Explain what a digital watermark is in one or two paragraphs, and ...

[Charlie]

Explain what a digital watermark is in one or two paragraphs, and then write an additional paragraph in which you provide an example of an online business (other than the audio and video recording industries mentioned in the chapter) that might use digital watermarks.

Question 2

Briefly define the term patent troll.

[deja]

Answer to Question 1

Several methods can be used to protect copyrighted digital works online, but they only provide partial protection. One technique uses a digital watermark, which is a digital code or stream embedded undetectably in a digital image or audio file. The digital watermark can be encrypted to protect its contents, or simply hidden among the digital information that makes up the image or recording.
Shutterstock.com is one example of an online business that uses watermarks.

Answer to Question 2

Most companies use their patents to protect intellectual property that they use in their businesses. However, a person or company can buy patents from the original inventors and then enforce the rights granted by the patents by suing others who use the patents without permission. These persons or companies, called patent assertion entities, or patent trolls, will often purchase patents that they believe are being infringed, then threaten to sue the infringers in the hopes of extracting a cash settlement. Many of these actions have been based on business process patents.