Sony Patents Anti-Piracy Blacklist for Smart TVs and Media Players
takyon writes:
Sony Patents Anti-Piracy Blacklist for Smart TVs and Media Players
Sony is patenting a technology that can detect and blacklist pirate apps on media players and smart TVs. Through the use of monitoring software, third-party applications sideloaded onto these and other devices can be blocked, effectively protecting rightsholders against online piracy.
[...] The proposed patent, titled "Anti-Piracy Control Based on Blacklisting Function," describes a technology to ban third-party applications that allow users to access pirated content. These illicit apps will be detected on consumer hardware through the use of monitoring software, which in turn will form part of an operating system.
"The monitor application has system privileges to examine the code and execution of the third-party application installed on the electronic device," Sony writes.
Sony details several scenarios where the patent can be useful, including one where streaming devices allow users to install unvetted apps. Another envisions intervention when people try to sideload apps that are banned by official stores such as Google Play.
[...] The full patent application goes into detail on various techniques the monitoring software could use to detect and block apps. Monitoring external network sources accessed by apps, for example, or directly inspecting an app's code.
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