JP2002251493A - System, processing device, terminal device and method for electronic information certification, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic information certification system, which allows an author or a third person to authorize electronic information in a secure way. SOLUTION: An electronic information certification system according to this invention is composed of a server unit 100 and client units of authors, which are connected through a network. The server unit 100 has an electronic information ID issuer 162, which issues electronic information ID to uniquely identify electronic information, and an electronic information management DB 120, which stores the electronic information ID and author ID associated with each other.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic information authentication system, an electronic information authentication processing device, an electronic information authentication terminal device, and an electronic information authentication for authenticating the validity of electronic information such as an electronic work. Related to methods and programs.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a modern society in which computers have become widespread, various works such as images, videos, and music have been digitized to generate electronic information. Such electronic information is used in various forms, such as being recorded on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM and distributed, or transmitted via a network. As for electronic information used in various forms, it is necessary to protect the rights of the authors. In particular, with the spread of the Internet in recent years, the amount of electronic information flowing on a network has already become enormous, and the protection of the rights of authors for such electronic information is becoming increasingly important.

[0003] For this reason, conventionally, when publishing electronic information on its own product or on a homepage, the author displays an indication that the copyright is held and prohibits unauthorized use of the electronic information. Display was done. In recent years, an electronic watermarking technique has been used to embed an identification code (digital watermark) in an invisible form in electronic information and recognize the identification code as necessary to determine the validity of the electronic information. Has been developed and put to practical use in the form of application software and the like. Therefore, the author uses this application software or the like to embed a digital watermark in his / her electronic information.

[0004]

However, it has been practically difficult to protect copyright by such a conventional display by the author himself. That is, conventionally,
Since the author himself displayed the copyright, he could not objectively prove the validity of the electronic information.
For example, if a plagiarizer of electronic information displays information on another person's electronic information as if he / she owns a copyright, the validity and unfairness of the copyright are determined. It is difficult to prove to a third party or make this decision by a third party. Further, even when the above-described digital watermark technology is used, it is impossible to deny the possibility that a third party analyzes the technology and falsifies the digital watermark.

[0005] For these reasons, there is a demand for the establishment of a new system in which a fair third party other than the author or third party of the electronic information can authenticate the electronic information in a reliable manner. Was.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and provides an electronic information authentication system, an electronic information authentication processing device, and an electronic information authentication system that enable an author or a third party to authenticate electronic information in a reliable manner. Authentication terminal device, electronic information authentication method,
And to provide the program.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, an electronic information authentication system according to claim 1 comprises: an electronic information authentication processing device for processing information related to authentication of electronic information; An electronic information authentication system configured to communicably connect via a network to an electronic information authentication terminal device of the author who requests authentication of the electronic information, wherein the electronic information authentication processing device Electronic information identification information issuing means for issuing electronic information identification information for uniquely identifying; electronic information identification information issued by the electronic information identification information issuing means; and information for uniquely identifying the author side And identification information storage means for storing the author identification information obtained by a predetermined method in association with each other, wherein the electronic information authentication terminal device is obtained by the predetermined method. An electronic watermark including the electronic information identification information, characterized in that it comprises an electronic watermark processing means imprinting respect to the electronic information.

According to this system, electronic information identification information is issued, the electronic information identification information and the author identification information are stored, and an electronic watermark including the electronic information identification information is imprinted on the electronic information. Therefore, since the electronic information has the electronic information identification information imprinted thereon, the electronic information identification information can be obtained from the electronic information, and the electronic information can be authenticated based on the electronic information identification information. Further, since the author identification information can be obtained based on the electronic information identification information, the author can be specified based on the author identification information, and the validity of the author can be determined. . From these facts, an organization other than the author can objectively perform the authentication of the electronic information.

Further, the present invention relates to an electronic information authentication processing device, and an electronic information authentication processing device according to claim 2 is an electronic information authentication processing device for processing information related to authentication of electronic information. Electronic information identification information issuing means for issuing electronic information identification information for uniquely identifying the electronic information; electronic information identification information issued by the electronic information identification information issuing means; An identification information storage unit for storing information for uniquely identifying the information and author identification information acquired by a predetermined method in association with each other.

According to this device, electronic information identification information is issued, and the electronic information identification information and the author identification information are stored. Therefore, by imprinting the electronic information identification information on the electronic information, the electronic information identification information can be obtained from the electronic information, and the electronic information can be authenticated based on the electronic information identification information. Further, since the author identification information can be obtained based on the electronic information identification information, the author can be specified based on the author identification information, and the validity of the author can be determined. .
From these facts, an organization other than the author can objectively perform the authentication of the electronic information.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic information authentication processing apparatus according to the second aspect, further comprising writer identification information issuing means for issuing the writer identification information. And

According to this device, the author identification information is issued. Therefore, it is possible to easily and surely issue the author identification information and store it together with the electronic information identification information.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the electronic information authentication processing apparatus according to the third aspect, the creator identification information issuance means is adapted to output information provided by the creator. Issuing the author identification information based on the information.

According to this device, the author identification information is issued based on information presented by the author. Therefore, these two pieces of information can be correlated,
It is easy to infer the author name from the author identification information, to classify the author identification information for each author name, and the like.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic information authentication processing apparatus according to the fourth aspect, wherein the information presented by the author side is for identifying the author side. At least one of the following information, information related to the contact information of the author, information for specifying the creation date and time of the electronic information on which the digital watermark is imprinted, or any information that the author wants to include in the electronic watermark. It is characterized by including one.

This more specifically shows an example of the content of the information presented by the author. According to this device, the author identification information is associated with at least one of information for identifying the author side, information related to contact information, information for identifying the date and time of creation, or arbitrary information. Can be issued.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the electronic information authentication processing apparatus according to any one of the second to fifth aspects, wherein the electronic information is specified and the authentication is performed by a predetermined method. In the case where requested, the electronic information identification information is obtained from the electronic information, the writer identification information is obtained from the identification information storage unit based on the electronic information identification information, and the writer identification information is obtained based on the writer identification information. It is characterized by comprising authentication processing means for authenticating the electronic information.

According to this device, when authentication of the electronic information is requested, the electronic information identification information is obtained from the electronic information, and the writer identification information is obtained based on the electronic information identification information. Since the authentication of the electronic information is performed based on the information, the authentication of the electronic information can be objectively performed by an organization other than the author.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the electronic information authentication processing apparatus according to the sixth aspect, the authentication processing means converts the information presented by the author into the electronic information authentication information. And further authenticates the electronic information based on the presented information.

According to this device, the information presented by the author is obtained from the electronic information, and the electronic information is authenticated based on the presented information. This can be performed based on information presented from the side, and the authentication accuracy is further improved.

The electronic information authentication processing device according to claim 8 is the electronic information authentication processing device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the authentication processing means determines that the electronic information is legitimate. Is characterized in that predetermined authentication information indicating that the validity is recognized is issued.

According to this device, when the validity of the electronic information is recognized, predetermined authentication information indicating that the validity is recognized is issued. Therefore, the author can use the authentication information to prove the validity of his / her electronic information to a third party or the like.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the electronic information authentication processing device according to any one of the sixth to eighth aspects, wherein the information relating to the contact information for the author is stored in the electronic information authentication processing device. Contact information storage means for storing the electronic information identification information or the writer identification information in association with the electronic information identification information, wherein the authentication processing means requests authentication of the electronic information from a third party other than the author by a predetermined method. In this case, based on the electronic information identification information obtained from the electronic information, or based on the author identification information obtained based on the electronic information identification information, the contact information is stored in the contact information storage means. And acquiring information relating to the authentication of the electronic information to the author based on the information relating to the contact information.

According to this device, information related to the contact information for the author is stored, and when a third party other than the author requests authentication of electronic information, the information related to the contact information is acquired. In addition, a communication relating to the authentication of electronic information is made to the author. Therefore, it is possible to notify the author that the authentication has been requested by a third party, and to request the author for authentication and permission to use electronic information.

Further, the present invention relates to an electronic information authentication terminal device, wherein the electronic information authentication terminal device according to the tenth aspect is an electronic information authentication terminal device on the side of an author who requests authentication of electronic information. There is further provided a digital watermark processing means for imprinting the electronic information identification information obtained by a predetermined method for uniquely identifying the electronic information on the electronic information as a digital watermark.

According to this apparatus, an electronic watermark including electronic information identification information is imprinted on electronic information. Therefore, since the electronic information has the electronic information identification information imprinted thereon, the electronic information identification information can be obtained from the electronic information, and the electronic information can be authenticated based on the electronic information identification information. In addition, since the imprinting can be performed on the electronic information authentication terminal device side, the electronic watermark can be imprinted without transmitting the electronic information to the electronic information authentication processing device, and the electronic information before imprinting is printed on the network. It is possible to avoid the risk of plagiarism due to transmission.

An electronic information authentication terminal device according to an eleventh aspect of the present invention is the electronic information authentication terminal device according to the tenth aspect, wherein a plurality of the electronic watermark processing means are provided in accordance with the type of the electronic information. Features.

According to this apparatus, since a plurality of digital watermark processing means are provided according to the type of electronic information, digital watermark processing according to the type of electronic information can be performed.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the electronic information authentication terminal device according to the tenth or eleventh aspect, wherein the electronic watermark processing means transmits the information presented by the author. The electronic information is imprinted on the electronic information so as to be included in the electronic watermark.

According to this device, the information presented by the creator is included in the electronic watermark and imprinted on the electronic information, so that even if the electronic information identification information is stolen, the electronic information identification information is displayed. Since the authentication of the electronic information can be performed based on the information, the authentication of the electronic information can be performed with high accuracy.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the electronic information authentication terminal device according to the twelfth aspect, wherein the information presented by the author side specifies the author side. At least one of the following information, information related to the contact information of the author, information for specifying the creation date and time of the electronic information on which the digital watermark is imprinted, or any information that the author wants to include in the electronic watermark. It is characterized by including one.

This more specifically shows an example of the content of the information presented by the author. According to this device, it is possible to imprint at least one of information for specifying the author side, information related to contact information, information for specifying the creation date and time, or arbitrary information. .

Further, the present invention relates to an electronic information authentication method, wherein the electronic information authentication method according to claim 14 is an electronic information authentication method for authenticating electronic information, An electronic information identification information issuance procedure for issuing electronic information identification information for uniquely identifying the electronic information identification information issued in the electronic information identification information issuance procedure, and an electronic information identification information for uniquely identifying the author side. Information and the author identification information obtained by a predetermined method,
It is characterized by comprising an identification information storing procedure for storing the electronic information in association with each other, and an electronic watermark processing procedure for imprinting an electronic watermark including the electronic information identification information on the electronic information.

According to this method, the electronic information identification information is issued, and the electronic information identification information and the author identification information are stored. Therefore, by imprinting the electronic information identification information on the electronic information, the electronic information identification information can be obtained from the electronic information, and the electronic information can be authenticated based on the electronic information identification information. Further, since the author identification information can be obtained based on the electronic information identification information, the author can be specified based on the author identification information, and the validity of the author can be determined. .
From these facts, an organization other than the author can objectively perform the authentication of the electronic information.

The electronic information authentication method according to claim 15 is the electronic information authentication method according to claim 14,
It is characterized by comprising a writer identification information issuing procedure for issuing the writer identification information.

According to this method, the author identification information is issued. Therefore, it is possible to easily and surely issue the author identification information and store it together with the electronic information identification information.

The electronic information authentication method according to claim 16 is the electronic information authentication method according to claim 15,
In the writer identification information issuing procedure, the writer identification information is issued based on information presented by the writer.

According to this method, the author identification information is issued based on information presented by the author. Therefore, these two pieces of information can be correlated,
It is easy to infer the author name from the author identification information, to classify the author identification information for each author name, and the like.

The electronic information authentication method according to claim 17 is the electronic information authentication method according to claim 16,
The information presented by the author is information for identifying the author, information relating to the contact information of the author, and information for identifying the creation date and time of the electronic information on which the digital watermark is imprinted. Alternatively, at least one of arbitrary information that the author side wants to include in the digital watermark is included.

This shows one example of the content of the information presented by the author more specifically. According to this method, the author identification information is associated with at least one of information for identifying the author side, information related to contact information, information for identifying the date and time of creation, or arbitrary information. Can be issued.

The electronic information authentication method according to the eighteenth aspect is the electronic information authentication method according to any one of the fourteenth to seventeenth aspects, wherein the electronic information is specified and the authentication is requested by a predetermined method. The electronic information identification information is obtained from the electronic information, the author identification information is obtained from the identification information storage unit based on the electronic information identification information, and the electronic information is obtained based on the author identification information. An authentication processing procedure for authenticating information is provided.

According to this method, when authentication of the electronic information is requested, the electronic information identification information is obtained from the electronic information, and the writer identification information is obtained based on the electronic information identification information. Since the authentication of the electronic information is performed based on the information, the authentication of the electronic information can be objectively performed by an organization other than the author.

The electronic information authentication method according to claim 19 is the electronic information authentication method according to claim 18,
In the authentication processing procedure, information presented by the author is obtained from the electronic information, and further, the electronic information is authenticated based on the presented information.

According to this method, the information presented by the author is obtained from the electronic information, and the electronic information is authenticated based on the presented information. This can be performed based on information presented from the side, and the authentication accuracy is further improved.

The electronic information authentication method according to claim 20 is the electronic information authentication method according to claim 18 or 19, wherein the electronic information authentication method includes the steps of: And issuing predetermined authentication information indicating that the validity is recognized.

According to this method, when the validity of the electronic information is recognized, predetermined authentication information indicating that the validity is recognized is issued. Therefore, the author can use the authentication information to prove the validity of his / her electronic information to a third party or the like.

The electronic information authentication method according to the twenty-first aspect is the electronic information authentication method according to any one of the eighteenth to twenty-second aspects, wherein the information related to the contact information for the author is stored in the electronic information authentication method. A contact information storage procedure for storing the electronic information identification information or the contact information stored in association with the author identification information, wherein in the authentication processing procedure, authentication of the electronic information is requested by a predetermined method from a third party other than the author. In the case, based on the electronic information identification information obtained from the electronic information or based on the author identification information obtained based on the electronic information identification information, the communication stored in the contact information storage procedure is performed. The present invention is characterized in that information related to the electronic information is obtained, and a contact related to the authentication of the electronic information is sent to the author based on the information related to the contact.

According to this method, information related to contact information for the author is stored, and when authentication of electronic information is requested by a third party other than the author, the information related to contact information is acquired. In addition, a communication relating to the authentication of electronic information is made to the author. Therefore, it is possible to notify the author that the authentication has been requested by a third party, and to request the author for authentication and permission to use electronic information.

Further, the present invention relates to a program, and the program according to claim 22 is related to claim 14.
The method is characterized by causing a computer to execute the electronic information authentication method described in any one of (1) to (21).

According to this program, the electronic information authentication method according to any one of claims 14 to 21 can be realized using a computer by causing the computer to read and execute the program. It is possible to obtain the same effect as each of these methods.

[0051]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electronic information authentication system, an electronic information authentication processing device, an electronic information authentication terminal device, an electronic information authentication method, and a program according to the present invention. explain. The present invention is not limited by the embodiment.

(Overview) Hereinafter, an overview of electronic information performed by the present system will be described.
The configuration and processing of the system will be described in detail. FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of the present system according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, a server device 100 as an electronic information authentication processing device that processes information related to electronic information authentication, and a client as an electronic information authentication terminal device on the writer side that requests electronic information authentication. Device 20
0 and a client device 300 as a third-party electronic information authentication terminal device that uses electronic information for any purpose or the like, and is communicably connected via the Internet 400.

Here, the creator side means an arbitrary individual or an organization which has created a literary work which is a source of electronic information. However, since it is not possible to confirm whether or not the author is a genuine author on this system, here, at least all individuals or organizations who claim to be the author and request authentication of electronic information are written. Can be included on the author side. Also, an individual or an organization acting on behalf of the author may be included in the author side. In the following, the author side is simply referred to as the author. Also,
Third party means any individual or entity other than the author. Hereinafter, the third party is simply referred to as a third party. Here, the client device 20 on the creator side is used.
0 and the client device 300 on the third party side are shown separately, but this is for convenience of explanation, and in actuality, the author may use this system as a third party, Third parties may use this system as authors.

The present system configured as described above has the following basic features. First, the author activates predetermined software of the client device 200, and in this software, specifies electronic information to be authenticated and arbitrary information (hereinafter, watermark information) to be imprinted on the electronic information as an electronic watermark. . Then, the server device 1
00 issues electronic information identification information (hereinafter, electronic information ID) for uniquely identifying electronic information, writer identification information (hereinafter, creator ID) for uniquely identifying an author, and the like, The electronic information ID and the writer ID are stored in the server device 100 in association with each other, and the electronic information ID and the writer ID are notified to the client device 200 of the writer.

Then, the author writes the client device 20
Using software 0, an electronic watermark including the watermark information and the electronic information ID is imprinted on the electronic information. After finishing the imprinting in this way, the author freely distributes the electronic information via the Internet 400 or the like. Thereafter, when there is a request for authentication of the electronic information, the server device 100 authenticates the electronic information based on the electronic information ID or the like imprinted on the electronic information or the electronic information ID stored in the server device 100. .

(System Configuration—Server Device 100) Next, the configuration of each part of the system will be described. First, the configuration of the server device 100 will be described. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a main configuration of the server device 100.
In FIG. 2, the server device 100 schematically includes an author information DB (DB = database) 110, an electronic information management DB 120, an authentication management DB 130, and a Web DB 14.
0, communication control IF (IF = interface) 150,
And a control unit 160, and these units are communicably connected via an arbitrary communication path. Furthermore, the server device 100 is communicably connected to the Internet 400 via a communication device (not shown) such as a router and a dedicated line.

Among the components of the server apparatus 100, the author information DB 110 is an author information storage unit for storing basic information related to the author, and is related to a contact address for the author. It is a contact information storage means for storing information. The information stored in the author information DB 110 includes, as illustrated in FIG. 3, an author ID of each author, a password for authenticating each author,
The name of each author, the creation date and time of the work by each author, and the e-mail address of each author (= information related to contact information for the author) are associated with each other.

The electronic information management DB 120 is identification information storage means for storing the author ID and the electronic information ID in association with each other. The information stored in the electronic information management DB 120 includes, as illustrated in FIG. 4, an electronic information ID for uniquely identifying the electronic information, a writer ID of a creator of each electronic information, and a digital watermark for the electronic information. The date and time of reception of the imprint are associated with each other.

The authentication management DB 130 is third party request authentication information storage means for temporarily managing information required for third party request authentication described later. This authentication management DB1
As illustrated in FIG. 5, the information stored in 30 is configured such that an e-mail address transmitted from each third party and electronic information transmitted from each third party are associated with each other. .

Also, the WebDB 140 stores various Web services for transmitting to the client devices 200 and 300.
Web data storage means for storing b data. Examples of the Web data include data for displaying an initial screen and the like, which will be described later.
It is formed as a text file described in ML or XML. In FIG. 2, the communication control IF 15
0 controls communication between the server device 100 and the Internet 400 (or a communication device such as a router).

In FIG. 2, a control section 160 is a control means for controlling each section of the server device 100.
The control unit 160 is functionally conceptually similar to the request analysis unit 16.
1. Electronic information ID issuing unit 162, author ID issuing unit 16
3. Authentication processing unit 164, Web data generation unit 165, e-mail generation unit 166, and e-mail transmission unit 16
7 is provided.

The request analysis unit 161 is a request analysis unit that analyzes various requests from the client device 200 and transfers processing to each unit according to the analysis result. In addition, the electronic information ID issuing unit 162
Is an electronic information identification information issuing unit that issues The writer ID issuing unit 163 is writer identification information issuing means for issuing a writer ID. In addition, the authentication processing unit 164
The authentication processing unit authenticates the electronic information and issues predetermined authentication information indicating that the validity of the electronic information is recognized when the validity of the electronic information is recognized.

The Web data generation unit 165 is a Web data generation unit that generates Web data as needed. This Web data generation unit 165, for example,
It is configured as GI (Common Gateway Interface). Further, the e-mail generation unit 166 is an e-mail generation unit that generates an e-mail. Also, the e-mail transmission unit 1
Reference numeral 67 denotes an e-mail transmission unit that transmits the e-mail generated by the e-mail generation unit 166 via the Internet 400. The details of the processing performed by these units will be described later.

(System Configuration—Client Device 20)
(0, 300) Next, the configuration of the client devices 200, 300 will be described. Note that the client device 200 on the author side and the client device 300 on the third party are
Since the configurations can be substantially similar to each other, only the client device 200 on the author side will be described here. FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a main configuration of the client device 200. As shown in FIG. 6, the client device 200 includes a control unit 210, a ROM 22
0, an HD 230, a RAM 240, an input device 250, an output device 260, an input / output control IF 270, and a communication control IF 280, and these components are connected via a bus so as to enable data communication.

The control unit 210 includes a Web browser 211, an electronic mailer 212, and a watermark processing unit 213 in terms of functional concept. The Web browser 211 basically performs display control (browser processing) for analyzing Web data and displaying the data on a monitor 261 described later.

Further, the watermark processing unit 213 outputs the electronic information I
Digital watermark processing means for imprinting a digital watermark containing D on electronic information. In particular, the watermark processing unit 213
A still image processing unit 214, a moving image processing unit 215, and
The audio processing unit 216 is configured (hereinafter, the still image processing unit 214, the moving image processing unit 215, and the audio processing unit 216 are referred to as dedicated processing units as necessary). Each of these dedicated processing units is a digital watermark processing unit that performs digital watermark processing suitable for still image information, moving image information, and audio information. These dedicated processing units can be specifically configured as a program. For example, the Internet 4 can be configured in advance or when necessary.
00 and downloaded from the server device 100 and stored in the HD 230.

Further, the electronic mailer 212 uses a predetermined communication protocol (for example, SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)).
l)) Send and receive e-mail data according to e-mail,
The e-mail processing unit analyzes the e-mail data of the e-mail and displays the data on a monitor 261 to be described later.

The ROM 220 is a storage means for storing in a non-volatile manner programs and data necessary for controlling each unit of the client device 200. The RAM 240 is a storage unit for volatilely storing programs and data required to control each unit of the client device 200.

As the input device 250, a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone and the like can be used.
A monitor 261 described later also realizes a pointing device function in cooperation with the mouse. The output device 260 includes a monitor (including a home television) 261 and a printer 262. As the output device 260, a speaker can be used. The input device 250 and the output device 260 input / output data via the input / output control IF 270.

The communication control IF 280 controls communication between the client device 200 and the Internet 400 (or a communication device such as a router). The client device 200 thus configured includes a modem, T
A, which is connected to a communication device such as a router via a telephone line or a dedicated line to the Internet 400, and accesses the server device 100 according to a predetermined communication protocol (for example, TCP / IP Internet Protocol). be able to.

(Contents of Processing) Next, the details of the processing performed using the present system configured as described above will be described. This process is roughly classified into (1) a process of imprinting a digital watermark on electronic information, and (2) a process of requiring authentication of the electronic information. Hereinafter, each process will be sequentially described.

(Contents of Processing—Process of Printing Digital Watermark on Electronic Information) First, a process of printing a digital watermark on electronic information will be described. The flowchart of this process is shown in FIGS. First, if the author is the client device 200
When a predetermined operation is performed via the input device 250, the watermark processing unit 213 is activated (step SA-1). The activated watermark processing unit 213 requests the server device 100 to transmit Web data of a predetermined initial screen.
That is, the watermark processing unit 213 calls the URL of the initial screen stored in the HD 230 or the like, establishes a connection to the server device 100 specified by the URL, and requests transmission of Web data of the initial screen corresponding to the URL. Is performed (step SA-2). On the other hand, the request analysis unit 161 of the server device 100 monitors various requests from the client devices 200 and 300, and analyzes the contents of the requests when they are received. Here, the request analysis unit 161 transmits the initial screen Web
b data is acquired, and the Web data is transmitted to the client device 200 (step SA-3).

As a result, an initial screen is displayed on the monitor 261 of the client device 200 (step SA-).
4). FIG. 11 shows a display example of this initial screen. This initial screen is a screen for specifying the type of electronic information to be watermarked, for example, a radio button MA-1 for specifying the type of electronic information and a decision button for confirming this type. MA-2.
Then, when the author specifies the type of electronic information using the radio button MA-1 and selects the enter button MA-2, the still image processing unit 214 and the moving image Processing unit 215 or audio processing unit 2
One of the 16 dedicated processing units is activated. The type of the electronic information may be automatically determined based on the file format of the electronic information.

The dedicated processing unit thus activated requests the server device 100 to transmit Web data of a predetermined input screen (step SA-5). Upon receiving the transmission request, the request analysis unit 161 of the server 100
The Web data of the input screen is acquired from the web DB 140, and the Web data is transmitted to the client device 200 (step SA-6). As a result, an input screen is displayed on the monitor 261 of the client device 200 (step SA-7). FIG. 1 shows a display example of this input screen.
It is shown in FIG. This input screen is a screen for specifying information necessary to put a digital watermark on electronic information,
For example, an input field MB-1 for inputting the author's name, an input field MB-2 for inputting the creation date and time of the work, an input field MB-3 for inputting the e-mail address of the author, and a print as an electronic watermark. An input field MB-4 for inputting arbitrary information to be embedded (hereinafter, arbitrary watermark information) and information for specifying electronic information to be imprinted with an electronic watermark (for example, a file name of electronic information in the client device 200). Input field MB-5 for inputting the information and the server device 1
00, and a transmission button MB-6 for transmitting to 00. As the arbitrary watermark information, various kinds of image information such as character information, a writer's fingerprint, and various kinds of audio information such as a writer's real voice can be input.

Then, the author sets the input fields MB-1 to MB-1
-5, information is input to each of the input fields MB-1 to MB-5 (excluding information for specifying electronic information), and the transmission button MB-6 is selected. It is transmitted (step SA-8). The request analysis unit 161 of the server device 100 receiving these information sets
The information is transferred to the author ID issuing unit 163 to issue an author ID and the like, and the electronic information ID issuing unit 162 is issued an electronic information ID and the like.

The creator ID issuing unit 163 receiving this instruction
Issues an author ID and a password (step SA-9). This issuance method can be arbitrarily determined, but here, the author ID is issued based on information presented by the author. For example, author name, creation date,
An e-mail address and any input characters can be combined in a predetermined order to create a writer ID. The creator ID issuing unit 163 issues a password by a predetermined method (for example, random generation). However, this password may be determined by the author.
The author ID and password issued by the author ID issuing unit 163 are stored in the author information DB 110 together with the author name, creation date and time, and e-mail address transmitted from the author (step). SA
-10).

Further, the electronic information ID issuing section 162 issues an electronic information ID by a predetermined method (for example, a serial number) (step SA-11). The electronic information ID issuing unit 1
62 acquires the date and time (reception date and time) at that time by a predetermined method. The electronic information ID issued by the electronic information ID issuing unit 162 and the reception date and time are stored in the electronic information management DB 120 together with the author ID issued by the author ID issuing unit 163 (step SA-12). .

After that, the author ID and the password issued by the author ID issuing section 163 are transferred to the Web data generating section 165. The Web data generation unit 165 generates Web data of a notification screen for notifying the author of the author ID and the password, and
The eb data is transmitted to the client device 200 (step SA-13). At this time, the electronic information ID issued by the electronic information ID issuing unit 162 and the reception date and time are transmitted to the client device 200.

Then, the dedicated processing unit of the client device 200 analyzes the Web data transmitted from the server device 100, and displays a notification screen on the monitor 261 (step SA-14). FIG. 13 shows a display example of the notification screen. On the notification screen, the author IDMC-1 and the password MC-2 issued by the server device 100 are displayed. By looking at this display, the author can know the author ID and password for the electronic information of his or her work.

Further, the dedicated processing unit of the client device 200 stores the electronic information ID and the reception date and time transmitted from the server device 100, the creator name, creation date and time, the e-mail address, The arbitrary watermark information is imprinted as a digital watermark on the digital information previously specified by the author (step SA-1).
5). As a specific algorithm for imprinting the digital watermark, any algorithm based on a known digital watermark theory can be adopted. For example, the still image processing unit 214 can imprint an electronic watermark on a still image information by a frequency domain use type, a statistic use type, a quantization error use type, or the like. The information can be imprinted with a digital watermark using a redundancy-based type in the time axis direction, a redundancy-based type in the spatial axis direction, or the audio processing unit 216 can add a scramble signal, a phase An electronic watermark using a component, a dither signal, or the like can be imprinted.

The electronic information on which the digital watermark is imprinted is overwritten on the original electronic information, or stored in the HD 230 or the like with an arbitrary information name designated by the author (step SA-16). This completes the process of imprinting a digital watermark on the electronic information. From now on,
The author uses the electronic information on which the digital watermark is imprinted in an arbitrary manner, such as posting the electronic information on his / her homepage or attaching the electronic information to an electronic mail.

(Contents of Process—Process for Obtaining Authentication for Electronic Information) Next, a process for obtaining authentication for electronic information will be described. First, the author or a third party activates the Web browser 211, inputs a URL of a predetermined authentication screen in a predetermined input field of the Web browser 211, and requests transmission of Web data of this screen. The request analysis unit 161 of the server device 100 that has received the transmission request sends the request
Obtain the Web data of the authentication screen from DB 140,
This Web data is transmitted to the client device 200.

As a result, an authentication screen is displayed on the monitor 261 of the client device 200. FIG. 14 shows a display example of this authentication screen. The authentication screen is a screen for specifying an authentication mode when requesting authentication of electronic information. This form of authentication includes authentication when the author requests authentication of the electronic information of his or her own work (hereinafter referred to as “authentication required”), and authentication of the electronic information obtained by a third party by an arbitrary method. Authentication (hereinafter referred to as "third party request authentication"). For this reason, the authentication screen shows
A radio button MD-1 for selecting one of the user request authentication and the third party request authentication, and a transmission button MD-2 for transmitting the selected content to the server device 100 are provided.

(Contents of Processing—Process for Requesting Authentication for Electronic Information—Principal Request Authentication) First, a case of performing personal request authentication will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart of this process.
Shown in First, the author selects the user request authentication using the radio button MD-1 on the authentication screen in FIG. 14, and selects the send button MD-2. Then, information indicating that the personal request authentication has been requested is transmitted to server device 100 (step SB-1). The request analysis unit 161 of the server device 100 that has received the request passes the request to the authentication processing unit 164. The authentication processing unit 164 acquires Web data of the input screen at the time of personal request authentication from the Web DB 140 and transmits the Web data to the client device 200 (Step SB)
-2).

As a result, an input screen at the time of personal authentication is displayed on the monitor 261 (step SB-3). FIG. 15 shows a display example of the input screen. This input screen is a screen for specifying information necessary for the personal request authentication. For example, the input screen ME- for inputting the author ID is used.
1, an input field ME-2 for inputting a password, an input field ME-3 for inputting arbitrary watermark information, and information for specifying electronic information to be authenticated (for example, a file of electronic information in the client device 200). Field ME-4 for inputting a name, etc.), and the input contents
00, and a transmission button ME-5 for transmitting to 00. Then, when the author inputs necessary information in the input fields ME-1 to ME-4 and selects the send button ME-5, the input information is transmitted to the server device 100 (step SB-4).

Upon receiving this information, the authentication processing unit 164 of the server apparatus 100 transmits the transmitted creator ID and password to the creator ID stored in the creator information DB 110.
It is determined whether the combination matches any combination of D and the password (step SB-5). If they do not match, the Web data of the predetermined error screen is
The information is obtained from the bDB 140 and transmitted to the client device 200 (step SB-6). If the IDs match, the electronic information management DB 120 is referred to based on the author ID to obtain the electronic information corresponding to the author ID. The ID is called (step SB-7).

The authentication processing section 164 analyzes the electronic information transmitted from the client device 200 by a predetermined algorithm, and extracts the electronic information ID of the electronic watermark imprinted on the electronic information and arbitrary watermark information. (Step SB-8). Then, Step SB-7
The electronic information ID called in step S1 and the arbitrary watermark information transmitted from the client device 200,
It is determined whether the electronic information ID and the arbitrary watermark information extracted in B-8 match each other (step SB).
-9) If both match, it is determined that the electronic information is valid, and if they do not match, it is determined that the electronic information is not valid.

Then, when there is no validity, the authentication processing unit 164 converts the Web data of the predetermined error screen into the Web data.
The electronic information is acquired from the DB 140 and transmitted to the client device 200 (step SB-6). If the electronic information is valid, authentication information is issued to the effect that the electronic information is valid, and the authentication information is transmitted to the client device 200. (Step S
B-10). As a result, the authentication information or the error screen is displayed on the monitor 261 of the client device 200 (Step SB-11). The personal request authentication process is now completed. Therefore, when the author can obtain the authentication information, the author can use this authentication information to prove the validity of his / her electronic information to a third party or the like. The specific use form of this authentication information is arbitrary, for example,
Issuing in a Web page format, the client device 200
Printer 262 for printing.
The personal request authentication process is now completed.

(Contents of Process—Process for Requesting Authentication for Electronic Information—Third Party Request Authentication) Next, the case of performing third party request authentication will be described. FIG. 10 shows a flowchart of this processing. The third party selects the third party request authentication using the radio button MD-1 on the authentication screen in FIG. 14, and selects the send button MD-2. Then, information indicating that the third party request authentication has been requested is transmitted to server device 100 (step SC-1). Server device 1 receiving this request
00, the request analysis unit 161
Hand over to 4. The authentication processing unit 164 acquires Web data of the input screen at the time of third-party request authentication from the Web DB 140 and transmits the Web data to the client device 300 (Step SC-2).

As a result, an input screen at the time of third party request authentication is displayed on monitor 261 (step SC-3). FIG. 16 shows a display example of the input screen. This input screen is a screen for specifying information required for third-party request authentication. For example, an input field MF-1 for inputting the name of the third party and an e-mail of the third party An input field MF-2 for inputting an address and an input field MF- for inputting information (for example, a file name of electronic information in the client device 300) for specifying electronic information to be authenticated.
3 and a transmission button MF-4 for transmitting these input contents to the server device 100. And
When a third party inputs necessary information in the input fields MF-1 to MF-3 and selects the transmission button MF-4, the input information is transmitted to the server device 100 (step SC-
4).

The authentication processing section 164 of the server device 100 receiving the information analyzes the transmitted electronic information by a predetermined algorithm and extracts the electronic information ID of the electronic watermark imprinted on the electronic information ( Step SC
-5). An electronic information management DB based on the electronic information ID
By referring to 120, the creator ID corresponding to the electronic information ID is called. Further, by referring to the author information DB 110 based on the author ID, the e-mail address of the author corresponding to the author ID is called (step SC-6).

Then, the authentication processing unit 164 transfers the author's e-mail address, the transmitted electronic information, the third party's name, and the third party's e-mail address to the e-mail generation unit 166. Upon receiving this information, the e-mail generation unit 166 sends the e-mail including the transmitted electronic information, the name of the third party, and the e-mail address of the third party to the e-mail address of the author. The e-mail is generated, and the e-mail is transferred to the e-mail transmission unit 167. This e-mail transmission unit 167
Sends this e-mail via the Internet 400 (step SC-7). This completes the third-party request authentication process.

This e-mail is spooled in the mail server device 100 specified by the e-mail address, and at an arbitrary timing, the author's client device 2
00 is downloaded via the electronic mailer 212, and the contents are displayed on the monitor 261. By looking at this display, the author can know that there has been a request for authentication of the electronic information of his or her work and the e-mail address of the third party who made the request.

Then, when responding to the authentication request, the author contacts the third party using the third party's e-mail address. Then, if necessary, the author can perform personal request authentication in the same manner as the above-described processing, acquire authentication information, and present the authentication information to a third party or the like.

On the other hand, when the author does not respond to the authentication request, he takes a predetermined action. To cope with this, various forms can be considered. For example, a predetermined Web page is displayed via the Web browser 211, and on this Web page, an e-mail address of a third party and a message indicating that the user does not respond to the authentication request are input. Then, the e-mail generation unit 166 of the server device 100 generates an e-mail that includes the fact that the author does not respond to the authentication request and that is addressed to the e-mail address of the third party. The e-mail is transferred to the e-mail transmission unit 167. The e-mail transmission unit 167 transmits the e-mail to the Internet 400
To send over. By displaying this e-mail on the monitor 261 of the client device 300 of the third party, the third party can know that the author does not respond to the authentication request.

Alternatively, if the author does not respond to the authentication request, he does not take any action and leaves the author as it is. On the other hand, the server device 100 monitors the elapsed time after receiving the request for the third party request authentication, and if the elapsed time exceeds a predetermined time, determines that the author does not respond to the authentication request. Then, in the same manner as described above, an e-mail including a message that the user does not respond to the authentication request is generated and transmitted to a third party. Or,
If the author does not respond to the authentication request, the author may create an e-mail including the fact and send it to the e-mail address of the third party.

(Other Embodiments) The embodiments of the present invention have been described so far. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but may be modified according to the technical idea described in the claims. The invention may be embodied in various different embodiments within the scope thereof.

For example, in the above embodiment, the writer ID is issued based on the information presented by the author, but the writer ID is issued irrespective of the information presented by the author. You can also. However, when the author ID is issued based on the information presented by the author as described above, these two pieces of information can be associated with each other, and the author name can be inferred from the author identification information, It becomes easy to classify the author identification information for each author name. In the above embodiment, the electronic information includes the electronic information ID, the reception date and time, the author name, the creation date and time, the electronic mail address, and the arbitrary watermark information as the electronic watermark. By imprinting only the ID as a digital watermark, authentication of the electronic information can be performed based on the electronic information ID.

Information issued by the server device 100 and transmitted to the client device 200 (author I
D, a password, or an electronic information ID) may be transmitted to the client device 200 after being encrypted by an encryption processing unit provided in the server device 100. In this case, the transmitted information can be decrypted in the client device 200 or can be imprinted as it is on the electronic information without decryption. In this case, the confidentiality of the communication can be further improved, and the authentication strength can be improved.

Further, in the above embodiment, the electronic information is authenticated based on whether or not the electronic information ID and the arbitrary watermark information match.
Receive the date and time of receipt, author name, creation date and time, or e-mail address, and consider whether each of these information matches the information extracted from the digital watermark imprinted on the electronic information, Authentication of electronic information may be performed.

Further, the electronic information to be authenticated in the present invention corresponds to the electronic information of an arbitrary literary work. For example, authentication can be performed on e-mail data and image data. Further, in the case of performing the authentication of the electronic mail in this manner, first, the electronic watermark may be imprinted on the mail data or the like of the electronic mail using the present system, and then the electronic watermark may be transmitted to the mail server.

Further, since the present system performs author authentication as described above, it functions as a system for authenticating the copyright. In addition to the copyright, the system also functions as a copy right or a public transmission right. May be authenticated. That is, in this case, the rights holder information of the right holder who has been given the duplication right and the like, and information for uniquely identifying the duplication right and the like are imprinted on the electronic information as an electronic watermark, and these are also printed on the server 100 Stored in
If necessary, authentication may be performed in the same procedure as the above-described electronic information ID or creator ID.

It is desirable that the creator himself or herself receive these services, but it can also be provided by a legitimate agent or the like as described above. Further, it is preferable that only the creator of the electronic information prints another electronic watermark on the electronic information on which the digital watermark has been once printed. For this reason, when imprinting a digital watermark on electronic information, it is detected whether or not any digital watermark is imprinted on the electronic information, and if it is imprinted, only when author authentication is performed. Allow new imprinting.

The service can be provided in either a paid or free form, and a configuration corresponding to each form can be added. For example, in the case of a fee, the server device 100 may be provided with a billing unit. The billing means is used by the author at any time when the author performs a process of imprinting a digital watermark or when a third party performs a process of requesting authentication of electronic information. A known process may be performed to calculate the fee to be charged and to settle this fee settlement via an arbitrary payment means such as a credit card.

Further, of the processes described in the embodiment, all or a part of the processes described as being performed automatically can be manually performed, or the processes described as being performed manually can be performed. All or part of the processing can be automatically performed by a known method. In addition, the processing procedures, control procedures,
Information including parameters such as specific names, various types of registration data, and search conditions can be arbitrarily changed unless otherwise specified.

The components of the server device 100 shown in the drawings are functionally conceptual, and need not necessarily be physically configured as shown in the drawings. For example, the processing functions provided in the server device 100, in particular, each processing function performed by the control unit 160, all or any part thereof,
Realized by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a program analyzed and executed by the CPU, or
It is realized as hardware by wired logic. Further, the form of distribution / integration of the server apparatus 100 is not limited to the illustrated one, and all or a part of the server apparatus 100 may be functionally or physically distributed / integrated in an arbitrary unit corresponding to various loads or the like. Can be configured. For example, We
The bDB 140 may be independently configured as the Web server device 100.

The client devices 200 and 300
In addition to general personal computers, mobile communication terminals such as mobile phones and PHSs (Personal Handy Phone Systems), workstations, home game machines, Internet TVs, PDAs (Personal Digita
l Assistant). The control unit 210 of each of the client devices 200 and 300 can be entirely or arbitrarily implemented by a CPU and a program analyzed and executed by the CPU. That is, the OS (Operat) is stored in the ROM 220 or the HD 230.
In addition, a computer program for giving instructions to the CPU and performing various processes in cooperation with the computer system is recorded. This computer program is executed by being loaded into the RAM 240, and configures the control unit 210 in cooperation with the CPU. However, this computer program may be recorded in an application program server connected to the client devices 200 and 300 via an arbitrary network, and it is also possible to download all or part of the computer program as needed. is there. Alternatively, all or any part of each control unit 210 can be realized as hardware such as wired logic.

(Network) The server device 100
The network connecting the client 200 and the client devices 200 and 300 is not limited to the Internet 400 described above, and any network can be used. For example, the present system can be constructed using a LAN, WAN, or personal computer communication network within a limited area. In addition, terrestrial broadcasting, CATV, CS, B
S or ISDB (Integrated Services Digita
l Broadcasting) to transmit and receive various data. That is, the network can include not only a wired network but also these wireless / communication networks.

A "program" is a data processing method described in an arbitrary language or description method, and may be in any form such as a source code or a binary code. In addition,
The “program” is not necessarily limited to a single program, but may be distributed as a plurality of modules or libraries, or may operate in cooperation with a separate program represented by an OS (Operating System). Includes what you achieve. Note that a specific configuration for reading a recording medium in each device described in the embodiment, a reading procedure, or an installation procedure after reading, etc.
Known configurations and procedures can be used.

This program can be stored in any recording medium. Here, the “recording medium” is a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a magneto-optical disk, an RO
M, EPROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM, MO,
Any “portable physical medium” such as DVD, any “fixed physical medium” such as ROM, RAM, HD, etc. built in various computer systems, or LAN, WA
N: It includes a "communication medium" for holding the program for a short period of time, such as a communication line or a carrier when transmitting the program via a network represented by the Internet.

[0111]

As described above, according to the present invention, the electronic information identification information is imprinted on the electronic information.
The electronic information identification information can be obtained from the electronic information, and the electronic information can be authenticated based on the electronic information identification information. Further, since the author identification information can be obtained based on the electronic information identification information, the author can be specified based on the author identification information, and the validity of the author can be determined. . From these facts, authentication of electronic information can be performed objectively by an organization other than the author.

Further, according to the present invention, since the author identification information is issued in the electronic information processing apparatus, the author identification information can be easily and reliably issued and stored together with the electronic information identification information. .

Further, according to the present invention, since the author identification information is issued based on the information presented by the author, the two pieces of information can be associated with each other, and the author identification information can be obtained from the author identification information. It is easy to infer the author name, to classify the author identification information for each author name, and the like.

Further, according to the present invention, the information associated with at least one of the information for specifying the author side, the information relating to the contact information, the information for specifying the creation date and time, or arbitrary information is provided. , And author identification information can be issued.

According to the present invention, when authentication of electronic information is requested, electronic information identification information is obtained from the electronic information, and writer identification information is obtained based on the electronic information identification information. Since the authentication of the electronic information is performed based on the author identification information, the authentication of the electronic information can be objectively performed by an organization other than the author.

Further, according to the present invention, authentication of electronic information can be performed based on information presented by the author, and the authentication accuracy is further improved.

Further, according to the present invention, when the validity of the electronic information is recognized, predetermined authentication information indicating that the validity is recognized is issued. , The validity of the electronic information can be proved to a third party or the like.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to notify the author that the authentication has been requested by a third party, etc., and to request the author for authentication and permission to use electronic information. .

Further, according to the present invention, since the digital watermark can be imprinted on the electronic information authentication terminal device side, the digital watermark can be imprinted without transmitting the electronic information to the electronic information authentication processing device. In addition, the risk of plagiarism caused by transmitting electronic information before imprinting over a network can be avoided.

Further, according to the present invention, since a plurality of digital watermark processing means are provided according to the type of electronic information, it is possible to perform digital watermark processing according to the type of electronic information.

Further, according to the present invention, the information presented by the creator is included in the electronic watermark and imprinted on the electronic information. Since the authentication of the electronic information can be performed based on the obtained information, the authentication of the electronic information can be performed with high accuracy.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an electronic information authentication system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a main configuration of a server device.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of information stored in an author information DB.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of information stored in an electronic information management DB.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of information stored in an authentication management DB.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a main configuration of a client device.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a process for imprinting an electronic watermark on electronic information.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a process for imprinting a digital watermark on electronic information.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a process of requesting authentication of electronic information (at the time of personal request authentication).

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a process of requesting authentication of electronic information (at the time of third-party request authentication).

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a display example of an initial screen.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a display example of an input screen.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a notification screen.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a display example of an authentication screen.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a display example of an input screen at the time of personal request authentication.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a display example of an input screen at the time of third party request authentication.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 100 server device 110 author information database 120 electronic information management database 130 authentication management database 140 Web database 150 communication control interface 160 control unit 161 request analysis unit 162 electronic information ID issuing unit 163 author ID issuing unit 164 authentication processing unit 165 Web data Generation unit 166 E-mail generation unit 167 E-mail transmission unit 200, 300 Client device 210 Control unit 211 Web browser 212 E-mailer 213 Watermark processing unit 214 Still image processing unit 215 Moving image processing unit 216 Audio processing unit 220 ROM 230 HD 240 RAM 250 input device 260 output device 261 monitor 262 printer 270 input / output control interface 280 communication control interface 400 interface Net

Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat II (reference) H04L 9/32 H04N 1/387 H04N 1/387 H04L 9/00 673A

Claims (22)

[Claims] 1. An electronic information authentication processing device for processing information related to electronic information authentication and an authoritative electronic information authentication terminal device for requesting electronic information authentication are communicably connected via a network. An electronic information authentication system comprising: an electronic information identification processing unit configured to issue electronic information identification information for uniquely identifying the electronic information; Identification information for storing the electronic information identification information issued by the information issuing means and the information for uniquely identifying the author side and obtained by a predetermined method in association with each other; Storage means, wherein the electronic information authentication terminal device prints an electronic watermark including the electronic information identification information obtained by a predetermined method on the electronic information. Electronic information authentication system characterized in that, it comprises means. 2. An electronic information authentication processing device for processing information related to authentication of electronic information, comprising: electronic information identification information issuing means for issuing electronic information identification information for uniquely identifying the electronic information; The electronic information identification information issued by the electronic information identification information issuing means and the author identification information, which is information for uniquely identifying the author and obtained by a predetermined method, are associated with each other. An electronic information authentication processing device, comprising: identification information storage means for storing. 3. The electronic information authentication processing device according to claim 2, further comprising: writer identification information issuing means for issuing the writer identification information. 4. The electronic information authentication process according to claim 3, wherein the author identification information issuing means issues the author identification information based on information presented by the author. apparatus. 5. The information presented by the author includes information for identifying the author, information related to the contact information of the author, and creation date and time of the electronic information on which the digital watermark is imprinted. The electronic information authentication processing device according to claim 4, wherein the electronic information authentication processing device includes at least one of information for specifying, or arbitrary information that the author side wants to include in the electronic watermark. 6. When the electronic information is specified and the authentication is requested by a predetermined method, the electronic information identification information is acquired from the electronic information, and the identification information storage means is provided based on the electronic information identification information. The electronic information according to any one of claims 2 to 5, further comprising: authentication processing means for acquiring author identification information and authenticating the electronic information based on the author identification information. Authentication processing device. 7. The authentication processing means obtains information presented by the author from the electronic information, and further performs authentication of the electronic information based on the presented information. The electronic information authentication processing device according to claim 6. 8. The authentication processing means, when the validity of the electronic information is recognized, issues predetermined authentication information indicating that the validity is recognized. 8. The electronic information authentication processing device according to 6 or 7. 9. A contact information storing means for storing information relating to a contact to the author side in association with the electronic information identification information or the author identification information, wherein the authentication processing means comprises: When a third party other than the author requests authentication of the electronic information by a predetermined method, the authentication is performed based on the electronic information identification information obtained from the electronic information or based on the electronic information identification information. Acquiring information related to the contact information from the contact information storage unit based on the author identification information, and making a communication related to authentication of the electronic information to the author based on the information related to the contact information. The electronic information authentication processing device according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein: 10. An electronic information authentication terminal device on the side of an author who requests authentication of electronic information, wherein electronic information identification information obtained by a predetermined method for uniquely identifying the electronic information is used as an electronic watermark. An electronic information authentication terminal device, comprising: electronic watermark processing means for imprinting on the electronic information. 11. The electronic information authentication terminal device according to claim 10, wherein a plurality of said digital watermark processing means are provided in accordance with a type of said electronic information. 12. The electronic information authentication according to claim 10, wherein said digital watermark processing means imprints the electronic information including information presented by the author in the digital watermark. Terminal device. 13. The information presented by the author is as follows:
Information for identifying the author, information relating to the contact information of the author, information for identifying the creation date and time of the electronic information on which the digital watermark is imprinted, or The electronic information authentication terminal device according to claim 12, comprising at least one of arbitrary information. 14. An electronic information authentication method for authenticating electronic information, comprising: an electronic information identification information issuing procedure for issuing electronic information identification information for uniquely identifying the electronic information; Identification information that stores the electronic information identification information issued in the information issuance procedure and the information for uniquely identifying the author side and the author identification information obtained by a predetermined method in association with each other. An electronic information authentication method, comprising: a storage procedure; and an electronic watermark processing procedure for imprinting an electronic watermark including the electronic information identification information on the electronic information. 15. The electronic information authentication method according to claim 14, further comprising: a writer identification information issuing procedure for issuing the writer identification information. 16. The electronic information authentication method according to claim 15, wherein in the writer identification information issuing procedure, the writer identification information is issued based on information presented by the writer. . 17. The information presented by the author is as follows:
Information for identifying the author, information relating to the contact information of the author, information for identifying the creation date and time of the electronic information on which the digital watermark is imprinted, or 17. The electronic information authentication method according to claim 16, wherein the electronic information authentication method includes at least one of arbitrary information. 18. When the electronic information is specified and the authentication is requested by a predetermined method, the electronic information identification information is obtained from the electronic information, and based on the electronic information identification information, the identification information is stored in the identification information storage means. The electronic information according to any one of claims 14 to 17, further comprising: an authentication processing procedure of acquiring author identification information and performing authentication of the electronic information based on the author identification information. Authentication method. 19. In the authentication processing procedure, information presented by the author is obtained from the electronic information, and further, the electronic information is authenticated based on the presented information. The electronic information authentication method according to claim 18, wherein 20. In the authentication processing procedure, when the validity of the electronic information is recognized, predetermined authentication information indicating that the validity is recognized is issued. 20. The electronic information authentication method according to 18 or 19. 21. A contact information storing step of storing information relating to a contact to the author side in association with the electronic information identification information or the author identification information. When a third party other than the author requests authentication of the electronic information by a predetermined method, the authentication is performed based on the electronic information identification information obtained from the electronic information or based on the electronic information identification information. Based on the author identification information, obtain the information related to the contact information stored in the contact information storage procedure, and, based on the information about the contact information, send a notification related to the authentication of the electronic information to the author. The electronic information authentication method according to any one of claims 18 to 20, wherein the method is performed on the side. A program for causing a computer to execute the electronic information authentication method according to any one of claims 14 to 21.