Streaming Video Alliance shows how forensic watermarking helps combat online video piracy

Streaming Video Alliance Combats Piracy of Online Video Content with Publication of Considerations for Forensic Watermarking

FREMONT, Calif. — The Streaming Video Alliance (the Alliance), an industry forum solving challenges to improve the video experience, today announced the publication of a technical document that provides considerations for implementing forensic watermarking as a tactic for combatting the piracy of online video content. The ‘Forensic Watermarking Implementation Considerations for Streaming Media’ was developed by the the Alliance’s Privacy and Protection Working Group. Additionally, marking the Alliance’s steady growth and continued advancement, Yves Boudreau of Ericsson and Jens Loeffler of Adobe were elected as new board members. The Alliance will hold its next meeting in Budapest, Hungary in October 2018.

“The piracy of online video content is a significant issue for content owners and distributors. Watermarking is a useful tool to combat theft as it permits tracing stolen copies back to the source of the leak,” said Jason Thibeault, Executive Director of the Streaming Video Alliance. “Our technical document aims to educate industry members on different watermarking methods, rather than promoting any specific approach, to help identify what best fits their organization’s specific media workflows and business needs.”

Watermarks can be embedded by content providers to contain distributor identifiers, content identifiers, and subscriber identifiers for nearly all types of content including live content, delivered to individual subscribers.