a first fingerprint of the particular content item; retrieving, by the content aggregator, a first owner-provided fingerprint that is generated by a first content owner; determining, by the content aggregator, whether the first fingerprint matches the first owner-provided fingerprint; generating, by the content aggregator, a second fingerprint of the particular content item, wherein the second fingerprint is different than the first fingerprint; retrieving, by the content aggregator, a second owner-provided fingerprint that is generated by a second content owner that is different than the first content owner; and determining, by the content aggregator, whether the second fingerprint matches the second owner-provided fingerprint; determining that the particular content item is illegal content based at least in part on a determination that the first fingerprint matches the first owner-provided fingerprint or the second fingerprint matches the second owner provided fingerprint; wherein the method is performed by one or more machines.