6 ms·

Too bad they don't own the rights to their own fingerprinting software... At this point, it seems Shazam isn't much more than a brand. Which, I'm sad to admit

by haseman 17y ago

Too bad they don't own the rights to their own fingerprinting software... At this point, it seems Shazam isn't much more than a brand. Which, I'm sad to admit, they've done a very good job building. (fair disclosure: I work for a company that sells a competitive product)

redorb 17y ago
Lest we forget what Mint.com did with Yodlee.
liuliu 17y ago
It seems that the paper do come from its chief scientist. Who own the rights/patent? Columbia University?
- eagleal 17y ago
  The majority of patents applications (and issued ones) I found are assigned to Shazam Entertainment Ltd, there is not a mention about Columbia. Issued Patents (Wang, Avery Li-Chun): 1. http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=0&f=S&l=50&TERM1=Avery+Li-Chun&FIELD1=INNM&co1=AND&TERM2=&FIELD2=&d=PTXT http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sec... Here a search from the inventor at the AppFT (Patent Applications): A. http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-adv.html&r=0&f=S&l=50&d=PG01&Query=IN%2F%22Avery+Li-Chun%22 http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sec... 4 most relevant applications: 1. Method and System For Content Sampling and Identification 1.1 http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-adv.html&r=2&f=G&l=50&d=PG01&S1=%28%22Avery+Li-Chun%22.IN.%29&OS=IN/%22Avery+Li-Chun%22&RS=IN/%22Avery+Li-Chun%22 http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sec... 1.1.1 TIFF image (rename file *.tif): http://aiw1.uspto.gov/.DImg?Docid=us20080154401ki&PageNum=1&IDKey=AECA900A8928&ImgFormat=tif http://aiw1.uspto.gov/.DImg?Docid=us20080154401ki&PageNu... 2. Method and apparatus for automatically creating database for use in automated media recognition system 2.1 http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=2&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=shazam.AS.&OS=AN/shazam&RS=AN/shazam http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sec... 3. Method for High-Throughput Identification of Distributed Broadcast Content 3.1 http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=shazam.AS.&OS=AN/shazam&RS=AN/shazam http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sec... 4. Robust and invariant audio pattern matching 4.1 http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-adv.html&r=6&f=G&l=50&d=PG01&S1=%28%22Avery+Li-Chun%22.IN.%29&OS=IN/%22Avery+Li-Chun%22&RS=IN/%22Avery+Li-Chun%22 http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sec...
  - joezydeco 17y ago
    So let's go down the rabbit hole farther.... Wang/Li-Chun (US6990453) is assigned to Landmark Digital Services, Inc. Let's see who they are: "Landmark Digital Services LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), a company long known for visionary technical innovation driven by a genuine passion for music. In 2005, BMI acquired the complete patent portfolio from Britain’s Shazam Entertainment Ltd." I've always heard mentions that the Shazam technology was originally targeted to root out pirated music on P2P nets. Sounds about right to me now.
    - allenbrunson 17y ago
      i worked at landmark digital up until about a year ago, so i can say with some confidence that you've got it backwards. the music recognition algorithm was developed by mr wang, specifically for shazam, to do just what it has been doing all along. the reason landmark got into the picture is because they are a subsidiary of bmi, the music rights organization. they monitor radio stations. since the dawn of time, they have been paying actual human beings to record logs of every song played on most of the big radio stations in the united states, 24/7. they use that information to ensure that the song's rightsholders get paid for the plays. obviously this is a situation ripe for automation. they hired a guy to do a multi-year search for the best technology for the job, and settled on shazam's algorithm. i am not privy to the details, but i believe shazam sold the code to landmark because they were strapped for cash. there are complicated legal agreements in place of course, so that shazam can still use the code for cellphone music recognition.

by haseman 17y ago

redorb 17y ago

Lest we forget what Mint.com did with Yodlee.

liuliu 17y ago

It seems that the paper do come from its chief scientist. Who own the rights/patent? Columbia University?

eagleal 17y ago
The majority of patents applications (and issued ones) I found are assigned to Shazam Entertainment Ltd, there is not a mention about Columbia. Issued Patents (Wang, Avery Li-Chun): 1. http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=0&f=S&l=50&TERM1=Avery+Li-Chun&FIELD1=INNM&co1=AND&TERM2=&FIELD2=&d=PTXT http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sec... Here a search from the inventor at the AppFT (Patent Applications): A. http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-adv.html&r=0&f=S&l=50&d=PG01&Query=IN%2F%22Avery+Li-Chun%22 http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sec... 4 most relevant applications: 1. Method and System For Content Sampling and Identification 1.1 http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-adv.html&r=2&f=G&l=50&d=PG01&S1=%28%22Avery+Li-Chun%22.IN.%29&OS=IN/%22Avery+Li-Chun%22&RS=IN/%22Avery+Li-Chun%22 http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sec... 1.1.1 TIFF image (rename file *.tif): http://aiw1.uspto.gov/.DImg?Docid=us20080154401ki&PageNum=1&IDKey=AECA900A8928&ImgFormat=tif http://aiw1.uspto.gov/.DImg?Docid=us20080154401ki&PageNu... 2. Method and apparatus for automatically creating database for use in automated media recognition system 2.1 http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=2&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=shazam.AS.&OS=AN/shazam&RS=AN/shazam http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sec... 3. Method for High-Throughput Identification of Distributed Broadcast Content 3.1 http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=shazam.AS.&OS=AN/shazam&RS=AN/shazam http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sec... 4. Robust and invariant audio pattern matching 4.1 http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-adv.html&r=6&f=G&l=50&d=PG01&S1=%28%22Avery+Li-Chun%22.IN.%29&OS=IN/%22Avery+Li-Chun%22&RS=IN/%22Avery+Li-Chun%22 http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sec...
- joezydeco 17y ago
  So let's go down the rabbit hole farther.... Wang/Li-Chun (US6990453) is assigned to Landmark Digital Services, Inc. Let's see who they are: "Landmark Digital Services LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), a company long known for visionary technical innovation driven by a genuine passion for music. In 2005, BMI acquired the complete patent portfolio from Britain’s Shazam Entertainment Ltd." I've always heard mentions that the Shazam technology was originally targeted to root out pirated music on P2P nets. Sounds about right to me now.
  - allenbrunson 17y ago
    i worked at landmark digital up until about a year ago, so i can say with some confidence that you've got it backwards. the music recognition algorithm was developed by mr wang, specifically for shazam, to do just what it has been doing all along. the reason landmark got into the picture is because they are a subsidiary of bmi, the music rights organization. they monitor radio stations. since the dawn of time, they have been paying actual human beings to record logs of every song played on most of the big radio stations in the united states, 24/7. they use that information to ensure that the song's rightsholders get paid for the plays. obviously this is a situation ripe for automation. they hired a guy to do a multi-year search for the best technology for the job, and settled on shazam's algorithm. i am not privy to the details, but i believe shazam sold the code to landmark because they were strapped for cash. there are complicated legal agreements in place of course, so that shazam can still use the code for cellphone music recognition.