The technology industry continues to be a hotbed of patent innovation. Activity is driven by the need for stronger and more comprehensive cybersecurity measures to protect against cyber threats and attacks, and growing concerns over data breaches, and stringent regulatory requirements, as well as growing importance of technologies such as digital right management (DRM) systems, secure content delivery networks (CDNs), and watermarking technologies. Encrypted content distribution may also use secure streaming protocols such as secure real-time transport protocol (SRTP) and secure socket layer/transport layer security (SSL/TLS), to ensure secure transmission of encrypted content over the internet. In the last three years alone, there have been over 1.5 million patents filed and granted in the technology industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Cybersecurity in technology: encrypted content distribution. Buy the report here.
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However, not all innovations are equal and nor do they follow a constant upward trend. Instead, their evolution takes the form of an S-shaped curve that reflects their typical lifecycle from early emergence to accelerating adoption, before finally stabilizing and reaching maturity.
Identifying where a particular innovation is on this journey, especially those that are in the emerging and accelerating stages, is essential for understanding their current level of adoption and the likely future trajectory and impact they will have.
185+ innovations will shape the technology industry
According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which plots the S-curve for the technology industry using innovation intensity models built on over 1.6 million patents, there are 185+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.
Within the emerging innovation stage, homomorphic encryption and signcryption, are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. Zero knowledge proof, multi-factor authentication and secure hash algorithms (SHA) are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas are DRM tools and AES encryption, which are now well established in the industry.
Innovation S-curve for cybersecurity in the technology industry
Encrypted content distribution is a key innovation area in cybersecurity
Encrypted content distribution refers to the process of disseminating digital content in an encrypted manner, thereby restricting access exclusively to authorized individuals. This approach is commonly employed to safeguard valuable information like intellectual property, financial records, or medical data. Additionally, it serves as a protective measure against unauthorized duplication or dissemination of digital content.
GlobalData’s analysis also uncovers the companies at the forefront of each innovation area and assesses the potential reach and impact of their patenting activity across different applications and geographies. According to GlobalData, there are 170 companies, spanning technology vendors, established technology companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of encrypted content distribution.
Key players in encrypted content distribution – a disruptive innovation in the technology industry
‘Application diversity’ measures the number of applications identified for each patent. It broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.
‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of countries each patent is registered in. It reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.
Patent volumes related to encrypted content distribution
| Company | Total patents (2010 - 2022) | Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies |
| Qualcomm | 48 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Microsoft | 79 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Netflix | 23 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Apple | 34 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Comcast | 35 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Dell Technologies | 19 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Koninklijke Philips | 23 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Nokia | 32 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Panasonic | 87 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Lattice Semiconductor | 14 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson | 60 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Sony Group | 211 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Digimarc | 14 | Unlock Company Profile |
| IBM | 14 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Catch Media | 15 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Broadcom | 20 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Intel | 99 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Orange | 25 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Digital Media Technology | 17 | Unlock Company Profile |
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
Sony Group is the leading patent filer in encrypted content distribution. The company’s patents are aimed at inventing systems and apparatus for data transfer, data recording apparatus, and data management and identifier generation methods. The data transfer system can execute proper management of content transfers with a high degree of efficiency.
The data transfer apparatus employs a primary recording medium, with rights to transfer contents stored in the primary recording medium. It transfers and manages rights of contents already transferred to a secondary recording medium employed in a data-recording apparatus by using a generated table for associating first content identifiers each generated by the data transfer apparatus for a content stored in the primary recording medium with a second content identifier received from the data-recording apparatus and generated by the data-recording apparatus for the content, which has already been transferred to the data-recording apparatus.
Thus, even if the secondary recording medium cannot be used for recording a second content identifier (content ID), the content ID generated for a content can be used for identifying the content by associating the second content identifier with a first content identifier stored in the primary recording medium.
Other prominent patent filers in the space include Panasonic and Adeia.
By geographic reach, EcoStar leads the pack, followed by Huawei and Sumitomo Electric Industries. In terms of application diversity, Adeia holds the top position, followed by Sony Group and Panasonic.
Encrypted content distribution helps in safeguarding sensitive information and intellectual property from unauthorized access and distribution. By employing encryption techniques, it ensures the integrity, confidentiality, and controlled access of digital content, providing peace of mind to content creators, distributors, and consumers.
To further understand how cybersecurity is disrupting the technology industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Cybersecurity.
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GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.
GlobalData’s Patent Analytics tracks patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
