University of Houston

Theft has always been a problem throughout the ages. Piracy is on the rise and encryption is not enough to counteract the theft of virtual property. Digital watermarking presents another concept that may help in the prevention and damage control of piracy. Before examining digital watermarking, first the history of watermarking and steganography are examined. After briefly going over watermarking in general, we examine the applications of digital watermarking. We then look at models of digital watermarking as a method of communication or with respect to its orientation in space. Understanding the two broad models of digital watermarking will allow proper understanding of basic message coding. Finally, we delve into the realm of watermark security to show how they can be defeated. Digital watermarking is not as developed as cryptography and possesses critical flaws. However, there is still potential for digital watermarking and it will see more development in the future.