Patent ID: 7278020

Claim:
A digital watermarking apparatus for receiving predetermined information and embedding a digital watermark into the predetermined information, said digital watermark apparatus comprising: a verification unit operable to receive set value information, the set value information including (i) encrypted set values necessary to embed the digital watermark, combined with (ii) verification data, operable to verify the set value information by verifying the encrypted set values using the verification data, and operable to selectively generate a normal verification result and a not normal verification result; a decryption unit operable to decrypt the encrypted set values of the set value information verified by said verification unit; and a watermarking unit operable to embed the digital watermark into the received predetermined information, operable to output the predetermined information embedded with the digital watermark, and operable to invalidate the received predetermined information, wherein: the normal verification result results in said watermarking unit embedding the digital watermark into the received predetermined information according to the set values decrypted by said decryption unit, and outputting the predetermined information embedded with the digital watermark; and the not normal verification result results in said watermarking unit selecting one of (i) not outputting the received predetermined information, and (ii) invalidating the received predetermined information and outputting the invalidated received predetermined information.