Patent ID: 8099601

Claim:
A system for protecting an electronic file from unauthorized use, the system comprising: a processor; and a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising: receiving a request to copy the electronic file from the system to a remote computer system; checking the electronic file for the presence of a signature-containing watermark; if the signature-containing watermark is detected: retrieving the signature from the watermark, using the signature to verify the authenticity of at least a portion of the electronic file, if the verification is successful, granting the request to copy the electronic file to the remote computer system, and if the verification is not successful, denying the request to copy the electronic file to the remote computer system; an if the signature-containing watermark is not detected: checking the electronic file for the presence of another watermark, if the other watermark is found, denying the request to copy the electronic file to the remote computer system, and if the other watermark is not found, granting the request to copy the electronic file to the remote computer system.