PUMit system and Right Holders' contents security

The Challenge and the current offers

• UbicMedia offers solutions for online viewing and distribution of films on the Internet.
• In a fast changing technical and economical environment, the challenge is to provide:
  • Maximum Security for right holders
         … but at the same time …
  • Maximum freedom of usage for Internet users !
• How to satisfy these two opposite requirements with one single system, in order to guarantee a large audience and to e-market quality contents on the internet?

Today, offerings are fragmented

• Freedom-killing classical DRM-like security which is usually hacked and highly questioned by Internet users.
• Total freedom, well-known over the P2P, which is highly disapproved by right holders.

These approaches are antagonistic and go against both viable business models and maximum security for right holders.

UbicMedia's approach

• Preventing illegal copy is a « wish dream »
• The only solution is to create a new type of content that is ALWAYS duplicable
• UbicMedia invented the «nomadic content» that can freely circulate between internet users because it’s self-protected!
• UbicMedia today offers two solutions for your contents:
  • PUMit: a content distribution system on the Internet, giving full security to rights holders and freedom to Internet user
  • PUMfilms: the first private online screening room for cinema professionals

PUMit and PUMfilms are innovative and protected by international patents.

UbicMedia's PUMit solution

Right holders can define, and update at any time, any business model or set of usage rules to distribute their digital contents as they wish, and know exactly how they are used (where, when and how), without worrying about their security:

• EITHER by offering user-friendly control to the Internet user:
  - "Neither me nor my PC are identified (ip, mac, efi, cookie…)"
  - "I only buy some entertainment time"
  - "I only pay for what I use and directly to the right holder"
  - "If I like a content, I can copy it and legally share it with my friends and other fans »" etc…
  
• OR on the opposite by identifying clearly the users and the usages, like for instance in the case of pre-launch operations or private e-screenings.

PUMit System and its technical Components

PUMit Writer creates the « nomad content » or « PUM file ». The original digital content is split in two parts:

• a MODIFIED digital file of the same format AND COMPLETED by metadata that link its usage to the PUMit Back-office; the PUM file freely circulates on the Internet or any virtual or physical media,
• and a COMPLEMENTARY file containing the data on the modifications made. It is exclusively known by PUMit Back-Office.

PUMit reader reads the PUM files that enable to rebuild the original file, image by image, on the Internet users'terminal according to their actions.

PUMit Front-Office enables right holders to manage their PUM contents, to define or modify the usage rules for users and to analyze the related consuming statistics.

PUMit Back-Office is the fourth component and is composed of several types of servers that are organized as « grid computing » over the Internet:

• Servers that manage the contents usage rules defined by the right holders and enable to authorize or not a usage or action request sent by PUMit Reader.
• Servers that store all control and usage events coming from PUMit Reader, independently from the Internet users'terminal data.
• Servers that control and send to PUMit Reader, the necessary data (contained in the complementary files) to enable the viewing action as requested by user.

PUMit Operating security

1

• PUMit Reader that is installed on the user's computer NEVER decides for any security action. It requests them to PUMit Back-Office which is the ONLY component that decides and provides the necessary data for the requested action.
• For example:
  • For each image viewing, PUMit BackOffice sends the associated data contained in the complementary file if and only if authorized,
  • For each viewing request, PUMit BackOffice sends the request to PUMit Reader to connect to the right holder's website that contains the usage rule he/she defined (payment, ads, quiz...)

2

• PUMit System architecture provides top level operating security. Only servers decide and operate viewings as opposed to classical systems that make all the data available on the Internet user's terminal
• Providing maximum security level implies some limits and constraints:
  • Contents must be viewed online
  • Contents can only be viewed under Windows (for PC or Mac), in order to add two protection levels:
    • Only one viewing at a time to disable screen capturing
    • Obfuscated programming and protection against reverse engineering of streams crossing PUMit Reader

3

• By definition, PUMit system architecture offers proactive control and top level federated operating management.
• Offline piracy is not possible and online piracy attempts are easily detected. Updates are proactive.
• A « fake » PUMit Reader or simultaneous brute force attacks cannot work out.
• What « hackers » can learn about the data transferred during usage is USELESS for any other usages or contents.

 

PUMit system and e-Screening

• UbicMedia develops PUMfilms, a Front-office for pre-launch or private screening. The users are the rights holders and the cinema professionals of distribution, theatre programming, marketing, communication...
• Users identification is done outside of their browser (anti-phishing, anti-brute force, ...)
• The film viewing authorization service is a mix between the users' identification and the management of the right holder's guests or subscribers.
• PUMit system “does the rest”, in particular it runs all the secured components, tracks the BtoB usages, etc…