Patent ID: 7162146

Claim:
A method for processing an analog video signal that represents a work for which rights information is asserted, the signal including a rights assertion mark (RAM) in the video portion of the signal within the visible picture such that capture of the picture will include the mark, and copy control information (CCI) bits in the vertical blanking interval of the signal for representing copying and redistribution rules; comprising the steps of: determining if the RAM and CCI bits are present in the work, if the RAM is present and the CCI bits are present, then applying the copying and redistribution rules represented by the CCI bits, and if the RAM is present but the CCI bits are not, then applying the most restrictive copying and redistribution rules that can be represented by the CCI bits; wherein the CCI bits are represented as CGMS-A information, the most restrictive copying rule is “copy never”, and the most restrictive redistribution rule is “no redistribution”.