Watermarking: Integrate your Irdeto service

Watermarking combats piracy by applying an invisible yet traceable 'signature' on digital files. The watermark allows you to track that asset through the development and distribution process.

Each time an AoC user downloads a watermarked file, Irdeto updates the watermark to indicate the specific user who downloaded it. If a user who downloads a watermarked file then forwards the file using some mechanism other than AoC, the file retains the watermark identifying the user who downloaded it.

The following drawing is a schematic representation of the package upload workflow for your integration of Irdeto with AoC.

The following drawing is a schematic representation of the package download workflow for your integration of Irdeto with AoC.

• Supported cloud platforms
  • AWS S3
    • N. Virginia (us-east-1); Oregon (us-west-2); N. California (us-west-1)
    • Sao Paolo (sa-east-1)
    • Ireland (eu-west-1); London (eu-west-2); Frankfurt (eu-central-1)
    • Tokyo (ap-northeast-1); Singapore (ap-southeast-1); Sydney (ap-southeast-2)
  • GCS
    • us-central1
  Note: Your Irdeto account and your associated cloud storage must be in same provider region. See Irdeto documentation for more information.
• Supported Aspera node type: Aspera-managed auto-scale clusters (ATS).
• You can enable watermarking only on nodes that do not have encryption at rest (EAR) applied.
  • This EAR constraint includes both cloud-provider server-side encryption and Aspera-provided encryption-at-rest (whether Aspera or your own KMS manages the root key).
  • If you are unsure whether a node is enabled for encryption at rest, Aspera recommends creating one or more new nodes to support your organization's watermarking needs.
  • For supporting documentation, see Use Aspera-managed keys for server-side encryption at rest; Bring your own key for server-side encryption at rest.

Receiving a watermarked package

Recipients of watermarked packages must log in to retrieve the package. Traceability using forensic watermarking requires that users in the content workflow be authenticated. Therefore, recipients cannot download a watermarked package from a public link.

Recipients must download watermarked packages using the Aspera on Cloud Packages app with IBM Aspera Connect.

File types and profiles supported

In a watermarked package, watermarking applies only to files that conform to supported profiles. Profiles comprise not only the supported file types (.ts; .ps, .mpg; .mpeg; .mov; .mxf; .mp4), but codecs, dimensions, and more; see the Irdeto watermarking service documentation for requirements.

GCS caveat

Ensure that watermarked packages do not contain files from Google Cloud Storage (GCS) that have special characters in file names.

Package actions

• Recalled packages: You cannot recall a watermarked package.
• Forward packages: You cannot forward a watermarked package.
• Save to Files app: You cannot use the Actions menu to save a watermarked package to the Files app.
• Add recipients to a package: When you add recipients to a watermarked package, the new recipients receive packages with their watermark. Adding recipients generates an immediate notification to the new recipients.
• Draft packages: If a transfer fails to start, AoC moves the package to the Drafts folder. You cannot change the watermarking setting for a package in the Drafts folder.

Errors that may occur for the transfer of watermarked packages appear in the AoC transfer monitor, on the individual transfer record.