If you create digital content and you’re concerned that it might end up floating around on the Internet, possibly generating revenue for someone else without compensation to you, then watermarking may be in your future.  

A company called Digimarc has a system which monitors image, video and audio files on the Web, looking for watermarks – invisible or inaudible digital stamps which are linked to the original owners.  When those watermarks are found, the content owners are notified.  

The system doesn’t snoop around on individuals’ hard drives.  At least, not yet.  It’s targeted more at things like YouTube, and even then, it’s not designed to put the screws to the person who uploaded the content:  it’s meant to initiate some sort of payment to the creators of whatever content is being broadcast on the site – assuming it’s the kind of material for which payment is expected, that is.

Watermarking isn’t new:  it’s been used in the broadcast industry for several years, ensuring, for example, that any digital music delivered to a radio station can be tracked to its original recipient in case of copyright abuse -- and it’s been used in analog form for hundreds of years.  But as more copyright holders start to see their material showing up on, and generating ad revenue for, sites such as YouTube, watermarking will stand more of a chance of leaving its niche status behind and becoming mainstream.  

Read more at Ars Technica.