

How to Beat Real-time Copyright Infringers

Version 2.0

-

A Savvy Approach for Creative Professionals

Written by

Emmanuel C. Flint

By Emmanuel C. Flint

Copyright (C) 2015 Emmanuel C. Flint

Smashwords Edition

Edition 1: Copyright © 2013 Emmanuel C. Flint

Library of Congress Catalog No. TX0007762743

ISBN# 978-0-9847278-2-7

Edition 2 (V. 2.0): Copyright © 2015 Emmanuel C. Flint

Cover design and interior graphics by Emmanuel C. Flint

Library of Congress Catalog No. Pending as of \- January 28, 2015

ISBN# 978-0-9847278-3-4

The subject matter in this book is NOT purely fictitious. Albeit, you may derive comfort by engaging this book as though it were a work of science fiction, until you do some research about the scenarios depicted, henceforth. Then you'll come to terms with the realities. Many hypothetical and theoretical arguments are contained herein, but just to support the seemingly factual content. Though much of the substance ahead may seem rather outlandish, you should know that certain trends all around the world are beginning to emerge, which warrant the discussions in this title. Any similarity to real persons, living, or dead, is not directly intended by the Author. However, make note that Real-time Copyright Infringement is highly probable and imminent, if not existent in this modern world. If the crimes depicted herein inspire some concerns in you then perhaps you should stop perpetrating them, eh? With the case of the law abiding folk who are reading this text, simply ask your local Senator to investigate anything about this book that is shockingly similar or comparable to pertinent events in your life. Learn what you can from this book, and use it to overcome the darkness.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without certified written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. Permission for other uses will only be granted in an official manner that is certifiable.

Transfer of Rights details: Due to certain realities that I've experienced recently, the rights to this manuscript will only be transferred in certified writing; in a manner that is ceremonious (notarized) and official - with attorneys present from both sides. I expect and hope that such proceedings will include or require provisions for the recordation of transfer in a manner that complies with the United States Library of Congress' specifications. No exclusive rights will be granted or implied by the informal behaviour and/or affiliation between me and another party. This includes acquaintances, kindred, and colleagues. I do not employ the use of Oral Transfers for any rights reserved, herein. All of the above is ESPEACIALLY TRUE in the case of unexplained and prolonged unemployment - or financial difficulties (if you catch my drift).

P.S. - If this Author ever says at any time, "No you don't have my permission," then you never did.

For more information contact the author Emmanuel C. Flint.

eflint@digitalflint.com

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1: Got Creative Security?

Chapter 2: Keepin' It Safe

Chapter 3: Some Basics for Securing a Project.

Chapter 4: Real-time Protection for Everyone.

Chapter 5: Getting More Tech Savvy.

Chapter 6: Under Lock and Key - Encryption.

Chapter 7: Social Engineering.

Chapter 8: Think-Speak--->Type. -((*New Chapter))-

Chapter 9: The Infringer's Toy Box.

Chapter 10: Chrono-Barrier. -((*New Chapter))-

Chapter 11: Contract Terms.

Chapter 12: Quiz Time.

Chapter 13: The Final Word.

Bibliography

Other References

Appendix A \- Answers to Questions  
Appendix B - System Time Server Settings for Linux and Unix  
Appendix C - Chrono-Barrier 2.5 Guide

Introduction

Can I ask you a question?

Just indulge me for a moment....

Do you think it's okay for a creative professional to submit to a group of intimidators who indirectly force him or her to give up the rights to a valuable work of art? Keep in mind that the artist who reluctantly parts with the work will receive no creative mention or proceeds, when the piece is inevitably sold or profited from. Now what if that particular work was worth a million dollars on the open market, whereas the intimidators only sell it for tens of thousands (chump change) through shady back channels; thus, marginalizing the actual worth of the piece?

I know, it's a sad story indeed.

Yet, there is something about this melancholic depiction that you should be aware of; this type of thing happens more often than you think it does. In fact such things may be happening right around the corner in your neighborhood, against a freelance artist, writer, or a small business owner.

What can be done about it?

Well, let me remind you that knowledge is the key to solving problems, and that's why I wrote this book. So, without further delay-

Let me introduce you to the advent of what I call Real-time Copyright Infringement; a troublesome movement that could put your entire creative career at risk. Its unhindered proliferation will allow the people who perpetrate it to hold your creative efforts hostage. Resistance to such criminal activity tends to invite many social and economic woes for those who fall victim to it.

Have I gotten your attention yet?

Well I hope so, because there's a lot more that I have to tell you about this subject. Before I get right down to it I would like to clarify something. I'm not an expert in the fields of intelligence, law, or anything else that pertains to catching bad guys on an official basis. For all intensive purposes I'm a normal guy, with some nice talent in the arts, and in recent years - literature. Moreover, I also have a substantial grasp of information technology, and often have a good time doing research about issues that are relevant to all of the above. In this book I will share some useful information with my fellow artists and creative professionals, who might be interested in learning about a few simple and systematic methods for securing their work from the atypical prying eyes.

There are some questions that you may have asked yourself when you thought about buying or reading this book. The first question might have been -

"Is this book really important?"

Well, I would like to think, uhm... -

"Hell yeah!" Of course it is!

For starters the knowledge that you'll acquire from this book is not the kind that they teach you in the standard vocational schools, for aspiring creative professionals. This book is kind of like an underground set of notes in that regard, because it shows you some of the things that shady people will do to take advantage of creative professionals in the real-world. To some certain avail and detriment perhaps, I've experienced quite of bit of this, and I'm more than willing to share what I've gleaned from it. Having worked as a freelance artist for about a decade now, I can certainly give some of you a few pointers on how to protect yourselves from real-time copyright theft. I've also worked in the IT field and have been certified for Networking, through Comptia; this gives more credence to what I have to say in this book, I hope. As you continue to read on, some of the commentary in this book might make you laugh and say,

"HA! That's never going to happen to me! This guy is talking about science fiction!"

Be forewarned; I was inspired to start writing this book series only just recently (2011), for reasons that pertain to my desire to preserve the rights to my own work. I decided to take a stand against those who were using certain illegal and technologically advanced tactics to compromise the exclusivity of my creations, thereby undermining my worth as a creative professional. It took a while to understand what they were trying to do. With some time and diligence I was able to untangle their web of obfuscations as they sought to inveigle me with sundry distractions. I came upon the answer to the riddle pertaining to how 'they' access private intellectual property and steal it in a manner that is transparent - invisible to a certain degree. Such efforts render the creator null or void, as 'they' try to make a living, or even find a job. With some research and well thought-out steps I devised some ways to make 'them' think twice about trying to claim the rights to my work, just because they were using advanced technologies to reproduce it in real-time (as I was creating it). How is all this possible, you may ask? Don't worry. I'll definitely answer that question to your satisfaction in the later portions of this book.

By the way, if you're not a techie \- fear not. I was oblivious to 75% of the information that is contained in this book until I was well out of school. In truth, it was only after I earned my Bachelors Degree in Illustration and a Masters Degree in 3D Graphics later on that I came across most of what you will read, or discover in this book. So, I almost guarantee you that you won't be too disappointed, because this book will help you become more conscious about protecting your intellectual property from advanced methods of copyright infringement.

Keep in mind that at any time during your perusal of this book, you don't have to take my word for it. Treat this book as if it were a series of hypothetical suggestions, until you verify the content that I present herein. Do your own research and you'll really understand why this book has emerged at this point in human history. Check out the bibliography at the end, along with my listed references, to give you a bearing for some research venues. Understand that this book was written in the spirit of preemption, based on certain trends that I've noticed over the years in the areas of national security, crime, law, and electronic harassment. So, keep it all in proportion as events unfold across the world; you could end up referring to this book more often than you might anticipate.

Since this is the second edition (version 2.0) of this book there is quite a bit of new content that I'm going to share with you. I've also reorganized and merged a few chapters, for the sake of good ole' fashioned ease of use. After getting some feedback about some of my solutions from the previous edition, I chose to devise a few new ones. Now this book is pumping with some stronger, lighter, and more reliable solutions that pack quite a defensive punch against Real-time Copyright Infringement.  
That's right!  
There are some niftier solutions ahead, so get psyched! I've added new content to most of the chapters in this edition, plus I'm especially excited about the chapter named Chrono-Barrier. In it I will share one particularly clever solution for the real-time protection of literature production, and it'll tweak your mind a bit. I'll also impart some new strategies for thinking about your productions in the chapter Think-Speak--->Type. I can almost guarantee that you won't be disappointed by this second edition, at all!

Now on to the good stuff!
Chapter 1

Got Creative Security?

A creative professional might one day discover that someone seems to secretly know what he or she is doing sometimes, or even all the time. I think that as certain economies get tighter and tougher, such plights may become the norm for talented or gifted people who have not yet made the big break in their respective industries; some might refer to them as preeminent artists. Albeit, they may have their name and work out there, they often seem to have quite a ways to go in regards to achieving substantial notability for their talent(s). Such a state attracts a lot of predators who are usually looking to capitalize on quality talent, while making the least amount of investment that's possible, respectively. The big advantage that a lot of scammers out there have over up-and-coming creative professionals is that we tend to be very trusting, and not so disciplined in how we approach the task of copyright protection. I mean why spend so much time stressing-out over all that paperwork anyway, when we can simply focus on creating awesome-looking artwork, right? It behooves any artist to take copyright protection seriously if they are creating competitive artwork or visuals.

Unfortunately, a laid-back or lackadaisical attitude towards intellectual property rights protection may have to be a thing of the past, for any serious artist in this modern era. Intellectual property thieves are getting cleverer these days, and they've perfected various advanced methods for stealing valuable creations from artists such as you. This is most certainly the case if they sense that you're an up and coming artist with a lot of valuable talent. Now, if you don't mind me saying so, I feel like I'm in that position right now - on the verge, so to speak; I've spent several years freelancing as a Digital Painter and 3D Graphics Artist. Although, I'm not quite where I want to be in the creative industry, I am still producing some really competitive work for some stellar projects.

Nevertheless, I will get there soon, so I continue to be optimistic. One thing that I've learned is that in order to get a good name for myself in the realm of CGI (Computer Generated Imagery), I should probably hit high marks in the areas of creativity and innovation for my designs. This is why I tend to guard my really good ideas, and keep them close to my chest until I get to work with a client who will really value them. But what if somewhere out there someone seems to be mysteriously coming across the same concepts and innovations, at the same time that I do? Yes, that's what one would call competition in a fast-paced industry I suppose... or simply a coincidence of course. Yet, what if the circumstances surrounding such so-called coincidences, begin to get a little bit too close for comfort?

No, no wait - better yet.

What if these happy accidents happened a little bit too often? An artist like me would certainly give props to the other guy or gal - once, twice, or thrice even. Hmmmm, although it would be in my best interest to consider what the implications are, if whenever I create something cool and original some other artist produces the same exact thing, around the same exact time. Seeing how I'm not the confrontational type, I would begin to retrace my steps to understand why the other artist(s) might be acing me on my own concepts, artwork, or literature. I would even try to locate any vulnerabilities that exist in my production method(s), in regards to security. Essentially, I 'd begin to deconstruct my creative processes to ascertain why such coincidences were occurring.  
...  
Perhaps, it might simply be the case of me watching way too much mainstream anime and getting polarized by it. Buuuut, if that were simply the case, you probably wouldn't be reading this book.

...

I have to say, it's always nice when the answer to an enigma surfaces in the most unexpected way.

Though, it's not what you think.  
Trust me. It's really not.

Take it from a guy who knows. It's no joke when someone walks by your house and begins to boast about the fact that he can recount everything that you just did on your computer five minutes ago.

"Naw man! That sort of thing happens all the time, right?"

NOT!

At first it can be rather scary for anyone when something like that happens. I mean, think about it?

...

How did he know?

How could he possibly know?

First, I took a look around and there were no exposed windows in the comfy basement where my workstation was. Furthermore, my computer was not on the internet at the time. The possibility that my computer was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time became less likely to be the cause of the phenomena. While I was working on my laptop in a small niche at my house the same thing happened again, as I composed a letter offline. So, dude - how did that guy know what I was doing on my computer? Well, that's why you're reading this book; because I kept asking myself the right questions until I got the right answers about this problem.

Think about what I've just told you though. The guy was able to articulate exactly what I was doing on an isolated (not on the internet) computer. This meant that anything I was developing at the time was visible to him, somehow. I did some research and discovered that there were several highly advanced methods for gaining unauthorized visual access to another person's computer screen. This kind of explains why some artists can spend twenty to forty hours on a digital painting, only to discover that some guy on the other side of the country is selling thousands of copies of the same artwork, before the creator ever publishes or releases it.

Think about it; if an intellectual property thief was tapping my computer with advanced technology and recording what I was working on, then technically they could get away with filing a copyright registration on my work, even before I did. They might very well extract all the iterations of any digital work - from start to finish. Then through some legal hocus pocus they could end up owning my work after having registered a copyright for it first. This type of thing would really bite for logo artists, cover artists, character designers, and concept designers. One thing that could certainly make it worse is if the original copies were compromised or destroyed somehow. It would mean that the thieving party would be the only party to have a complete set of files, for the production of the artwork.

Such a plight may not pose any huge threat to artists who produce digital paintings or artwork that consist of styles that are practically inseparable from the pieces itself. Even if it's a master counterfeit artist, there doesn't seem to be any huge profit in claiming the rights to any painting - especially, if you can't reproduce the style or technique, on demand. However, artists who create interchangeable visual art such as 3D Graphics and Graphic Design, which can have the idiosyncratic tendencies of an artist's abilities removed with ease, might want to take further interest in this book.

In a situation like that I would eventually develop the need to open up a can of litigious whoop-arse on whomever it was that stole my work and tried to use it as theirs. The most obvious method for securing the rights to your creative projects is registering them with the United States Copyright Office, or some other trusted copyright registration service. That way if someone infringes upon it you can be reimbursed for any damages. However, when a thief goes as far as to copy your work or replicate it as you are making it, how much protection is available for that sort of thing if they make a power play against you in court? From what I understand this particular problem may have occurred many times before. Any person or group that has the power to commit this kind of infringement would certainly have the means to intimidate their victim(s) or target(s). It can also be said that the nature of the infringement might indicate that a particular type of harm may be imminent against the target. Either way, I really don't want to resort to copyright registering my work every five minutes (lol). Copyright registrations are not cheap ($55.00 per registration online)!

So, I began to ask myself the key question.

"How can I totally lock-out an IP (intellectual property) thief from ever claiming any official rights to my work, along with them getting into some serious trouble?" In-between the brainstorming sessions I went through some stages of, "Dude no way!"  
For example...

"Dude, no way! How many of my digital works did that guy capture off my monitor while I was working - from start to finish?"

"Dude, no way! How long has he been scoping out my computer, from wherever he is?"

"Dude, no way! Was he stealing my literature whenever I worked on it at my computer?"

"Dude, no way! That guy was indirectly trying to tell me that he had unauthorized copies of all my recent work!"

I think that the mysterious onlooker was simply trying to intimidate me, so that I would embark on a recursive series of actions. Such would inevitably eat up my time, of course. To this day I haven't really seen an infringement on any of my works, which definitely makes me wonder why the guy was bothering me in the first place. Needless to say - I didn't waste my time. In fact the experience infused me with the determination to do some very interesting things; and so here we are.

Peradventure the guy actually stole my work? Having read my summary of the plight you might have already considered the implications, I imagine. I'll step the risk factor up a bit, to show you how that would really set a creative career back, just a tad. Let's just say that you're working on an album cover concept for some big record company. They bought into your ideas and paid you a nice $20,000 advance to make The Cover Design of the Year. I'm talking bloody marvelous, mate! Nothing but awesome is what you got flowing out of your finger tips when you're creating this thing. However, while you're drawing and designing away on your expensive workstation someone is remotely recording the activity on your computer monitor with an EMF (Electro Magnetic Field) reader, in real-time. To make matters worse, they sell your cover design to a small-time record label on the other side of the country, before your client ever sees the final version. This type of thing could get you in serious trouble, and if the person who was stealing your work in this manner was really ruthless, you could even get blackmailed, blackballed, or have your reputation ruined.

So, hopefully you've arrived at the essential question that I need you to ask before we really get down to business in this book.

"What is the best way to BEAT a *real-time copyright infringer?"

Heck yeah! That's what I want to hear, grasshopper.

Well, since you asked, shall I continue on then?

*Real-time Copyright Infringers {Agents of injustice who steal intellectual property with advanced real-time surveillance technology - essentially cloning the efforts of the people that they target, in real-time (live). Such tactics are meant to put the ownership or originality of the targeted person's works into question, if an argument or dispute ever arises. There are also secondary effects which can occur in the life of the targeted individual, such as unemployment, financial hardship and/ or gangstalking (physical intimidation)}.

~----~ 0 ~----~

Ahem...

If someone is going through all that extra effort to steal creative material from you then they've definitely done some research on you as well. For example, they might take a gander at your communication habits: how you contact clients, vendors, colleagues and friends. However, their main efforts would be focused on identifying certain vulnerabilities in your creative processes, which would allow them to gain access to what you're creating for the purpose of replicating it. The ultimate goal is to formulate a process for rendering your work into tangible form, as you're producing it - such that there is no forensic affinity between both file records (yours and theirs) that could be attributed to simple file theft. This enables them to escape suspicion in case the files are forensically analyzed for any reason, if there's a copyright dispute. Thus, it becomes evident why they choose to steal the intellectual property in real-time. It gives them the ability to put your body of work into question, since the times of creation for both bodies of work will be practically identical. Ultimately, they'll strive to ensure that your rightful ownership of the work is continually transient, or in perpetual jeopardy. This game that they play with some artists has certain psychological repercussions.

The primary infliction on the psyche of a targeted creator is the lingering notion that whatever he or she produces will undoubtedly have an unauthorized duplicate, out there; and can potentially be used by another party for monetary gain, before the creator even benefits from it.

What a mind trip, huh?

Along side such concerns are other murky contemplations, which could very well inspire targeted creators to pass on certain opportunities that may further their creative careers. After all, no publisher wants to deal with a seemingly plagiarizing no-name author. If such apprehension ceases to lurk in the minds of targeted creative professionals they will soon materialize, as a result of the impending setbacks that will permeate their lives. What many real-time infringers do is more or less a "high-tech lien." Making money illegally plays a huge role in what they do.

Back in the days you could simply put your back to the wall and create something without fear of it being made known to anyone, against your will. Now, you have to be careful even when you're creating traditional artwork that's commissioned. If you're creating really great art then people may decide to look into what you're all about; and sometimes they may probe too closely, by compromising your privacy. One has to be realistic though, and put things in a certain perspective. Realistically speaking, there are certain breaches to confidentiality that you simply have no control over. For instance, if someone is using military-grade technology to steal information from your computer, it is highly likely that you'll neither have the knowledge or the resources to stop them from doing it. In non-disclosure agreements there is usually a provision which says that the Artist promises to make a reasonable effort to keep information confidential. I stress the word "reasonable" because, combating high-tech industrial espionage supersedes a reasonable effort for your run of the mill, friendly neighborhood artist. Now, what if by chance such an artist was to discover that he or she was being ripped-off by some sordid person or persons? What such an artist can do, is to produce a series of artifacts that can assist an investigator in determining how any identifiable intellectual property theft occurred. Having such artifacts (evidence) can certainly help convict IP thieves as well.

Believe me, when I say that there are literally thousands of artists out there that really need to develop a spider sense about protecting the rights to their work; simply because someone has been watching them without their permission or knowledge. This is why you may see some interesting effects in the way that certain people relate to you, after you've implement at least one to three of the methods that I describe in this book. What do I mean by that? Let me give you a generic example that is true to life for many artists - male and female, respectively.

Each time your brother's girlfriend visits the house she begins to laugh and joke around with you. More and more she asks you questions about how you create your artwork. Sometimes she wants you to show her some of the digital art that you have in-the-works. You often leave your computer unattended when she visits, because you're the trusting sort (laid-back). Sometimes when you want to go grab a bite to eat in the kitchen, she asks you if she can use your computer to send an email, and of course you say "Go for it."

One day you were shopping for books at random and bought a copy of this book. After reading it you decided to implement one of the security strategies, which showed you how to limit access to your computer. You improvised and chose to buy a fingerprint scanner from that popular technology website you saw online the other day. It installed just fine on your creative workstation, then you setup fingerprint passwords for your email, and sensitive online accounts. The next time when your brother's girlfriend visits, she's not quite so friendly after she realizes that your computer is now locked down.

Once again she asks to use your computer to send an email, but you kindly told her that she can use your desk-side laptop (that contains no original master copies of artwork files whatsoever). For some reason she doesn't want to giggle and laugh with you anymore after that. When you post new work on your portfolio website, she's not interested in talking about it. Eventually, she stops visiting all together, though she still hangs out with your brother.

You would never guess just how many people out there have friends and acquaintances who are conducting some form of social engineering against them. This mindset can start to cultivate when scouts, headhunters, or aspiring independent directors come calling - looking for fresh talent to drive up the market value of their own work or projects. I find that a major catalyst for this sort of ambition stems from the fact that the internet is now plagued with myriad 'how to get rich quick' articles or videos that make it seem so easy to make money without doing very much work. I've watched some of those infomercials and to be honest, they make it seem so easy to set up a series of web pages that can generate $5,123.26 a day. However, I must confess that it's never quite worked out like that for me, and I've tried oh so many times. Thus, I strive to make money the old fashioned way, by trying to work hard for a living as a creative professional.

Sometimes people who aren't that creative, but happen to know about an awesome guy down the block who has mad creative skills, may begin to get a little greedy. It's a "dog-eat-dog world" they say. I'm not a big pet fan though, so I just prefer to selectively keep those treacherous dogs out of my house altogether, if you know what I mean. I'll address this subject of social engineering in more detail later on. In the next chapter I'm going to get into some of the essential steps you should follow when you're producing creative content, in order to ensure that it's very well protected, from start to finish.

Chapter 2

Keepin' It Safe

In order to keep your creative work substantially protected from real-time copyright infringement there are some things that you have to consider as you are creating it. The first issue you have to address is accessibility. How accessible is your work to people in general, and how often do you leave it unattended or exposed? These days countless people carry mobile devices with built-in cameras or recorders. So, it only takes a second for someone to take a snapshot of your prized creation, and perhaps use that picture to do something shady regarding your intellectual property rights for that piece. Now, what if that piece was commissioned and that cell phone pic was released on Buddybook.com?

Tsk, tsk, tsk...

There would be serious repercussions indeed.  
Do you trust the people around you, to NOT steal from you? I'm NOT one to induce paranoia about anything, especially the creative process; because creating art is supposed to be fun. Yet, make note that artwork has been stolen before, and in many ways.

Just ask Danny Ocean and those other 11 guys.  
People, who profit from stealing the products of creativity and intellect, tend to capitalize on the fact that artists are usually easy-going and trusting people. I'm not one to stereotype, but all you have to do is walk through an art college campus and speak with some of the students there; they usually don't entertain the same reservations that law and business majors do, when they are propositioned with a profitable venture. A lot of them ease into a proposition with a mellow Starbucks kind of groovyness - seeing lots of mellow colors n' stuff (far out, man). Nothing is wrong with this as long as they sharpen up when it comes to certain terms.

Are you the type of creative person who wants to see a contract from the get-go?

You're not?

"Why would anyone steal from me?" You might say rhetorically.

This is probably a good question to ask yourself, if you aspire to create artwork that has any significant market value, in the media and pop culture, especially.

Wait, but of course!

The simple answer to it all is "MONEY";

It almost always is.

Just ask Danny Ocean and those other 11 guys about how stealing art definitely does pay.

Even if you think that your work is not all that and a bag of chips, you should never underestimate how the old term 'eye of the beholder,' still holds true with market value. That tiny sketch on your table that you don't pay attention to could end up being used to make a million dollar franchise concept that you'll never get a piece of - all because you failed to secure and document the work in a manner that was iron-clad.

Also, I'd hate for you to get a better understanding of what I'm saying only in the event that your best work to date is stolen right off an easel in your studio; simply because you didn't lock it in a cupboard before you went out to grab a cappuccino and a scone. Physical security of some type is very important, because it naturally discourages theft in most cases. Though this type of security helps secure traditional works with relative ease, it gets more complicated in the case of digital creations. That's right. Even digital artists have to be wary about how accessible their workstations are. In addition to this they have to keep track of the backup copies that they've made, or any redundancies of their digital works: burned CD's or DVD's, external storage devices, online storage services, etc.

So first things' first. You need to have a plan. There were a few general questions that I asked myself when I wanted to develop a security scheme for my artistic workflow. Here are six of the most important ones.

  * What type of work do I create on a regular basis?

  * What process do I follow when I create artwork in general?

  * What is the relative size of my work?

  * What are the security vulnerabilities in my overall workflow(s)?

  * How easy will it be to secure my work on a regular basis?

  * How can I simplify the registration of my work with a trusted party (in comparison with frequently filing a United States Copyright registration which takes several months per registration)?

If you are like most artists you either work from your home, in a commercial setting, or in a shared studio somewhere. Working in a shared studio has its merits, but your physical security scheme will rely on the security policies of the studio where you work. Some studios have no security personnel at all. In such cases you might want to think about buying a lockbox of some sort, or better yet, a bolted down cabinet. Some artists prefer to just take their work home with them, and that's a very smart move. But if you're painting a large-scale oil landscape that spans multiple feet, then it might get a little messy when you roll up that canvas to take it home. So, I think it comes down to your own personal taste and trust, regarding the people around you in a shared studio setting. However, if your shared studio environment is comprised of cubicles or a partition arrangement, then you may be able to ask the studio management if they will let you put a gate and key at your cubicle entrance.

Most likely, oil paintings in-progress may not be very attractive to art thieves because of their lack of worth on the hot art market. If we're talking about oil paintings then it might not be worth it for them because of the evidence that might be left on the scene, if they pilfer such a piece. Let's face it; unless an oil painting is of a certain age it's not worth that much, in most cases. On the other hand, what would we expect if an art thief stumbles upon a sketchbook full of amazing mechanical concepts, characters, scenes, and designs?

It's a no brainier of course.

He or she will either max-out that trusty digital camera by taking snapshots of every page therein, or just take the sketchbook altogether. There is a reason why conceptual work is more valuable than the average modern painting in today's media-driven world. You probably guessed it, but the fact that blockbuster movies, films, commercials, and literature are almost always driven by innovative concept designs makes the theft of such material a highly lucrative endeavor (if it's really original).

I have enough experience in the creation of concept art and digital art to give you some advice on how to go about securing your rights to this type of work, from the get-go. Furthermore, I have worked as a computer technician for several years, so I have a good grasp of information security concepts, and practices. I won't go overboard by recommending a whole bunch of advanced methods for securing your work, in this chapter at least. For the sake of clarity and ease, I'm just going to touch base on some essentials to get you on the right track. Albeit, it's a good idea to make sure that your security measures don't impede upon or limit your creative process. This is why I keep the solutions that I recommend in this book relatively streamlined. There are also advanced solutions herein as well, which you'll see later - such as Chrono-Barrier. For the areas which require a little more technical know how I will provide you with the much-needed details, so you don't get lost. Alright, now that I've given you an introduction to the concept of physical security for traditional artwork such as paintings and sculptures, let me delve into the digital side a bit more.

If you ask me, digital art happens to be the most at-risk artwork on the market these days.

"Why?"

The answer is simple.

It's so easy to steal, manipulate and sell. Now that I think of it, any good art that has a cutting-edge feel and grit would also be in the same field of risk, because of the permeation of technology in modern entertainment. To understand why this is true just think of how many times you may have illegally downloaded that latest song, movie, e-book (hopefully not this one), or document for free on some pirate website. "We're in the digital age baby," and the gloves have gotta come off when you're fighting to protect the rights to your work, as a creative professional!

Ok, I know; a little bit dramatic.

But anyway...

Now I have your attention, if I didn't already have it before. So, here we go into the land of information security - coming up in the next section.

~----~ 0 ~----~

While I was learning some of the finer nuances of network security - when preparing for the Comptia Network Plus exam some time ago, I came across a few terms that I will throw out here. I believe that these particular terms will be conducive for gaining a greater understanding of the subject. I recommend that you familiarize yourself with these terms because they will not only help you understand where the vulnerabilities are in your information security solution(s), but they will eventually enable you to find a security scheme that fits your needs. I'm not going to dwell on the definitions of these words too much because I'm not trying to certify you for anything with the content of this book. Nope - I'm just going to explain how these terms are pertinent, as I describe a few processes that you can use to substantially lock-in the rights to your digital artwork, even if someone is probing your computer, or stealing information from you in real-time. This chapter is brief. It's just a primer for what lies ahead when I will talk about things such as digital fingerprints, timestamps, and hash digests.

Network Infrastructure \- The conceptual and physical design of a communications system; this includes servers, routers, switches, wireless access points, and other methods for information access.

Network Security \- This consists of the provisions or policies adopted by a network administrator to prevent and monitor unauthorized access, abuse, modification(s), or misuse of a computer network. Such policies can also be enforced with supporting hardware and software, to prohibit access to a network.

Firewall \- A network security component that can either be hardware or software-based. Its primary purpose is to keep the network secure by controlling incoming and outgoing traffic, in the network that it's deployed in. There are many types of firewalls, but the most effective ones for eradicating threats are called IPS's (Intrusion Prevention Systems). Whereas those that just monitor, detect, and log threats are called IDS's (Intrusion Detection Systems).

Encryption \- The process of converting information into an indecipherable form (to an unauthorized viewer) through the use of ciphers or algorithms. The converted or encrypted information is readable to those who possess a key (password) which enables them to decrypt the protected information.

Digital Fingerprint \- Much like your own fingerprint, a digital fingerprint allows one to authenticate a computer file or document \- even a hard drive. In the process of determining what the fingerprint of a file is, a complex algorithm is used to calculate the unique makeup of the file. The resulting output is known as a hash digest or fingerprint. Some of the more popular hash output algorithms are MD5, SHA-1, SHA-2, SHA-256 and SHA-512.

Digital Time Stamp \- This is a unique sequence of encoded digital information that identifies when a certain event (or exchange) occurred in a computer, or between multiple computers. One of the parameters provided by this process is the "date" and "time" (sometimes accurate to a small fraction of a second). This process is integral in determining the rightful ownership of files, as well as the legitimacy of the information contained inside them. Such information can be used to determine the time that a file was last modified, or when a picture on a digital camera was taken (for example).

Certificate Authority - A certificate authority is a trusted third party that issues certificates that are used to sign and verify files. This type of cryptography service can be transparent - working in the background with certain types of computer software, or online functions. Despite how certificates are employed, their ultimate purpose is to stop confidential or sensitive information from being read or accessed, by unauthorized parties. Certificates also serve as a means for file, document, and identity authentication.

Public Key Cryptography - This refers to a cryptographic system requiring two separate keys; one is secret and the other is public (published). Although they are both different, each are members of a key pair; thus, being linked via a complex algorithm. One key locks or encrypts, and the other unlocks or decrypts. Neither key is autonomous; i.e. unable to perform both functions without the other.

Take some time to research these concepts and get a good grasp of what they offer in terms of security and authentication for computer files. For what lies ahead in later chapters I will be mentioning hash digests and encryption quite a bit. In between that the understanding of Certificate Authorities and Public Key Cryptography would be helpful in the chapters that deal with non-repudiation or email signing. If you're a smart computer user you will already have a network security strategy which would include a firewall in your network infrastructure (or simply home network). Starting from the beginning of the next chapter I'm going to walk you through some step-by-step concepts for how all of this can be useful during the production of creative material. However, understand that in most circumstances these methods will be useful for most people; however, if you're being attacked by military grade industrial espionage tools, you might want to ask the DoD for some assistance - if you know what I mean.

Yet if your problem is that someone is seriously trashing your hard drive and software then a computer forensics specialist will see it if it gets to that point. I've had some pretty high-level computer intrusions occur on my workstation before (relating to memory swap files, boot sectors, graphic overlays, etc.) over the past four years. Nevertheless, I still continue to use a lot of the methods that I showcase in this book, because they will have a suffusing presence in my computer usage signature; something that is also helpful for computer forensics investigations. Know what effect your computing habits can have on all of the above. Be vigilant and don't let industrial spies, greedy gang-stalkers, or tech savvy crooks from around the way make you cease from taking the ownership of your copyright(s) seriously.

See you on the other side, or in the next chapter.

Chapter 3

Some Basics for Securing a Project

Hopefully you've taken a few extra steps in gaining more knowledge about the network security concepts and definitions from the previous chapter. They are very relevant to documenting your work process with modern technology. Incidentally, they are also helpful for establishing a production timeline that describes the relative chronologies of your various work processes. Such data obviously correlates with, or is dependent upon quantitative digital metrics.

Ok, let's start from the ground up shall we?

Now we will explore some of the possible security concerns and solutions that you might want to address in your creative productions. For the sake of real world application, let's examine a fairly intermediate creative workflow, as a means of familiarizing ourselves with the weaknesses in the average artist's approach to creating a piece of artwork. By saying "intermediate," I'm referring to a creative process that often incorporates an equal amount of traditional and digital work at a fairly professional skill level. Such would be a Digital Illustrator.

How do you embark on developing an idea?

Hopefully, you aren't the type that always scribbles your brilliant ideas on a napkin that you'll have trouble reading later? Hey, I enjoy the various benefits that come with being a creative professional just as much as the next artist; however, being more organized will help you overcome problems that will eventually impede upon your creative succession(s). So, let's kick that napkin scribblin' habit and try something a little bit more uhm... deliberate.

As you read on please make sure to note that my recommendations are all tailored to help you combat real-time copyright infringement. Essentially, we are trying to ensure that the "time of creation" for your "products of intellect," are evidential and undeniably so. Ownership of copyright is very dependent on the concept of "time of creation." The person who first renders an original collection (beyond concepts or simple exclusive statements) of ideas or expression of ideas into tangible form, in a manner that is certifiable and evidential, is the owner more or less. Thus, it's important to understand how certain people have devised methods and lifestyles which are designed to illegally co-op or marginalize the "time of creation" for honest creative professionals. The fact that I have the audacity to point this out makes this book pretty important, right?  
Soooooo... that's why -  
"IN THE BEGINNING,"

of a project, make sure to document the genesis of the central idea, concept, or premise, in a reliable digital medium of some kind. This can be an audio recording or a simple digital note on your laptop. Document the time and date when using either method. It's also a good idea to document really good ideas in private, or only around people you can absolutely trust. Be as heavy-handed as possible and exhaustive, when documenting the idea. Also try to mention anything that inspired you, such as life experiences, an article you read, or a show that might have inspired you.

This will help show that you're embarking on a serious project. Documenting things like this will eventually power-up your critical thinking skills. It'll make you feel like a real pro and that's going to make you feel like a billion bucks, which is an inspiring thing by the way - a real adrenaline rush. Incidentally, I've heard that the ladies dig that sort of thing (lol), for any of you guys out there who create art solely to impress the ladies.

One thing I also noticed when I document ideas in this manner is that it enables me to easily associate or strengthen new ideas when I reevaluate the ones that I previously documented; as I play them back to hear my charismatically confident voice, saying some really creative stuff. Gotta love technology, yes?

Sure, of course.

Overall, this type of documentation makes the process of creating become a finely-tuned cumulative endeavor. Now what about the accumulation of visual notes? If it's visual art you're making then a picture says a thousand words. Take digital snapshots of any reference material you're using to generate or substantiate a visual piece. Most people take pictures with their cell phones these days, but that's not always the best way. If you're in the habit of using a cell phone to take important or confidential pictures then you must make haste if you're taking snapshots with your cell phone camera. Technically, a cell phone is always connected to a network, unless it's in airplane mode. Yet, even when you use that it's not a sure thing. Always put your cell phone in airplane mode, so that no communications can get in or out (theoretically) of the phone when you have sensitive information stored on it; else you risk the possibility of someone tunneling into your cell phone remotely, or via Bluetooth. Really, it happens \- not all the time, but it's something that you should be aware of. Such things are not impossible, and do occur unexpectedly, these days.

Oh yes, please keep in mind that cell phone time often fluctuates as well, during reboots, signal losses and especially the classic "low bar count" deficiency which plagues all of them. This is why I only use my cell phone camera to document something when I'm at home or in my studio. The reason being is that I get pretty steady signal strength in these places, and this allows the phone's time to remain stable. Additionally, there's usually a short space of time between the actual picture taking and the transferring of those pictures to my offline workstation, for safe keeping.

Taking photos is always a good idea; however, nothing beats real-time documentation: audio recorders and video recorders (moving pictures). Remember, the goal of this book is to BEAT real-time copyright infringers. To do this you need to use real-time documentation technologies, for the most part. Audio and video records usually have more substance than a mere photo, and they can be linked to landmark events that are vital to establishing the time and place that something was created. For example, let's say you recorded yourself doing some improv' of a poem during the California Presidential Primary, in the greater Los Angeles area back in 2001. Somewhere in the background of the recording we can see the keynote speakers saying some things, as the events occur in real-time.

...  
Wait a minute; that sounds like a hit TV show from somewhere... but hopefully you get my point. Real-time documentation totally rocks!

Under normal circumstances simply taking pictures, making a video, or an audio recording of your creative process would be just fine, and you wouldn't really have to worry about anything else. However, if you suspect that someone is duplicating your efforts in a manner that is live, and simultaneous to your own you should take additional measures. In this case the time of creation is not singular or exclusive to you as a creator, though this isn't your fault - seeing how someone is spying on your creative efforts. The time of origin for the work can be contended over under such circumstances, and the infringer would be able to present a legitimate argument. Eventually, the rightful owner may be revealed by way of an investigation, if the thief wasn't clever enough to change certain things about the creative material that they cloned in real-time, such as the visual style that a concept is depicted in (for example). With the case of literature, a clever counterfeit of a novel can be made, which has all the signature characteristics or idiosyncratic tendencies of the original author strategically removed. In addition to that words are quite easy to steal in real-time, and attribute to oneself if they are taken from an unsecured "manuscript in progress."

Thus, certifying the time of creation somehow by passing it through a trusted party is definitely a step in the right direction, if you deem your work valuable enough. Sometimes real-time IP thieves will skip this step to remain untraceable, until they modify the work by removing anything that makes it identifiable with the person that they stole it from. So, the sooner you register the work, even if it's in increments, the better off you are.

Now what can be done if an IP thief wishes to replicate (in real-time) your efforts for registration, you might ask?  
Hmmm...  
That's a good question, and I'll answer it a little later.  
Patience grasshopper, patience.

As far as certifying "time" and "date" is concerned at this stage, I think that emailing "the beloved work" to yourself will do just fine (though you should do so at your own discretion, of course). From what I've gathered over the years, since most email servers have trusted time governance and can be considered as certified conduits for sending reliable information, you can use email as evidence in court. After all, I've seen some court cases where the guilty parties have been convicted with the assistance of email evidence. Such is especially true for cases involving corporate fraud, and insider trading. Now, if you're going to use email to sign your work in progress make note that you absolutely must encrypt the email before sending it off to the final *secure (hopefully) destination. To password protect and secure the contents you can use classic apps like Winrar, Winzip, 7-Zip, or Scrambled Egg. These applications offer basic or intermediate protection that will encrypt a file or the actual text that's placed into an email before it's sent.

You can also encrypt images with special programs, so that the images are not recognizable until they are decrypted. Since encryption is a security measure that's used to protect information, you're not really liable if the contents are revealed. Reason being, it would mean that the encryption was illegally circumvented by an unauthorized party. This offense is identical to how hackers circumvent firewalls to gain illegal access to privileged or confidential information. It's not you're fault if a hacker attacks your computer and steals some confidential information, if you made a reasonable effort to protect that information with the implementation of a firewall - whether it be hardware based or software based.

Let's just say that you didn't encrypt the contents and the email was forwarded to someone by accident. Then what if that person uses its contents to make lots of money without your permission? Since you erred on the side of caution by not encrypting the contents of the email, you compromised the legitimacy of your possible claim for this unfortunate instance of copyright infringement against your work. Be advised, real-time copyright infringement allows the people who are perpetrating it to have many substantial preemptive advantages. Most artists will always almost be blind-sided by them. That is unless the infringers want to test any of their targets to see how they'll cope, or counter such attacks. It's during these tests when some targets become aware of what's transpiring. Even so, real-time infringers know that most independent artists don't keep strict production records. This is what the infringers capitalize on when they compile a campaign of artifacts (usually strategically manufactured), which gives them the audacity to say that you've infringed upon their so-called work, which happens to look just like yours - if you get my drift.

That's right. The bloody nerve of such people [said while brandishing my fists in the air].

Nothing will kick you in the pants more than when someone steals your work, claims it as their own, and then sues you for infringing upon that work. Such claims on their part will most likely be informal and indirect. What I mean by indirect, is more or less intimidation of various kinds. This is because such people primarily feed off of the ignorant, ill-equipped or unsuspecting.

Now if you happen to be the one who's rightfully claiming that there has been an infringement on your copyright, then the real-time infringers might simply say -

"We don't understand what you mean; we registered our concept (YOUR concept) days before you did."

Having a good amount of records to compare with the stack of X-files that real-time copyright infringers generally manufacture, will help you understand how and when they developed their so-called body of work (that pretty much looks like yours). Think about it; if people can get away with this sort of thing without any repercussions then it could not only affect your business, but your likelihood to be employed as well. Thus, we can begin to understand how real-time copyright infringement will have dire effects on a nation's industries and economies. But, that's a discussion for another book... _that's filled with plenty of Inq._

Now I'll begin deconstructing the creative processes that I sometimes utilize. For the sake of keeping it simple, I'll use the workflow of a Digital Illustrator as a model. Any techniques that I impart in this chapter are certainly adaptable and applicable to other digital workflows, like 3D Graphics development, and Computer Animation.

So, while keeping all that in mind, let's talk about _time_ some more.

When you spend a lot of time creating a really good visual or literary product that is attractive and original (as original as something can be these days), it would be nice if you got some credit for coming up with it first right? This usually means that someone might want to line your pockets with some cash for that brilliant piece or work, and then some. Reasonably speaking it's acceptable to believe that two people cannot create the identical pieces of art at the same EXACT time, without collaboration or foul play. In the case of literature, there are many ways to tell if something is original, but of course I won't dwell on that right now. I want to keep it loose while focusing on a few procedures that can help you preserve the originality of your work, regardless of how it's packaged, (whether it's physical or digital).

Generally, when thinking about literature production and the uniqueness of any content therein, it's not unreasonable to assume that two exact copies of a book cannot be made by two independent writers, at the same exact time and pace. _That is unless they are quantum entangled, of course._ For those of you who have no idea about why I'm teasing by mentioning quantum entanglement, let me elaborate. It's like saying that all the space, matter, and time continuum experiences of both creators were equally in synch as they each wrote their books. Why else would their books be identical, after having been written at the exact same pace, though the authors had no apparent interaction with one another? Moreover, this delightful phenomenon occurred each time both authors sat down to write every page while sitting in their comfy pneumatic writing chairs. These astronomical synchronizations also included, but were not limited to their perceptions, and observations (both past and present). Also toss in the fact that most novels are around two hundred pages long.

...

Needless to say - such a thing cannot happen, and if it does then the most likely reason would be an act of God, or just good old-fashioned literary theft. Unfortunately, since modern courts have a _hands-off_ approach for acts of God, I would like to focus on good old-fashioned literary theft, if you don't mind.

\- Now, let's focus on the digital implications of all of the above.

There is one major issue that a lot of residential computers have, and it makes them unreliable for establishing the actual creation date of a file; aside from being at the mercy of ill-trained users, of course (no offense). The date and time on your computer can be negatively affected by many things; internet threats are practically at the top of the list. Due to the prevalence of viruses, spy ware, hackers, and intrusions that can affect a computer that is connected to the internet, I have gotten into the habit of working on a machine that is totally isolated from the web.

I call it my Blackbox, because it sounds soooo cool, daddy-o.

However, keeping my primary workstation disconnected from any other outside influence has saved me a lot of havoc, and it gives me absolute control over what gets loaded onto my computer. Sometimes I have to break the no internet rule for this workstation in order to quickly update a piece of software on my machine, or activate digital licenses. For such tasks I utilize my mobile phone that has a data plan. I just think that cell phone internet is a lot cleaner and harder to circumvent, verses standard ISP internet access. Though, it may not be the case for everyone, seeing how cell phones can get hacked too; but I think that a serious online intruder would rather hack a workstation instead of a cell phone. Albeit, the most important reason that anyone should have for connecting a workstation to the internet at least once, is to ensure that the time is accurate. Properly setting up the time on a computer is probably one of the most important things that you have to do, if you want to keep an accurate file record. This is usually where the forensic professionals start when they examine the files in your hard drive during a copyright infringement suit, if you ever happen to be involved in one.

"When was this file made?" They will certainly ask.

...

Psssst. Uhm... Hey you!

Remember this and take it to heart!

Under NO circumstances should you ever back-date a file! Forensic analysts will know that you did this because of the way that file systems and hard drive sectors (data blocks) work in a computer. In addition to this there will be a system log somewhere that will report when the clock was altered, if you or someone tried to change the "date modified" property of a file by way of back-dating. So, do yourself a favor and don't even think about back-dating files. Furthermore, backdating a file to win a copyright infringement lawsuit can be construed as the 'falsification of evidence.' Manufacturing evidence is what real-time copyright infringers do all day long; they copy a creator's work and then generate documents to make it appear as if they're the rightful owners of the work. Don't jump on their bandwagon that's headed for the nearest Federal prison. Telling the truth is enough to beat these guys, and render them useless in court. But you need to be well-prepared in order to vanquish these dastardly villains.

Granted, there may be other reasons why a file on a computer might be backdated. Sometimes it can be dated incorrectly because it was copied off your cell phone or another computer that has a different system time setting. Copying files from one device to another can cause a shift in the 'file modified' property of the file, so that the copy differs from the original in this particular attribute. This is why you need to sort your files appropriately, so that you know where they came from. Keeping a log is helpful in order to identify where particular files came from. Yet, remember that operating system logs usually have notes that can track when a file was introduced into a file system. Such notes may also include the hardware ID of the device that the file was copied from: USB flash drive, hard drive, optical media, etc. Hard drive MFT tables can also aid one in discovering when a file was copied onto a computer. Those are just a few tidbits that should help you understand that mastering the concepts behind computer file management is very important, in regards to securing intellectual property rights.

I know I've mentioned them before, but using cell phone cameras to document your work can get rather tricky. I owned a Samsung cell phone that forward-dated any file that was stored on it whenever I was copying data to a personal computer, or another device. Then when I copied the same exact files back into the cell phone, the time discrepancy was cancelled out. This made it necessary for me to keep that cell phone indefinitely, just in case there ever happened to be an argument over 'time of creation,' in the future. Try to be aware of this little caveat, if you decide to use a cell phone camera to document your work. I know what you're thinking.

"What's he going on about all this 'time of creation' business for? What's he developing that's so important?"

My answer to that would be -  
"Read my first self-published novel titled Know One Dared to See. Though it's not famous the work is original and it's written in a manner that would make any literary scholar do a double-take, for a positive reason. I think that's loads of justification for all that 'time of creation' business."  
Moving on...

When working with your computer try to make sure that it keeps consistent time, and doesn't loose minutes or hours over a particular period of time (such as days or weeks). Believe it or not, there are viruses that can alter the time on your computer. This is another reason why I prefer to work on a machine that has NO internet or network access. Networks usually employ a protocol called NTP (Network Time Protocol / port 123). This particular protocol allows an administrator to synchronize all the times for each computer (client) on a network. So, if someone is looking to play tricks on you they could manipulate the NTP in a router or a server, in order to shift time on your computer. This is why I said 'no network access' on my workstation, (Blackbox) whatsoever.

If you find that your computer is losing time especially if it's at least three to five years old, it might be time to change the CMOS (Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) battery. The CMOS battery helps maintain the system time and settings that are contained in a computer's motherboard BIOS (Basic Input Output System). Your computer's motherboard BIOS settings determine how its hardware operates, and this extends to how everything works in your operating system. So, if for some reason your computer seems to have a propensity for posting the incorrect time all the time, the first thing you should try is replacing the CMOS battery (if correcting the time in your operating system or the BIOS settings don't work).

It's one thing to manually change the time on your computer so that it reflects 'real world time.' But how does one go about making sure that the time on a PC is accurate to a high degree, and trustworthy at-that? The answer is quite simple; you have to synchronize it with an online time server or organization. If you're using Microsoft Windows there is an easy way for you to ensure that your system time can be trusted and certified.

Now, I will take some time to show you how to synch your computer's clock with a trusted online time server. Go ahead and access the Date and Time Settings dialog box. This is the first section that you'll have to access in order to synchronize the time on your computer with a reliable internet time server. If you're using Windows Vista or Windows 7 just follow this path.

Windows (or Start) / Control Panel / Clock, Language, and Region.

Next, click the Date and Time icon. You'll get a dialog box that will show you the current date and time for Windows. One can also double-click on the time that appears on the far right side of the task bar in Windows; this will give you the same result. When you get there all you need to do is press the tab at the top which says Internet Time. If you're using Windows 7 or Vista you'll have to press the Change Settings button, to get to the dialogue box where you can actually make the needed adjustments. If you are using Windows XP, the section that allows you to synchronize with internet time will have already appeared.

There is no better time than government time, I always say! So, even though the default time server that is listed in the pull down is -

time.windows.com

I am going to recommend that you change this so that you are receiving time updates from an official government time server, from whichever country that you live in. For happy-going folks in the United States, I want you to open up your web browser and go to this website -

tf.nist.gov/tf-cgi/servers.cgi

Once you scroll down on this page you will find a list of time servers that you can enter into the pull-down where you previously saw time.windows.com. I propose that you choose a time server that is closest to your location, but they are all accurate for the most part. When you find a time server address that you want to use (such as nist-la.ustiming.org) you can click on the server pull-down and highlight the text that's already in it. Then type in the new server that you chose from the NIST site. Once you do this hit the update button to seal the deal. Now your computer's time will synchronize with that server every time Windows does an automatic online time server check. If you're operating offline like I am most of the time, you will have to do a manual update every once in a while. Windows will maintain the time synch, as long as nothing crazy happens to your computer, like the removal of the CMOS battery, or a power surge. Every once in a while you should synch the time again just to make sure that all is well. I usually do this every two to four weeks, just to be on the safe side. You may be wondering why I didn't just leave time.windows.com as the time server. Well, if you want to do that you can, but remember that Microsoft does not govern or regulate time. I prefer to go straight to the source, and in most cases using the government synch is a best practice, verses using a commercially hosted time server.

You can do the same for any secondary machines that you use to frequently connect to the internet. To make sure all of your machines retain the accurate time, you have to do one more thing on top of what I've just showed you. This is especially true for any machine that stays on the internet for any long period of time. Remember when I said that there are some viruses, malware, and hackers out there that like to sabotage the time settings on computer systems? They sometimes do this in order to cover their tracks, when they breach the machines that they target. I've certainly had my share of experiences with sporadic time-shifting on my laptop that I often use to communicate with clients, or receive files from the internet. The solution to this issue evaded me for a while until I came across the time.gov website. I noticed that it offered a time widget app that can automatically update the time on a computer every ten minutes. It's a cool application, but due to my experience with computers on a technical level, I realized that the program could easily be targeted and shutdown by a virus without me even knowing it; plus, ten minutes was a little bit too long of an interval for what I had in mind. So, I decided to do some research into what this widget did under the hood - behind the veil in windows, each time it updated or made sure that the system time was synchronized with my preferred internet time server. I came across the answer about half an hour later.

There is a registry key in Microsoft Windows that is responsible for telling the Windows Time Service when to synch the time with your desired time server. Here it is -

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\W32Time\TimeProviders\NtpClient\SpecialPollInterval

Before we continue, I would just like to say that you should do some research on how to access and edit the Windows Registry, so that you are "proficient" at it. If you screw up your computer while following these steps, please don't blame me for it, seeing how it's not my fault, of course.

No.... Really, it isn't.

Sarcastic but true, nonetheless.

Moving on!

Take a look at Figure A and notice how there are two values in the data column for SpecialPollInterval? The value listed in the image for SpecialPollInterval is 0x00093a80 (604800).

Figure A

Both values are equal though the first is in hexadecimal, and the second is in standard numeric (or decimal). These values are the equivalent to 604,800 seconds. So, if you divide this number by 3600 (equal to one hour in seconds), and then divide by 24 (1 day), you will get a value of 7 (1 week). We've just discovered that by default the Windows Time Service synchs with the preferred internet time server once a week. Don't get nervous if you see something other than a value of 604800. We're going to do some tweaking, so it won't matter. Let's just say that one synch per week just won't do, for our purposes.

Nope! Not at all.

When I first tried this procedure I immediately decided to impose a smaller time update increment. I thought of a nice round number that would aid me in keeping a concise computer file record. A smaller poll interval would reduce the likelihood of the computer having inaccurate time for an extended period of time. After some experimenting I decided to use a three minute interval; however, such a small value might cause the NIST time server to block your computer or IP address. I've heard that it's best to use a value of 36000 (ten minutes). It's up to you to decide what works best for your work and schedule management. But keep it as tight as possible. So, if you would kindly double-click on the SpecialPollInterval key, a dialog box like the one in Figure B should pop up. As I've said, the value that you see is in hexadecimal.

Figure B

Change it to decimal and then enter your desired value in seconds. Now hit OK, and that's it. From now on, your computer time will readily update in accordance with the time increment that you entered, whenever it's online. Follow the same steps for any other computers that you want to apply the same settings to.

"What if I don't use Microsoft Windows," you might ask in despair?

Don't worry; I got your back.

In Appendix B there are some notes on how to configure the network time settings for Mac OS (Unix) and Linux based operating systems.

~----~ 0 ~----~

Ok, so we've got the time all setup up. Now we're ready to rock... well, almost. Not so fast there Mr. or Ms. fancy pants Digital Artist.

There's something you have to consider before picking up that Wacom drawing tablet. In the past most illustrators and painters used to always draft things out on a plain old sketch pad. These days they jump right onto the computer and start sketching masterpieces in Photoshop, Painter, Sketchup, or some other cool art program. It makes sense that they would do this, especially in a commercial art studio environment, because it saves time and it increases productivity. In such an environment you don't have to worry that much because your employer has security measures in place to protect their intellectual property rights from industrial espionage. Furthermore, commercial workstations are on networks that utilize sophisticated firewall hardware and software. Lastly, some of these machines might even have capture software that record what a person does on them (keep this in mind for later). However, if you're a freelancer who works from home, I highly recommend that you pause for a moment and sketch your concept out on paper first.

"Why," you might ask?

Freelance artists along with small business owners are very vulnerable to various forms of industrial espionage, and sabotage. For this discussion we should consider that the simple act of secretly acquiring information (without authorization) about what a professional artist is developing for a client, can be construed as industrial espionage; this also depends on who is doing the snooping, and when. This offense becomes more heinous if the objective of the snooping is to sell the acquired information, or perhaps use it for competitive purposes. Most artists have to sign non-disclosure agreement forms for their clients when they begin working on a project. If a person is breaching that artist's privacy by copying what he or she is working on, this could put both the artist and the artist's clients at risk for a lawsuit. If getting the artist entangled in litigation was the initial goal of the privacy violator, then voila! That violator successfully executed an act of industrial sabotage against the artist.

I know, it's a lot to consider, but there's more. There has to be, because this book has more pages that you haven't read yet.  
...

Let me do that scary voice thing now... Ahem.  
...

Be advised if you are a digital artist (adding an echo). When you work on your computer everything you are doing is highly visible, because it all appears on a computer monitor that emits electromagnetic radiation. Did you know that even if your monitor is not facing a window, someone can still see what you're doing on it? Monitor screens and cables emit radiation that can be read with receivers, thereby someone with the right equipment can see exactly what you're doing on your PC if they fancy to. If such a person is linked and locked onto the electromagnetic emissions signature of your monitor then they can easily capture your work-in-progress at a very early stage, all in order to claim it as their own without your knowledge.

Think about it...

What if they take a remote screen capture of your concept, clean it up in Photoshop, and then rush to register it with a third-party copyright service? That's right; technically (officially) they would own that concept, even though you are the one who actually created it first. Though later inquiries might bring that fraudulent registration into question, they obviously got the upper hand on you. On top of that you should consider how a lot of artists create great concepts, and just leave them on their computer without ever registering them with a copyright registrar. This sort of attitude increases the chances that a person who may have stolen their work with advanced technology might get away with taking official ownership of it, after acquiring it illegally.

Well here's the good news about all that.

Good old-fashioned pencil-on-paper sketches don't have such technical vulnerabilities. On top of that they are very easy to make. Initial sketches of a design, concept, or composition don't have to be masterpieces. However, they do have to accurately delineate the final intentions of a piece to a certain degree; substantially similar to what you plan on making the final production-ready art to look like. If possible, make a quick Xerox copy of the sketch and add some color to the photocopy with colored pencils or some markers. My old favorite is Dr. Martin's Dyes (liquid watercolor). When you've done this there is only one more step that is needed in order to protect what you've created thus far, before it goes on your computer. The reason that you might not want to work on the computer first by the way, is if you suspect that someone is engaging in the aforementioned monitor snooping against you. Thus, if concept development initially takes place on the computer this obviously means that they will see the concept sketch from the get-go. Thus, you may want to secure the date or time of creation before that sketch ever graces the monitor of your workstation.

In case you don't know - it's far easier to establish the creation date of an image file than it is to precisely pinpoint the time when a pencil drawing was made. This is why you should take a digital snapshot of the line and color sketches that you've just created. My current camera of choice is a pre-owned Nikkon Coolpix S6100 that I bought from Amazon.com. It takes clear 16 megapixel images which actually allow me to skip the art scanning process in some cases. I simply load copies (never the originals) of the pictures in Photoshop, and crop them accordingly. Sometimes I have to adjust the resolution - depending on the project. Using digital cameras these days is so easy. This is why I can even take one snapshot every 10 minutes when I am working on something that is highly detailed. By doing this I can have several progressive images that show how the work was developed on my old-fashioned drafting table. I've seen people video tape their concept productions before and I wondered why they did that apart from the need to show off. The key is to delay when an intruder actually sees "the work." Though it's not the case for everyone, there are people in the creative industry who are aware that someone is trying to scope their work from the moment that it takes on a digital signature (gets put on a computer).

Regardless of whatever digital camera that you wield as your mighty weapon, you have to make sure that the time and date are both accurate, before you take a photo to document your work. At this junction, I really don't recommend cell phone cameras for taking such snapshots; they tend to screw up the dates and times when you transfer images out of them. Once you've taken a few good snapshots of your work with a reliable camera, you should locate a secure computer that has the correct time and date. Use it to copy the photos onto your preferred storage medium, such as an external hard drive, flash drive, CD, or DVD. I like using rewritable CD's to double-up on the data that I put on my flash drives, because CD's are not so volatile, or susceptible to electromagnetic interference (EMI). Such interference can cause data loss on most storage drives. Seeing how my digital camera has an LCD screen, I can check whether the images are good enough for my production workflow(s). Thus, I usually don't look at them on my computer until I begin the next phase of this kind of project. Yeah, I just keep the pictures on the camera for a while - sometimes for an entire year. When you isolate the sketch phase of your creative process like this so that it involves no workstations, you are increasing the likelihood that the foundation of the project will remain confidential and safe from prying eyes in the digital world.

On a technical note, consider that camera memory or storage is quite similar to hard drive storage. If your digital camera is setup correctly it can be quite reliable for ascertaining file chronology. Ultimately, the use of a digital camera to bridge between my draft table and Photoshop, is a punch in the gut for anyone who might be illegally probing my monitor. They never get to snatch the digital file at the time that it was originally created, and this is a key point. If someone is actually spying on my workstation, they'll only get to see the concept when I'm ready to work with it; and if that's one year later then phhffffttt - hah, sorry bud. It's a subtle maneuver but effective, nonetheless. Another thing that I want to throw out there is that digital camera forensics is a serious BEAST. Just know that the noise produced by a digital camera's lens and CCD is unique for every camera. These days electronic forensics specialists can identify which camera was used to take a picture, simply based on the noise signature in the image alone. So, good luck to any thief who's stealing those image captures of artwork and claiming that they own them.

Use your experience, best judgment, and awareness of how valuable your work is for keeping it top secret. Speaking of 'top secret,' when I was conducting tank research for a 3D model I was creating in 2014 I noticed that tank manufacturers were still posting traditional hand drawn blueprints of their tank specifications. It's an interesting find because car manufacturers conversely use vector graphics for their published blueprints or parts. It seems that military contractors still employ the use of traditional line art for developing schematics. That gives us a clue about why it might be a good idea to start with traditional sketches for security reasons. Furthermore, it may be a good idea to never publish an accurate schematic for a really good concept.

That's pretty much it. I use this process quite a bit when I work on any type of artwork that I deem to be of great importance. When I work for clients on certain jobs this process is automatic. If the "work" is important enough, I simply use a third-party non-repudiation registration service like Digistamp, as a placeholder until the client does their own copyright registration. This is a great idea for logos, or concepts, but I don't use it that much for commercial graphic design; because a lot of what I develop in that specific niche is derived from what a client has already registered on their end. For instance, an online catalog is not filled with a lot of original concepts. It's mostly filled with manufactured products, the client's already registered logo, typography, and cool design thingies that you can't sue someone for stealing, really. Unless someone clones the whole magazine it won't really be worth it. Yet, it seems likely that they (IP thieves) may not even try something like that for a common catalog or magazine layout. Even so, they'd have to do strange things to get the most out of it, such as taking on the entire product line in the catalog, changing prices, and other things. It seems like way too much work, and in the end they'd be highly visible if they want to make decent money off this scam. Plus, there's the inclusion of stock photos that are purchased from the groovy place that all the hip graphic designers get their commercial photos from. Documenting the implementation of such design elements with the aforementioned steps doesn't seem all that urgent, but it's your call of course. It's kind of like website design in some cases. Originality in web design can be quite fleeting because of its inherent purposes. Remember back in 1998 when all those online stores looked just like Amazon.com? I think Amazon took that as a compliment rather than an insult, yah?

So, now that you've protected your work, or should I say your blueprint-  
...   
What? Need some clarification?  
...  
Relax.  
Just a little hint about how you should think about your sketches on occasion.

Certainly, you can't build a complex piece of machinery without a blueprint? We all know that blueprints serve as guides and instructions for all types of projects. Most of all they're subject to copyright protection 100%. So, if I'm going to make a digital painting or a 3D model of a concept, I need the blueprint. It may sound simple, or perhaps insanely simple, but it makes sense, dude. So if someone steals your work-in-progress that is based on a protected final sketch (blueprint), you can always refer to the digital photo of the sketch for establishing the date of origin, which is obviously linked to the final art. This is very helpful for digital workflows, if the final digital art is stolen using various technologies then the copyright for the final sketch (blueprint) has precedent.

Believe it or not, the "photo-taking of the sketch" process doesn't eat up that much time, depending on what you're actually creating of course. Taking the snapshots and storing them in the manner that I've described in this chapter will only take three to five minutes at the most. If you take the pictures in a good lighting situation you can actually use them to paint your digital artwork in a layer-based painting program such as Photoshop. Digital cameras can now take pictures that are 300 dpi (dots per inch). After I started using this approach I realized that it's not a huge price to pay, in order to secure a really good concept that may rock a client's world.

Think about it, for goodness sake!

Once an unauthorized person sees your concept you can't control what they do with it. However, having a good documentation procedure ensures that you can get your just due credit for that concept's existence, if it's original. In the next chapter I will show you how to add another layer of armor to what I detailed in this section. I will add some slight modifications to the current suggested creative workflow, in order to transform it into a real-time copyright infringer's worst nightmare.

On a final note, 3D Graphic Art theft is really hot these days for the purpose of creating games. So, when it comes to creating concepts that may be worth tens of thousands of dollars in labor make sure that you consider the negative breaking points in your security scheme, as they pertain to confidentiality. Such art is highly versatile and can be used for many purposes including 3D printing. A change of a texture here, and a minor tweak of the surface there can make a 3D model look totally different, and that's not fair to the artist who initially spent sixty hours creating the model. Also, if you let the actual concept slip into someone else's hand's they can beat you to the punch in creating the model and that's big trouble if the stolen concept belongs to a studio or corporation. Ultimately, it seems very possible to fill a video game with stolen 3D models and get away with it by only making minor tweaks to the stolen content, such as wire frame topology changes. This is why your 3D model production and distribution methods need to be pretty tight, if you're a 3D artist.

Chapter 4

Real-time Protection for Everyone

In theory, now that we have secured your concept per the previous chapter, you can begin working on your computer in whichever software application that you prefer. You can even use the photos of the sketches as templates or reference drawings. Needless to say, the final art will look more refined and polished than the rough concept (hopefully). Sometimes the concept might transform into something else while you're working on it. If this tends to be the case in your work process then this is when real-time documentation seems to present itself as a good option, if you have the resources to support it. What do I mean by real-time documentation? Well, I simply mean that you can document your work LIVE while you're creating it. This can help you prove two important things; the first being that you are capable of creating the work. The second point is that you are the one creating it. You may not realize it but a video recording which shows the entire production of a piece of artwork is quite powerful, in many ways. Essentially, we are talking about a tangible document that contains footage, showing your activities during the entire work process. This disallows any real-time copyright infringer (or any infringer) from dodging the bullet if they get caught using your work without authorization. Ok, so how do we fulfill this need for real-time documentation in a computer-centric workflow?

Don't worry guys - stick with me and I will take you places...

When I work on my computer to create any sort of significant artwork I use a screen recorder called Debut (version 1.63 or later). Once again, remember that guy I told you about - the one who boasted about being able to see everything on my monitor, from somewhere and someplace? Well it seemed like he could have very well made a progressive recording of all my art work too (while I created them over the years). I figured that since he fancied boasting about his illegal activities pertaining to privacy breaching, he may have been probing other computers in the neighborhood as well. I'm not talking about downloading software from the internet. What I am describing here is the use of illegal technology to covertly access private computers in residential areas.

I can only suspect that I rained in on his parade when I combined a simple Logitech Deluxe web camera with my PC screen recorder. Yes, I propped my webcam on a surface that overlooked my workstation. However, I made sure to frame the picture, so that my keyboard and drawing tablet were fully visible on the webcam feed along with me: face, shoulders, and all. It took me a while to fully grasp the ramifications of doing this. I was literally able to capture my work in real-time, from start to finish, while I appeared onscreen. Every mouse click and key stroke was captured by the webcam and embedded in the screen capture video. There are testing proctors out there that kind of do the same thing, but the quality differs. I would also expect that some corporations use this type of system to monitor employee activity on workstations. However, in our case - I did not have to buy any new or expensive equipment. I think that most of you will appreciate this. Just check out the way that I usually arrange my computer's onscreen desktop in Figure AB.

It seems obvious and straightforward; however, consider how powerful this setup is if someone is illegally cloning your monitor with EMR readers in order to steal intellectual property from you. Notice that the web camera application in Section C has an overhead view of the person who is working at the workstation (you). All the keystrokes or finger placement(s) on the keyboard will match what pops up onscreen in the word processing software (as shown in Section A). All this is captured by the screen capture software that is running in the background (signified by the red dot in the lower right hand corner of the screen). By the way, Section B is simply a notepad for taking notes when I am writing.

Figure AB

So, how much room does this leave for someone who is trying to illegally capture your digital work by cloning your monitor screen, with technologies that read the emissions from it? It leaves practically no room at all, as long as the system time on your computer is as close as possible to NIST settings! If someone does intentionally infringe upon your work, your series of videos will be very useful in court, as evidence. Ultimately, when the file records are compared, the truth shall be known.

Another good thing to note about using the webcam in the way that I've described it is that no one can use a cloned feed from your monitor and sell it as an instructional tutorial, without having to edit the video. If they try this and you find out about it then they'll have to explain why the video is cropped in a weird fashion, which corresponds with how you arrange application panels onscreen (like in Figure AB). Even if they doctor their illegal video to cover it up, their master video will ultimately be a shoddy duplicate of yours. Can you imagine what would happen if a client of yours saw a tutorial video available online for how you created their original concept that they haven't even debuted yet? Not good at all.

Now, if you're in a situation where someone is purposely stealing your work and trying to render you helpless in doing anything about it, rest assured that real-time documentation is a very strong tactic that will make such people understand that you mean business! How can anyone deny that you're the creator of a piece of artwork that was created at such and such time, especially when you have an accurately dated series of videos which show you producing the artwork, from beginning to end? It wasn't that hard to conceive of this concept for artistic purposes, and quite frankly it's weird that no professor in school ever suggested it to me. Perhaps it had something to do with the possibility that real-time copyright infringement might not have been as prevalent back then? Who knows?

In my opinion, unless you suspect that someone is watching you with a hidden camera you don't really have to be all that bothered with recording your work sessions, if you're using traditional media (once you've secured the concept of the piece). If you're using a computer to produce 50% to 100% of your work then it's a good business decision to employ real-time documentation to support your copyright(s) for very important jobs. Though, you must first access if certain trends in your life suggest that your copyrights are under threat in the first place. You don't have to always record the whole process. Sometimes you can document only a few key portions of the process with real-time video. For example, record the production of the final composition drawing once all the sketches and drafting is done. Then later on you can focus on capturing the midway and final portions of the painting process. If you're working in a digital format then it's a good practice to save multiple versions of your painting(s) in-progress (painting_001, painting_002, etc.). Both documentation methods constitute quite a substantial body of evidence, when combined. Again, the intensity with which you pursue these forms of documentation is entirely at your discretion. Ultimately, if you feel like your copyrights are at risk then flip the record switch to the 'ON' position.

Chapter 5

Getting More Tech Savvy

Back in Chapter 3 I introduced you to the applicable theories, concepts, and procedures that are all vital aspects of information security. Now I will go into more detail on the application of such, as they pertain to how one can devise a security solution for a digital workflow. Such can and will debunk the manufactured evidence that real-time copyright infringers often generate, in order to hijack a creative product. Everything that I address in this book is pretty much in the defensive arena. I will not be giving you vengeful advice about how to go after those IP (intellectual property) crooks, in order to make them pay - byte for byte.

Nope. No vengeful kung fu moves here, dude; just good old-fashioned vigilance.

You should always be civil whenever or if ever you discover that your intellectual property rights have been infringed upon. Sometimes the infringing party may not even know that they've infringed upon anything of yours at all. Furthermore, they may have acquired the infringing material from a dishonest party. Be advised that real-time infringement is always intentional and premeditated. So, it's possible that other parties involved in selling the products of real-time infringement might actually be clueless about the origins of such material. The first thing that most serious authors tend to do when they find out that their work has been infringed upon is write a Cease and Desist letter to the infringing party.  
When should you send a Cease and Desist letter, or take legal action against an infringer? That's totally up to you. However, speaking to an attorney about it first is usually a good step. Even before that you should do your research, and be able to explain why you think that someone has infringed upon your copyright(s).

There's one habit that a lot of artists have which makes the theft of intellectual property very tempting for some of the bad buys. Hey, I'm not blameless at all in this regard. Sometimes when I'm done working on a creative piece, whether it be a visual or literary one, I might shelf it for a long time, or just leave it in my hard drive. We live in a digital age and it's possible for a file such as a digital painting from a private collection to find its way onto the web without the artist's permission. This could be done several ways, but I won't dwell on that. My main point is that you shouldn't be caught off guard regarding such theft; and sometimes showing off your artwork that's bearing your nice big fat signature on it, is a nice way to deter the pilfering of it.

Once you've completed and secured your work (the copyright) it's a good idea to make it visible, so that others will know that you have mad skills. If you're not keeping the work close to your chest or hidden from the public for any particular reason, then it sure doesn't hurt to display it somewhere. Sites like Portfolios.com and Artwanted.com are good places to post your work, so that others can witness the masterpieces that you've created. If your work is highly visible then you won't have to tackle this question?

"When did the suspect have access to your work, before he infringed upon it?"

Sometimes crooks will take comfort in the fact that you don't know when and how they stole something from you. That would be what some field operatives refer to as a theft which has a zero residual presence. Not knowing the time frame for a crime certainly makes it hard to draw up a list of suspects and thenceforth. Thus, keeping creative pieces private for too long (especially if they're digital) could negatively affect the work's value. It could also make the cache of creative material appear more tempting to a thief. Unpublished digital work can be pawned off to studio producers much easier than digital pieces that everyone has seen being attributed to a particular artist (you). So, there are certain strategies you can employ to get your work out there and perhaps into the realm of social media, where it can make an impact - for a short while at least, if not perpetual.

For example you can post updates regularly on your personal website, and then post links to them on pages in social media, such as Google+. This will generate more traffic for your website and get your work more exposure. I know it seems obvious - posting your work to make it easier for people who like stealing artwork, to get caught stealing it.

Hey. Why not?

Though it's not such a big deal for me, but you never know. Some desperate or greedy people just prefer to emulate artists and not even attempt to modify anything so that it's not substantially similar. I can respect if someone wishes to imitate a piece that I've created if they change things to a certain degree. That's how I started up back in the days - working from comic books 'n stuff. Albeit, this book doesn't address that relatively infantile stage of an artist's development. No, this book deals with more dastardly deeds that are perpetrated by criminal minds.

Overall, I kill two birds with one stone when I post my pieces. I get exposure for my work and a way to prove that someone had access to it if they create something that's infringing, after the fact. You know what? Nah, I'll just go ahead and create a masterpiece, so that I can hide it in a closet in my basement.

Lol...

Right. It's far easier to say that someone had access to your creative material if it's published; and that makes a huge difference when it comes to your receipt of statutory damages as a result of their infringement. Some things you'll create just to show off, and some things you'll create for private reasons. What I'm really saying is that some of those private creations may benefit from some air time on your web site for a while, to deter theft against them (especially if someone local is eyeing them for appropriation). So, if a group of elves are happily brewing up some valuable illegal content using private digital artwork collections that they stole from unbeknownst creative professionals, to avert detection they might skip using work from artists who like publishing their pieces.

It's like saying that an industrial spy will probably stop manufacturing intergalactic ray guns that are based on your secret blueprints, if you decide to go ahead and disclose those blueprints to a manufacturer of your own, who will market your ray guns.

Yes, it's conceivable that there are particular IP thieves out there who are stealing other people's unpublished work for the sake of making an archive of works, which they will eventually claim the rights to on the down low. The people that they steal from may even wonder why it seems like some unknown force is negatively affecting their finances, careers and even family life. Some underground infringement circles systematically engineer crises while replicating whatever their targets are developing. Then one day some person kindly says, "By the way would you like to sign over that novel as a way to pay off this enormous debt?" It is conceivable that such a person would be part of the group that caused the financial troubles for you in the first place. This kind of thing happens a lot to minorities with talent in areas pertaining to entertainment. This is one of the reasons why some creative professionals hold off on publishing their work in the first place.

Even so, posting your work on a forum at least, will exponentially nullify such dastardly efforts to a point. This also means that the question of 'access' (to your work) would be moot, in an official proceeding regarding copyright infringement. Such will especially be true if it was infringed upon after you registered the work with a third-party copyright protection service (if not the Library of Congress).

I personally don't like posting my work just for the heck of it, because some artwork is just too cool too show off just yet. It's like having a secret weapon in your back pocket, in case a client needs to see something fresh and hip. If you're going to keep your work private and locked down in the Bat Cave, make sure that you register it with at least one non-repudiation service. Myfreecopyright.com, Copyrighted.com and Digistamp.com are just three examples. Since Myfreecopyright.com and Copyrighted.com are free, and Digistamp.com only requires 40 cents per registration, using these services won't hurt your wallet too much. Yup, you'll most certainly still have plenty of cash for scones n' stuff.

Or is it 'biscuits with raisins?'

~----~ 0 ~----~

Let's talk about keeping your work safely stored. When you register material with a non-repudiation service or even the United States Copyright Office you have to make sure that you keep a clean and unaltered copy of the registered file(s) - in a safe place like a solid-state hard drive, or a reliable optical storage disc. At some point the authentication of the file(s) might be necessary, and most often it will involve the original hard drive that the original files were saved on during the initial production of the creative material. When it comes to computer file-keeping and management you have to follow a few good rules in order to make them easy to sort and identify. One of the most important rules would involve your file saving and naming conventions. You should not use the simple "save" command when you work on an important file at length. "Save" will overwrite existing data in the previously saved instance of the file, and alter the "date modified" property of it. So, if you are fine-tuning or editing your work, but as you do so you keep using the 'save' feature, you are setting yourself up for some file management issues. Yup, I know it's simple, but I've seen people who will work several hours on a project while saving to the same file name and version (over and over again). This is obviously a problem if you need to go back and change any transitional modifications that were made to that file, previously. Such setbacks may not be a big deal in word processing, but what about a digital painting? That's right, you have to go back and redo everything, again. So, in order to stop this madness just use "save as," and append the file name with a new version number.

Sorry if I seem like I am treating you as if you're technically challenged to the max; but seriously... I have seen people work on an entire project, having only saved under the same file name - essentially overwriting the same file over and over again. If you've just blushed and feel like I've just called you out then looky here, buddy.

For instance, say if you had a Photoshop file named,

my masterpiece.psd

The first thing you should do is remove the space between the words my and masterpiece. Some computers don't like this type of naming convention, and it could cause problems on your client's end. Some clients are not very tech savvy and the idea of renaming files for compatibility issues might not surface until several hours later - after they've called you several times complaining about a bum file that won't work.

Do yourself a favor and check this out -

Take the file name -

my masterpiece.psd

and change it to -

myMasterpiece.psd

Notice how I added the capital M after removing the space in between my and masterpiece? This makes the filename easier for most pc's to handle in regards to sorting. Most programs or software don't like the use of spaces in file names, or in the names of any data that has to be processed within the programs themselves. I'll give you an example of what I meant by the handling of the file. Take a look at Figure C. Notice how the files are very well organized? This is because I arranged them with the date modified sorting method, instead of by name (Right-click/ Sort By/ Date). If I set the sorting method to name then the whole thing becomes confusing like in Figure D. Notice how everything that begins with the number one is not in the proper order and was moved to the top of the list? Then see how all the other numbers read in backwards order from top to bottom? This is how binary and decimal sorting works in a computer. To avoid having to tango with this type of thing when you want to find a particular file, simply name them like this.

myMasterpiece_001.psd

Check out Figure E. If you have 100 versions, modifications, or iterations of files that use this file naming and versioning convention they will all be sorted properly when you sort by name and date; as long as they were created in the proper chronology (oldest to newest). Adding the extra zeroes to the version number is referred to as number padding. This makes the computer force the file names into the proper order, even after reaching the number ten.  
Figure C - File Naming method - including project name and version number.

Figure D - Same naming as Fig. C. Messy version numbering when sorted by name. Soooo bad for optical media compilations.

Let's take a look at the generally recommended file naming method as shown in Figure E.

Figure E - Project name with number-padded version number.

When you burn these files to disc you won't get any surprises with the file order that will make it difficult to locate specific files further on down the line. Every thing will remain in order for both name and date sorting until you reach version number 999, for this example.

Hmm.... Isn't that 666 upside down?

Whoa - that's sooooo ominous.

Just kidding! No spooky computer doomsday talks in this book! Y2K is long gone. Moving on...

Like I said before, if you follow through with the correct process for naming files you'll save yourself some trouble when utilizing the programs that you need on a regular day-to-day basis. For instance, if you're a 3D artist the proper naming of files will help you avoid issues with render engines. Getting rid of spaces in the file names, and using underscores instead of hyphens will benefit you a lot. In addition to this you should also avoid adding special characters (#, @, ©, $, %, &, *), when naming files. Though when creating the actual artwork or signing a masterpiece you'll want to use the character ©, right next to your name. It stands for Copyright, in case you didn't know (lol).

The last thing that I should mention is the issue of storage management, when it comes to full hard drives or older hard drives. Sometimes it's a good idea to clone a drive for backup purposes. When doing this it's best to consider the older hard drive as a precious artifact that should NOT be discarded. That's why when I run out of hard drive space I usually archive the bloated hard drive, and move onto a larger one. Sometimes I clone the old one onto the newer and hopefully larger capacity drive. If you are dealing with a defective drive or a corrupted one it's your call, but I would recommend running diagnostics and recovery before doing anything destructive to the drive (like attempting to format it). When a hard drive does not work it's usually because the onboard electronics are fried. In that case the drive can still be salvaged by replacing its circuitry (PC board) or having professionals remove the internal discs (platters) for further analysis, in a recovery lab.

I have kept in mind how most corporations like to keep redundancies of their files. In consideration of real-time copyright infringement, if not simply copyright infringement, keeping your old hard drives should be a non-negotiable practice (even if they don't work). Hard drives tell a lot about what a person does on their workstation or computer; if you're honest having it available will help a lot in an infringement case.

Why?

The intellectual property thieves are becoming more adept in making their efforts pervasive - virtually undetectable and incapable of being quantified. The more qualitative data that you have available for an investigative party to process, the better.

One last thing that I should mention to you is that registering your hard drives with their respective manufacturers is important. When you think about it this makes sense concerning everything we've discussed so far. Don't be a victim of a hard drive clone and switch caper - something that could hurt your case in court if you're trying to fight real-time copyright infringement. Someone could clone your system drive with a matching model and then take your old hard drive, without you even knowing it. Although they can't easily use it because of all the personal data contained (both active and overwritten) in the drive, such an occurrence could complicate things for you in regards to electronic forensics. It's also possible that 'they' could simply find a person who has the same name as you to front the cloned drive. This would work if there was a total lack of specific information on the drive that could be linked to your true identity. This is a probable scenario because sometimes a drive may only be used to store manuscripts and nothing else. That's why it's good to label the metadata properties of your files so that they can be easily identified with you. So, if you've registered your drive with its manufacturer, any drives that surface which bear the registered serial numbers, will be held in question.

~----~ 0 ~----~

Something came to mind one day when I was just thinking about data backup plans. As one would expect you would want a backup strategy in case something happens to disrupt your workflow; like if you're apartment is ever raided by rogue spooky ninjas, or something like that. In respect to the subject matter in this book, I was thinking of something more along the lines of data redundancy. Yes, something more pertinent to hard drive cloning and backup portability. One day I posed myself a scenario as part of my objective to find a solution.

If someone where to replicate my entire creative collection as I was creating it over the years, they would have substantial leverage over me in court if they somehow arranged for my hard drive to be stolen whilst I was traveling abroad. Or perhaps they would prefer to just burn my house to the ground in order to cover up the theft. I know it's a bit much, but it's happened before to certain people.

Either way, the essential question is...

'Got reliable backups?'

Sure, many people have backup hard drives, but they tend to be clunky and somewhat cumbersome - not very discrete. Even the small ones they make these days that are the size of laptop hard drives tend to get compromised at the most inopportune time. I started to brainstorm about how I could consolidate my work to make it portable while keeping an emphasis on stability. Most often the very important projects that I am engaging in at any given time usually span the course of one calendar year. Projects that are older than that have either already been published or registered somehow. Those projects get archived, so that they don't congest my work drive. This certainly ensures that the hard drives which I use for my periodical backups have to be of a certain size - quite large. So, for the sake of portability I started scouting the technology websites and forums for new options.

Did you know that these days one can buy a 64 gigabyte flash drive that fits on a key chain in a very sleek manner? There are some silver flash drives of this sort that are so discrete, and have substantial resistance to moisture or physical abuse. Such would be great for interim backups of much needed files for certain projects. Yet, what role could such devices serve in regards to one being able to furnish a viable copy of their work that could satisfy certain forensic requirements? What I essentially wanted was to have a trusty forensic copy of my work hard drive - available at any given time, while I was traveling. Of course it would be great if the medium that the forensic copy was stored on ceased to be considerably bulky or too fragile.

In case you didn't know there is a difference between a clone that is made with consumer hard drive replication software, and what some call a forensic or RAW copy of a drive. There are some files and configurations that get lost when you clone a hard drive with consumer cloning software. Thus, the reliability of hard drive data can be brought into question if certain procedures are not followed when a hard drive is cloned. Thus, one should probably learn how to make a reliable clone of their hard drive, so that it will stand a chance in court if the original drive is stolen, lost, damaged or compromised. In order to create a forensic clone of a computer storage drive one needs to make a .DD copy of it. Relatively speaking, this type of process is often associated with Linux and Unix systems. It's what forensic experts utilize when they take possession of a hard drive via the normal chain of custody procedures, for computer forensics analysis. Before they do anything with the original hard drive they make a .DD (RAW) copy of it. Once that's done, they seclude the original drive and run tests on the copy, only. There are a few easy to use utilities that can create .DD copies when the computer boots up. In reality the dd in .dd is sort of an acronym for a Linux command that allows one to create a raw copy of a storage device.

Here is a snippet of code for example. Oh, and by the way - don't try any of this stuff out until you know what you're doing on a Linux or Unix system.

# dd if=/dev/ of=/dev/ bs=512 conv=noerror,sync

This next command would produce a raw copy of the original source drive on a target drive. The output can be sent to a file, if the drive is small enough; however, most often the .dd command is initiated for data replication, from drive (original) to drive (target).

# dd if=/dev/ of=home/user/linux_image.dd bs512 conv=noerror,sync

There are some utilities out there that can clone a hard drive to several discs. Well in the case of my writing habit(s) I would need Blu-ray media instead of 4.7 GB DVD's. Since Blu-Ray has more storage capacity I would be able to clone an entire 120 GB drive onto only six of these discs. In regards to what I had in mind I felt that simply using a 64 GB solid state drive was good enough. If I wanted to stay with this drive size I could simply reduce the storage size footprint of my projects by ceasing to use screen recording, as a component of my real-time documentation procedures. As of late I've been substituting screen recording with something that I developed, which I call Chrono-Barrier. It's a template system that acts as an authentication mechanism, because it can be used to identify who a literature production belongs to simply because of the way that it's scheduled. So, after implementing Chrono-Barrier, it appeared as if the only real-time recording apparatus that I needed to use was a digital audio record. In the end this is the bill of materials I came up with for a literary production solution.

1) 64 GB Solid State Hard Drive

2) Microsoft Windows Operating System

3) Trusty Word Processor

4) Digital Sound Recorder

5) Chrono-Barrier 2.5 (will talk about this in detail later)

6) MFT and Metadata Exporter Utility

7) Clonezilla

8) Bootable Linux Utility for making .dd clones

9) Blu-Ray Discs

Let me build this thing from scratch, now.  
So, I load Windows onto the 64 GB Solid State drive, which is more reliable and durable than the average typical hard drive. Once the OS is loaded along with my other software I'll use my word processor of choice to write my manuscripts, in accordance with a schedule that was generated with Chrono-Barrier v2.5. During each writing session I would fervently use the digital recorder to elaborate upon certain ideas before I write them into the manuscript. Every once in a while, I'll export the metadata for my whole entire hard drive and keep it on file (takes only minutes). Incidentally, having a copy of the Master File Table from a hard drive can come in handy. It's helped me before in certain cases where files have disappeared off my hard drive for no reason. The Master File Table can be exported and converted into an Excel document, so that you can examine the details of the drive's entire file record. With the case of finding lost files, performing data recoveries, and perhaps file system reconstructions, it would seem that a copy of the latest MFT from that hard drive could be of some considerable service.

Peradventure, I was to take a vacation at some point in the middle of the year, I would definitely make a reliable clone of my current work drive onto Blu-Ray media (3 discs). There are a few user-friendly programs that can make segmented clones, such as Clonezilla. I might also take extra initiative and create a .dd copy of the drive onto a series of Blu-Ray discs. The reason I recommend Blu-Ray has a lot to do with stability. Hard drives contain circuitry that can spontaneously go awry, but Blu-ray doesn't have that vulnerability; no microchips. Also keep in mind that there are discs out there which can store data for 1,000 years. Most optical media like DVDs, CDs, or Blu-Ray can reliably store data for about 12 years on average. However, M-Disc is an optical storage technology that can reliably hold data for 1,000 years, because the storage medium that the data is written on is an archival grade stone. I've checked the web and there seems to be a Blu-ray disc product out there which has the same properties. However, I think it's going to cost the consumers who want it quite a bit more than the standard grade Blu boy. If you look on Amazon.com you should find a 10 pack that's produced by ISODISC for fifty dollars or so. That should be coming down in price soon, I bet. In time optical media manufacturers will be marketing holographic storage media. Research it now, because it's the future. A company called Optware has been reported to have produced a holographic disc which can hold 5 terabytes of data. It's referred to as a HVD (Holographic Versatile Disc). Engadget released an article in August of 2004 discussing Optware's 1 Terabyte HVD. It's been said that none of these products have appeared on the general market yet, but that's how it was with Blu-ray before it permeated modern entertainment culture.

Let me sum it up for you. Ultimately, if you're in a situation where you don't trust your roommate, need to take a vacation, or something just doesn't seem right about certain acquaintances who keep asking you too many questions about what you're working on (when you haven't hinted or disclosed anything in that regard), then you might want to make a clone for safe keeps. The great thing about cloning is that you can reconstitute the operating system, so that it loads exactly as it did prior to when the clone was created. Thus, you won't have to reload all your precious software. Since .dd is a nice raw or unadulterated copy of the drive it would come in handy if the original drive was pilfered somehow. You never know, but the last thing I need is to come home from a vacation and turn on my computer to discover that all my data somehow spontaneously disappeared off my hard drive. This has happened to me before many, many, years ago.

I'm not saying that particular episode was a result of sabotage, but sometimes saboteurs won't steal a thing from you.

Nope, they won't steal anything at all.

They'll just break your stuff nice and discrete like, and walk off chuckling. Since, I don't always like to lean against data recovery as a contingency for hard drive issues (sometimes recovery is full of gray areas), I now prefer being proactive by following the steps that I've laid out in regards to cloning onto optical media. It works best when you keep the hard drive size small, so that you aren't going to be grievously occupied by burning fifty Blu-ray discs when you create a clone. It takes some extra effort, but it'll save you from pulling your hair out one day. But, you don't have to take my word for it.  
Just wait and see...

Chapter 6

Under Lock and Key - Encryption

In later chapters I will go over some things you might want to consider about managing your files and protecting them in response to certain human surveillance technologies - some of which can systematically decode what a person is "intending." I know it sounds rather scary and perhaps ridiculous, but it's no joke I assure you. One hint though... I think that a former wrestler, actor, and governor of a particular state in the United States dealt with this subject matter recently.

One thing to note about passwords in regards to advanced privacy breaching technologies is,

DO NOT KNOW your most important passwords.

I know this tops the weird factor when compared to the statement I've just made about mind-reading technologies, but just hear me out on this one for a moment. If someone is using highly invasive technology to systematically steal information from you, they can easily acquire your password over a certain period of time. In respect to computers there are things like key-loggers that can covertly transmit passwords over the internet. I've also come across some articles about viruses that can capture on-screen activity - rendering the use of a virtual keyboard somewhat useless. These are some pretty annoying obstacles, so let's deal with them. If you haven't noticed it yet there are lots of password utilities on the market. Such helpful programs allow you to manage your passwords in a way that makes them invisible, from the moment that they're created, up until the time that they're entered into password fields: browsers, graphical interfaces, etc.

When shopping for such tools you should make note of the following features as being very essential.

1) A strong random password generator that allows you to create a password that is from 40 to 256 bits long. The longer the password, the more insane the amount of time is to crack the password. Let me give you an example.

These are some figures that I acquired while searching online in various articles. This particular set of values is from eetimes.com.

Key size : 1 bit Possible combinations: 2

Key size : 2 bit Possible combinations: 4

Key size : 4 bit Possible combinations: 16

Key size : 8 bit Possible combinations: 256

Key size : 16 bit Possible combinations: 65536

Key size : 32 bit Possible combinations: 4.2 x 10^9

Key size : 56 bit Possible combinations: 7.2 x 10^16

Key size : 64 bit Possible combinations: 1.8 x 10^19

Key size : 128 bit Possible combinations: 3.4 x 10^38

Key size : 192 bit Possible combinations: 6.2 x 10^57

Key size : 256 bit Possible combinations: 1.1 x 10^77

In case you're not a math wiz; this symbol here ^ .

It means 'to the power of.'

Here are some examples of how much time it takes to break or crack some of those lengthy passwords.

Key size: 56 bit = 399 seconds

Key size: 128 bit = 1.02 X 10^18 years

Key size: 192 bit = 1.871 X 10^37 years

Key size: 256 bit = 3.31 X 10^56 years

2) Another feature that you need in the password vault utility that you choose to employ is the ability to copy a masked password to the clipboard, so that you can paste it into a password field. A masked password usually looks like this onscreen.

**********

Using the copy and paste feature in the utility will help you overcome keystroke logging that can occur when certain viruses infect your machine. It also stops anyone who is illegally reading your monitor's emissions from acquiring your password. Word to the wise, when you arrive at a desired website that prompts for a password to access *highly sensitive data, make sure that you disconnect your computer from the internet or network. This just ensures that there's no intercept of your password while you're copying and pasting it into the password field. It's possible for someone to get a read on the virtual clipboard, which holds and queues copy/ paste data in Windows. Once you disconnect from the web, load up the password vault and copy the desired password to the clipboard, via the utility's options. Then paste it into your browser (offline). Some password vault applications will post a message saying that there is a countdown until the clipboard clears. Make sure to wait for this process to complete before connecting to the internet once again. Since most websites won't require you to restart everything you're doing once you disconnect and reconnect to the internet, you can definitely paste passwords into character fields while you're offline. Then you can press the login button on the site when you reconnect. I know it's annoying, but I've gotten used to doing this for my most important passwords: banking, credit card accounts, and business email.

My USB password vault of choice is KeePass Portable. It has all the features that I've just mentioned and it can be installed on a flash drive. There are other ways to enter a password on a computer without allowing it to be seen by you or a remote observer, who might be probing your computer to steal information. If you want to get more advanced you can employ the use of a fingerprint password. This is perhaps a better method for entering and storing your most important passwords. Many fingerprint scanners have their own built in password vaults that can store several if not over a dozen passwords. Some even include a feature that auto fills password fields for certain websites. Lastly, the use of a fingerprint to generate a password is quite strong indeed, and the simple act of swiping your thumb over the fingerprint scanner certainly beats the copy-and-paste method.

One more thing. There are some programs that come with the feature that appears in the following figure, if you prefer the copy/ paste your password method. Figure it out.

Figure F

Look at the option that is checked off in Figure F, and let your imagination do the rest. By the way, don't ask me for more clues to the answer for this riddle. I won't know what you're talking about, my main man (lol).

Chapter 7

Social Engineering

Yup, this chapter is about when people think that they're super slick in how they try to get comfortably close to you.

Let's talk about social engineering everyone.

One of the main points to consider regarding information security is that if you want something to remain a perpetual secret and wish to claim that you kept it a secret, then don't tell anyone about it. This is especially true with the development of intellectual property that you deem as being "top secret." Although, when it comes to real-time copyright infringement the people who perpetrate it want to deprive you of being able to classify anything that you're working on as being "top secret." However, it's all a matter of relativity. Remember, those who are perpetrating this illegal form of industrial espionage, don't have the right to know what you're doing in private, as a creative professional. To mitigate the appearance of wrong-doing on their parts, they will use people to obtain information from you. Yet, consider how this doesn't render that information as "declassified." You're the one who decides when the declassification occurs, via publishing, distribution or posting it on Buddybook.com.

Therefore, overcoming the temptation to share profitable ideas with unprofessional or untrustworthy people is a good habit to develop. Granted, you must understand that ideas are not copyrightable; but if you stack up enough great ideas in a contextually comprehensive fashion then you have something that resembles a form of expression (something that is copyrightable). Keep this in mind when showing off your artistic brilliance to friends, colleagues, comrades and prospective romantic interests, especially.

Even a spy will tell you that if the other side knows what you're doing, under no circumstances do you utter a word of it for the record. So, if someone says that they know about your original manuscript and that they want a piece of the action, let them continue to make such claims to the effect that they expose themselves as a violator of your privacy. Even if they claim that they'll use your work without your permission, do and say nothing until they have the audacity to actually release it on the open market; if they start to make money off it, even better. After that they can't take it back, so to speak. Remember, getting into premature disputes over such quibble will make you look unstable and incredulous. Proof of Copying is the primary criteria for claiming that someone infringed upon your work. So, wait for the penny to drop before you try to cash in on copyright infringement against your work.

Sometimes when you've got something amazing going for you, sundry shady persons will try to bluff you, or perhaps punk you into abandoning it. It's also conceivable that someone will systematically steal your work and then try to coerce you into signing it over to them. Such tactics include but are not limited to unemployment issues, defamation, physical intimidation (gang-stalking), financial terrorism, social isolation, or in some cases electronic harassment (a relatively new tactic that resembles torture in many cases).

In the plights where unemployment becomes an issue, corrupt supervisors or managers can sometimes allow various types of harassment(s) in the workplace to go unchecked; all so that a targeted employee will have no choice but to leave a hostile work environment as a result of workplace mobbing. In the case of creative professionals such situations are sometimes engineered for the sake of illegal profiting. It's sometimes hard to pin-point or identify who the originator of such woes might be in such cases (especially if you're doing your job and getting along just fine at work), but that's why it's important to continue working on your creative projects, even in troublous times. Attacks of that sort can be used as a means for distraction, in order to stop you from succeeding in something, or finishing something that's going to be HOT. For example, if you're working on an awesome sequel and then trouble comes a callin', then you might want to initiate this thought process.

Ask yourself -

Why exactly is this happening now?

Has this ever happened before?

If so, then when?

What will this hinder me from accomplishing, if I become consumed or distracted by it?

Is there anyone that I've just met, that I know of, or close by who might benefit from the negative effects that may arise?

At times there are certain salient effects that people will inflict on you in order to disrupt your creative professional progress. One example that I'm quite familiar with is the endeavoring to deny a tenured employee a full-time job if he or she does not communicate about valuable personal projects. Most often the indication that one should disclose news about private lucrative projects is often hinted at informally in the workplace. If such prodding is ignored, things could get really uncomfortable. Take into consideration that I'm mostly referring to up-and-coming creative professionals who don't fully have both feet planted in their fields, and may be working other types of jobs in order to make ends meet. Such people usually don't have substantial financial or legal backing to fend off such annoyances. In some cases these attacks can become so mentally taxing that they won't even know where to begin in their defense against them.

Privy coworkers can also play a role in making it necessary for targeted creative professionals to leave their jobs in order to avoid false incrimination or harassment that's generated in relation to the aforementioned. This makes the targeted employee open to a multitude of financial woes that are intended to break them down, so that they'll comply with certain demands. It's also possible that a former employer will keep tabs on a recently separated employee in a manner that's off the books, with the purpose of gaining something. So, one has to ask if there is a correlation between extended (forced and artificial) unemployment, and the actual net worth of an unemployed creative professional's intellectual property (completed or in-progress), or abilities. In respect to such plights and methods, whoever seeks to co-op on your endeavors will not appreciate your use of this book. In all cases regarding what I've just expressly discussed here, if someone is threatening to infringe upon your work simply make note of it in tangible form and wait until you see proof of the infringement. Don't forget that making targeted creative professionals cry wolf is another tactic that these people use to leverage their success, by making you look unstable, incredulous, or insincere.

Let me backtrack a bit. Since I mentioned spying earlier, I will expatiate upon how social engineering which is in my opinion a low-level form of industrial espionage, could affect you as a creative professional. If you failed to take the mentioning of this term seriously in the previous chapters then you should sit up straight and pay attention now, because this is something that you need to understand. Let me give you an example of what social engineering is. It's going to be rather elaborate because I am a writer, after all.

Ok, here it goes.

It's night time. A group of three crooks are using an EMR reader in order to replicate images that appear on monitors in residential homes, as they drive their van through a suburban area. They accidentally tap into a monitor signature that seems to belong to an author who is writing her novel, in this later portion of the evening. These crooks take some time to read what she's writing and realize that she is literally writing the book of the year. Each night they go back to the same vicinity and record the monitor that they've tapped into - up until the time the author finishes writing the priceless book.

These crooks pat each other on the back and yell "Great we can publish the book and make tons of cash now!" However, they decide to do some research on the author that they're stealing from first. Her name is Soleil Fobindecker. These perfidious fellows soon learn that Ms. Fobindecker is not a famous author, notwithstanding the skill that she possesses as an independently published writer. In fact the novel she was working on for the past several weeks is going to be her third title. After a while these crooks realize that if they publish the novel in its current form, and it becomes a hit, Soleil may sue them for copyright infringement. If she does this the judge or judges will see that one of the claimants (either her or them) to the manuscript committed intellectual property theft, due to the prevailing understanding that two authors cannot independently (with no collaborative contact) write the same exact manuscript, at the same time. Furthermore, they consider how they started copying Ms. Fobindecker's work when she was at the halfway point of the book's completion. The villains become further discouraged after they check up on some legal concepts like idea patterns, idea-expression dichotomy, the common observer test, merger theory, and other legal standards that are utilized by judges in determining when (or how) copyright infringement has occurred against a manuscript.

The crooks soon come to the conclusion that even if they paraphrase, change words, characters, or modify some of the scenes in the manuscript they will have to essentially write a new book; more than what they bargained for, since they hoped to get paid some serious cash for doing essentially nothing other than stealing someone's work with advanced technology.

"I got an idea." One of these crooks say.

So, in lieu of the brilliant idea they decide to watch Soleil even more closely, to find out what her social habits are. They see that she does not have that many friends and seriously desires to find a boyfriend. This is based on the fact that she can't stop watching romance movies all the time. Furthermore, her novels are permeated with profound scenes that involve many matters of the heart.

Since none of the three crooks have a passion for romance they decide to outsource, by clueing in a dashing young fellow named Logan. He's from one of their rave dance group circles. Since he's a poet and a painter, they consider him to be a perfect candidate for sweeping Soleil off her feet; to tickle her fancy, if you know what I mean. After they send him off to play his part as Romeo in Soleil's life, she starts working on a new novel several days later. Imagine that?

After that it's practically a done deal.

In no time Logan begins to ask Soleil questions that eventually inspire her to tell him all about her literature, in substantial detail. He systematically asks Soleil questions that prompt her to show him her various works in progress. This continues over the course of a few months; Logan woos her considerably and Soleil tells him about some interesting parts from the plot, in her latest ongoing novel.

One day out of the blue, Logan stops coming around to visit for the purpose of telling Soleil how wonderful and pretty she is. He stops calling her and discontinues sending those cute texts \- telling her how much he likes her dimples when she smiles. As Soleil sits downs on her couch one day she decides to turn on the old television for the first time in a long time, for Logan has ceased to tickle her fancy, as of late. A book commercial appears and it's showcasing a new novel that everyone's buying.

"It's changing the face of modern literature and romance." The commentator says.

As the commercial announcer lists off the appealing characteristics of the novel they seem to resonate within Soleil for some reason, but she doesn't know why. That is until...

At the end of the commercial she sees a picture of the author. Soleil hears the announcer proclaim the name of, "James Beckford, the author of the hit book, Roses Maligned." Soleil has to do a double-take for old times' sake and then she refocuses her eyes on the TV. The author of Roses Maligned is Logan, and it seems like he goes by a different name, imagine that? Soleil immediately puts her slippers on and goes down the street to buy Roses Maligned, forthwith. Upon reading the first ten pages she is literally floored and rendered speechless. Then she flips into the middle of the book and reads several more pages, only to see that it's more of the same. She was literally reading her novel that she'd just finished two weeks ago which had a different title. Although there are a few minor differences in the apparent progression of certain scenes and stylistic renditions, Roses Maligned is pretty much a duplicate of her book. Soleil stares out through the window of the book store's cafe. She peers out directly through the clear spot in-between the eyes of the aquatic woman, in the circular logo that's etched onto the glass. Then she sighs...

"It's time to find a lawyer."

What do you suppose Soleil will encounter when she goes to court, seeing how these are the realities of her situation? Oh, and by the way - what I forgot to tell you was that as she was writing her novel, the previously mentioned group of crooks was creating a duplicate of it on their laptop. As with the first encounter, they employed a device that reads electro-magnetic radiation, to acquire a real-time visual of her computer screen, while she was working. Over the course of several weeks they used this technology to create their own version of her manuscript in real-time, from a remote location. They essentially typed it into a word processor on a "clean laptop." All their writing was done parallel with that of Soleil's.

It will not be an easy case for Soleil to win that's for sure.

1.) The subtle variations which exist in Roses Maligned in comparison with Soleil's work might make the idiosyncratic tendencies in her writing appear less discernable to an impartial observer.

2.) Another point is that she allowed Logan to get comfortably close to her and acquire detailed sensitive information about her novel while it was in progress, with hardly any inhibition on her part. To some extent it would appear as if they were collaborating authors - something that Logan will certainly claim (co-authorship). The crew that recruited Logan will definitely provide him with all the files that he needs to support the notion that he was writing a book too; for he is a published poet, is he not?. Yet somehow all his ideas became intertwined with Soleil's during their little love affair. After all, some of the ideas and suggestions he made while sensually whispering into her ear at times (whilst the book was in production), actually appear in her book - sometimes verbatim.

Hmmm...

Logan even provides evidence which proves that most of those suggestions were noted in his computer, many, many days before he ran them by her.

3.) One more crucial point is that Soleil failed to register the work with any protection service as she was creating it. The crooks that used Logan as a front man for palming the manuscript to a big time publisher didn't make the same mistake. They incrementally registered their illicit copy of the manuscript with a third-party non-repudiation copyright service, several times as Soleil was producing the manuscript.

Things aren't looking too good for Soleil, because she was not paying attention to how Logan was using his charms to acquire information from her; she was too trusting.

A lot of artists, writers, and creators are like Soleil. We tend to be mellow, hip and groovy man; therefore, we don't often stress things like copyright registration or information control by default. Well, it only took two episodes of some guy walking by my house and shouting out the words that I was writing on my computer (while I was writing them), before I woke up. If someone can systematically profit from copyright infringing against several authors like Soleil, then they will certainly do it. Granted they would probably use several front authors and ghost writers to launder the intellectual property, but it's still possible. Furthermore it's highly likely that they'd get away with it, in certain cases. This would be especially true if they registered illegal versions of the stolen manuscripts way before the rightful owners did. Most often a targeted writer wouldn't even know that material was "taken" and used, unless he or she read it in a book, or saw stolen portions of their content in an infringing cinematic piece.

Moreover, if they used some front person to get close to the writer at the time he or she was creating a work, then it would give their fraudulent claims more credence. With some manipulation of the facts people that devise such ploys can make it hard for an unsuspecting author to deny that a social engineer like Logan was not actually a collaborating party in the previously described scheme. The more advanced the technology that's being used - the harder it is to conquer this form of affiliation driven espionage.

This is why you should also consider that time is a precious thing to the person who may be conspiring to steal your work. Time is money, especially when it comes to stealing intellectual property. The longer it takes to steal, the more likely it is that the thief will get caught. So, to reduce the chances of getting caught they'll usually hand off a task here and there to a person like Logan, and give him only a few details for accomplishing his mission. This is called compartmentalization. Essentially, the gradual introduction of a new friend like Logan into the life of a creative professional will help such an agent's dispatchers to slowly merge certain efforts in the lives of both individuals, via some pretty crafty inveigling. All this will of course transpire as Logan and his target build a vibrant and creative simpatico.

The objective of course would be to claim that Logan was an inspiration, and should be dubbed co-creator in the targeted creator's highly valued projects. If this is happening to your whole body of work it makes things look even stranger, and more interesting for a court of law. It would certainly be more outrageous if a group of front authors conspired to publish several pieces of your work that they supposedly wrote at the same time that you did. This is why timely registration with third-party services is quite key. This helps narrow the margin of error for electronic forensics investigations.

Essentially, the trick to leveling all this is to prove that you are ground zero \- the original author that was illegally sourced from by an IP thief. Technically, no one can actually copy a work in real-time per say, because there will still be a delay, even if it's a sub-second. Furthermore, the technology that they're using to clone your work will tell loads about the authenticity of the fabricated work. Let me give you an example -

If someone stored stolen manuscripts on a computer and wants to claim that they were made before the victim of the theft made theirs, then they might try to back-date the whole hard drive to make it look like all their files are older than the true author's. Nevertheless, if the computer ever connects to the web at anytime, the file exchanges that occur via web access will help prove that the dates on back-dated files are not accurate. This kind of discrepancy can be used to determine the legitimacy of the date properties of most, if not all of the files on that computer.

Some infringers may try to be sneaky and claim that their computer never connects to the web, for security reasons (reminds me of someone). Although that seems like a legitimate reason, there is a way to determine if the time was ever modified for the purpose of making certain files appear as if they are older than they actually are. When hard drives are created they have certain onboard components that can be dated to some degree. Furthermore, hard drive file systems contain tables which allow a skilled observer to check the file chronology in them.

When file manipulation proves hopeless real-time copyright infringers will count on their recruits to help them leverage their success, against a certain author or targeted person. Having large numbers doesn't always make them invincible. It actually makes them look more suspicious if you have your facts and documentation processes straightened out. Now if you're documenting your work in a manner that doesn't leave much room for them to claim that you're sourcing your material from them (a form of reverse incrimination), this allows investigative parties to mainly focus on the existent idiosyncrasies in the creative processes from both sides.

In a perfect and fair world, the obvious conclusion should be that in order for someone to beat you or claim your work as their own, they have to be you. Simply consider that when someone is copying you, there is a delay between the time that you conceive something in tangible form and when the real-time infringers copy it, or render it likewise. Please note how I stressed the word conceive for later chapters. Granted, it can be rather difficult to imagine how one can distinguish between two works that are practically created at the same time, and that's the primary dilemma with this plight in the real (imperfect) world.

If a desperate IP thief knows ahead of time that you're utilizing a method of documentation that will prove to a high degree (through a preponderance of evidence) that you are the original creator of a valuable computer-generated document, they will certainly try to match what you're doing during production.

Real-time copyright infringers have a knack for being somewhat relentless, because this form of theft seems to be the best thing for making money without getting caught. Soon they will come to learn that it's impossible to match the original author who executes certain procedures that are meant to diffuse the advantages that real-time copyright infringers have over clueless creative professionals. This is why real-time copyright infringers will resort to other tactics that will grossly disrupt the life of a creator, who is protecting him or herself against such methods. Perhaps in the future such illegal activity will be profiled to the extent that any federal investigator can deduce which creative professionals in the United States might be under attack by real-time copyright infringers at any given time.

I know that I may have rocked your brain with what I've discussed in this chapter so far, but wait - there's more. This all gets even more interesting with visual artwork, because unlike the words that make up a story or a piece of literature, visual artwork takes so much more effort to recreate or copy. Take note that simply making a capture of a piece of visual work and then claiming it as one's own will never fly in any court, because you need to actually show that you made it. If the work is digital then any manufactured artifacts in the image that were ingrained in the work after the real artist finished it will be evident in several ways. However, for the purposes of this book we must consider that people are now cloning digital works that are made by unsuspecting artists, in real-time. They are doing this for two reasons.

It makes the production of the 'illegal work(s)' appear more legitimate; each iteration of the work, up to the final was rendered into tangible form at a time that was practically equal to anything that the true artist had produced, in the interims. Such advanced capabilities will undoubtedly intimidate the artist they sourced the work from. If the people doing this sort of thing decide to lien on the artist enough, they might convince him or her to claim that the production of the fabricated work was a joint venture of some kind. Worse off, the artist might sign the rights over for fear of retribution. By the way, when I say lien on the artist, I am referring to blackballing, unemployment, gangs-talking, defamation, and electronic harassment. Yes, such troubles can inspire a no-name artist to acquiesce to such forms of persuasion.

Think about it. How would you feel if despite your understanding of how to keep your artwork private in your studio, someone seems to have made a profound effort in knowing what it looks like, along with obtaining a copy of it without your permission? Moreover, they have others working with them to ensure that this illegal sort of activity flourishes. If this manner of griminess continues, then in future days we'll discover that certain creative professionals were being denied essential opportunities to progress in their respective industries; because they would not lend their services to such groups of people, for practically no compensation and no credit at all. It's beginning to sound like slavery isn't it? In time a targeted artist might discover that even their trusted buddies will have an incentive for helping "the others" (bad guys) keep them down in a way that seems quintessentially Orwellian.

When a group of people unite under false pretenses or with the intent to commit fraudulent acts against the hallmark laws that are found in the United States Copyright Acts, their first goal will be to discredit the object of their criminality (the people they are stealing from). The less credible a targeted person is, the better the outcome looks for the criminals who are lying about that targeted person. By saying 'discredit' I am referring to challenging the truthfulness of the target's claim(s) when the moment of truth arrives. They may even refute the simple fact that he or she produced certain works solo. This is why real-time infringers might shape-shift your life to make it look as if you're not capable of doing certain outstanding things, like writing a super awesome novel. Large groups of people being bound together to offer up a falsehood as the truth, is not something to take lightly. Let's not forget that the cruxes of certain regimes throughout history have been seeded and founded upon magnificent lies. I know it's a lot of grand talk for something as seemingly inconsequential as a novel. Even in the old Soviet Union the control of literature was something of great interest, as with most dreadful regimes.

Allow me to provide another example to help you swallow what I've been saying for the last several pages.

If you're a male creative professional and "they" happen to be using a woman to gather information from you, "they" might claim that you took advantage of her, and purposely omitted her name as "co-author," perhaps for the hit novel that you actually wrote by yourself.

"Yeah it's weird." You'll say, though being rather perplexed.

Then you're told by her legal representative(s) that for some reason she seemed to know everything about your novel before it was even published. This is all based on notes and emails that she possesses, which were sent from your email account, without your knowledge (so you claim). Make no mistake about it; they'll use all those in depth conversations that you had with her against you. That's right - all those times you wanted to make her sigh and faint, about how much of a great writer you are.

I know a woman who was trying to do this sort of thing to me back in 2010. Of course I will not name her for obvious reasons; but if she gets audacious enough to do what she should not do, with some things that she did not create - you will know exactly who she is (lol). Anyhow, she kept asking me questions about things I never spoke to her or anybody about. So, whenever she asked me such a question I would say,

"Everything is coming along nicely, so don't be too concerned about it."

After the tenth time that I gave her this sort of diffusing response she began to get upset, though she had no right to.

"Do you really expect me to answer such detailed questions about my freelance job that I just got hired for yesterday? Not to mention the fact that I haven't told anybody about it yet?" I thought at the time.

Soon, this lady began acting real shady, but I couldn't do anything about her being around. So, I coped with the situation by not speaking about anything business-related, whenever she was present. However, I knew what she was doing. She was trying to get me to answer questions that someone already knew the answer to, via illegal tactics. That way she could just say that I told her this or that if anything got complicated for whoever sent her to ask me those invasive questions. Obviously, if someone knows something about you that you've told no one else, then it kind of looks like they're spying on you, or simply trying too hard to NOT mind their own business. I know it sounds strange, but certainly not paranoid. Just consider how many people out there have had their books, poems, songs, concepts, and pitches stolen by people who came and went out of their lives in a gust of passion, pretentious kindness, or wind (B.S.)?

The correct answer is -

"A ginormous (really large) amount of people!"

This could happen to you when you least expect it because that's how they'll plan it. Some of you already know what I am talking about because it has either happened to you, you've read about it, or you're doing it to someone else. If the latter describes your situation quite well then shame on you. Despite which category you belong to you should know one important thing; none of this is new. The only thing that's new about it is the technology that's being used to support such subterfuge.

Chapter 8

Think-Speak--->Type

One of the things that I've hinted at or implied on the way to this chapter is that there are some pretty scary technologies out there that can allow someone to preempt or deduce your intentions. Since "certain intentions" can be interpreted to some degree by "certain advanced systems" these days, (as I've read in sundry articles and documentaries) you might want to layer on or overlap the real-time documentation. As I've said before I'm not one to induce paranoia about art production, literature, or any other form of the creative processes, in regards to copyright protection. It's the reason why this book is well under two hundred pages. Just enough pages shy of the big two hundred, which would put me in another ball game altogether - beyond simple informative chitchat. However, I must be realistic in saying that many people have flexed their imaginations in how they utilize human surveillance technologies to steal intellectual property. So, in that respect it's better that you know how to deal with such situations, even if you don't wish to implement a counter strategy to diffuse such illegal efforts at this time. Having said that I want you to consider how your real-time audio recordings can leverage the strength of your documentation process, and support your real-time video captures (refer to Chapter 5). Let's focus a little bit on the details involving such media.

In regards to screen capture video, I like to use the MOV format with Debut Screen Recorder, to keep the video file sizes lighter than that of AVI. These days I like embedding audio commentary into the videos by enabling the audio option and using a microphone. I prefer not to use those other hard drive space hungry formats. Yes, I stick to MOV and perhaps MP4 because they don't tend to contain many artifacts that distort playback - to the extent that the videos are useless, for the purpose of real-time documentation (minor delays and pauses that appear in the playback). Make note that if you wish to submit such videos to the Library of Congress, know that this prestigious government entity only accepts computer video files in MOV format (which is commonly associated with QuickTime).

As an alternative at times instead of including the audio commentary with the video, I use a separate sound recording application called Audacity. Once I'm setup for a project, whether it's a visual or a literary one, I run Audacity in the background while I work. I often do some oral note-taking while working on visual projects. However, I use this method pretty much all the time when I'm writing my literature. The reason for this has much to do with the fact that some human surveillance technologies can pre-empt an individual by several seconds on average (if the action is a premeditated one).

Now if the intentions are planned or non-spontaneous then such technologies can pre-empt an individual by maybe 1.5 to 4 seconds. Don't ask me how I know this... but I do. If you ask an observant TI (targeted individual) then they'll probably be able to corroborate this. So, if you're the type of writer that likes to form whole sentences in your head before you type them into your word processor, then you should consider using a real-time audio recorder. I've gotten into the habit of brainstorming my ideas vocally when I'm working in private. Brain activity can now be mapped into plain text via some human surveillance technologies such as narco-mapping. Using audio dictation will disarm any use of such methods if they're being implemented to encroach upon your intellectual property rights, in real-time. Be conscious of the fact that there are other advanced implementations of brain interfacing (or reading) technologies which exist, and I'll speak more about them in the next chapter.

...

Now, back to audio recording.

Seeing how your lips are faster than your fingers, audio notation is a great way to reduce the number of opportunities that someone has to intercept any form of expression that you render in your manuscripts, at any given time. Yes, simply typing fast is not good enough. Though this may not be the case all the time, someone could very well be copying information right off you're computer screen if they're tapped into your monitor. EMI probing does not leave a forensic mark on your workstation, and that is why some information thieves might prefer it over hacking. Regardless of what the breaching mechanism is, I find that having an audio recorder going gives me a time cushion, so that I can experiment with the words that I'm typing, after they've been spoken into the microphone and rendered into tangible form. Sometimes I even express what I'm doing with the text out loud as I play around with various literary configurations.

Thus, the principal objective behind the concept of Think-Speak--->Type, is to minimize the amount of time between the formulation of an idea and its rendering, into tangible form. Traditionally, your ability to say that someone stole your ideas or your expressions is very much dependant upon your diligence, in simply writing those awesome ideas down - making them tangible. Execute Think-Speak--->Type and deposit what you're thinking into the microphone as you're thinking it, without delay and steadfastly. Reduce the lag time between speaking and thinking to the point where there's very little pausing or gaps in-between. Once your recorder captures what you said it becomes a copyrightable (tangible) instance of what you expressed. Now you can comfortably type what you just articulated, and refine it as much as you want. Though partially self-explanatory that's the methodology, literally.

If you would like to know why I'm recommending this type of procedure then please research Sub-vocal Speech. Essentially, when a person thinks about something, his or her vocal chords will vibrate just like they do when that person is speaking. The only difference between this and actually speaking is that when one speaks audibly, the air and wind in the larynx are being modulated by the vocal chords, thus producing sounds (the voice). There is technology out there which can hone in on sub-vocal speech. I'm just giving you a heads-up on this reality. It's one of the reasons why I implement Think-Speak--->Type when I create literature now. It's actually not that big of a deal. Think-Speak--->Type is just a different way of thinking about oral dictation, which ends up feeling a lot like doing improv. Incidentally, following through with this method has helped me argue much better these days. On top of that, I can freestyle rap much longer than I used to, my brotha.

What's a brother gonna do, but rock the mic ya'll?

So, if you think of something creative and fail to write it down for about 24 minutes or so then someone might certainly step up to the plate to claim it, if they're probing you with a sub-vocal amplifier.

What type of people would do that? You might ask.

Hah! Wait until you read the next chapter.

Additionally, go ahead and do some research on gang-stalkers; see how they operate. They don't stalk people for no reason, and my best guess is that a lot of the people that they harass are either really talented, intelligent, or geniuses at something. Most gang-stalking seems like it's intended to break down targeted individuals (TI's) so that they'll give into something compromising. It takes some serious 'tech' to track and manipulate TI's in the manner that gang-stalkers do. After doing more research on these people you might very well come to the conclusion that they might be pinpointing the location or assessing the disposition of their targets via advanced human surveillance tech that can decipher a person's intentions.

...

For goodness sake, even airports have security sensors that can tell if you're mad, happy, or nervous. It takes a lot more than skin temperature to discern such emotional states. So, learn to read between the lines regarding human surveillance technology. It seems to be much more advanced than what we're being told.

~----~ 0 ~----~

Let me get in some final words about Audacity. The program does a pretty good job with recording all types of audio - oral notation especially. Please take some time to download it for free. A cool thing about Audacity is that when you record audio, each track is saved in multiple files that are each three seconds in duration - over the course of your entire recording. Simply make a recording with Audacity and then save it as a project to a local folder, somewhere in your computer. Then open the supplemental project folder which bears the same name as the main Audacity project file that you saved. In this folder you'll see a series of files that are all three seconds in duration. All these files make up the entire recording. So, if you're making a really long recording and the program crashes, some or all of the audio can be recovered; because, of how the entire recording is automatically segmented in your hard drive. This feature of the program adds a certain level of difficulty for anyone who is trying to replicate what you're recording; that is unless they've remotely cloned your hard drive over an advanced digital power-line, or through an *EMI reader (decodes emissions from a computer and makes them readable - sometimes changeable). Though I'm guessing that if someone breaches your pc in that manner, it will leave traces or artifacts in your hard drive if they try to manipulate files. For the most part EMI readers are quite volatile, unless they're military grade.

Some of the people who are highly invested in perpetrating real-time copyright infringement are not quite there, mentally. They sometimes get really frustrated when you're educated about what they do and how to render it practically useless, while still obeying the laws of the United States. Think about it; these people think that they're unstoppable because they can use illegal devices to preempt or decode what you're doing, thinking, and feeling. However, when they come across a person who is empowered with the knowledge of how to use some of the defensive strategies that I've outlined in this book, they can't help but break the law even more. So you will find that the more you implement defensive measures to protect your work, the more these people will enact illegal measures to access it. Thus, you can be sure that by the time that you're done with your manuscript (if you're a targeted creative professional) 'they' have committed several crimes that violate local, federal, and international regulations, which prohibit various privacy breaches against American citizens. Like with everything in this book, you have to try and adapt real-time audio recording to your workflow, as needed.

Don't forget to Think-Speak--->Type when you do.
Chapter 9

The Infringer's Toy Box

Up until this time I have been indirectly referring to certain forms of advanced technologies that have wreaked some serious havoc on the creative population, along with other types of "effects" in the American populace. The problem with these particular technologies is that they are highly sophisticated and relatively undetectable by the average civilian. Keep in mind that the use of these technologies has been exponentially increasing since the early eighties. In present society many people have been complaining about the ill effects brought on by the use of such "tech." There have been shows or telecasts that have focused on such woes, and their dire effects. One of these shows was hosted by a former United States Governor and Navy Seal.

Incidentally, many of the aspects concerning the aforementioned "ill effects" are allegedly linked to the elusive subject called Electronic Harassment. In conjunction with all of the above, for a while it's been understood that the human brain has been under attack for quite some time, by way of new and secreted fringe technologies. Furthermore, there are various systems in existence that can interface with the human brain in a manner that will allow a viewer to interpret what an observed individual is thinking, or feeling. It's certainly a scary notion - that someone can use a machine to read your thoughts. However, don't allow yourself to dismiss this as one of those things that you simply don't have to worry about. If such sentiment was valid in previous days, that's certainly not the case now for anyone who's got some secrets.

People are trying to find ways to make quick money these days, and when that happens, people's rights get violated. Some would not even bat an eye of remorse if they could simply probe your mind in a way that allows them to sit at a workstation, and observe what portion of your thoughts could be used to make a blockbuster movie, or novel. I just gave you a hint about how Remote Neural Monitoring assists some real-time copyright infringers in stealing creative information. Since you're a creative professional I'll let you do more research on this particular human surveillance technology, to catch my drift.

Hereto, I haven't really dealt with the subtleties of how real-time copyright infringers pick their targets. Obviously no-name writers are easy pickins' for these guys. However, up and coming writers with no legal backing are also fresh meat, so to speak. It would be unfair if I didn't mention how creative minorities or people whose citizenship statuses are in the works (or are non-existent) in the U.S. are also likely targets. Since non-citizens in any country have been known for not putting up too much resistance to certain types of intimidation, real-time copyright infringers will focus on them for sure.

For a long time I've known that writers or creators who impart religious messages in their masterpiece works become highly likely targets for creative theft. Why? It's because they tend to be very passionate, about NOT having their work mauled, for the sake of making loads of cash. Some shady rogue producers may not like such ways of thinking, and might employ the use of real-time copyright infringer groups, to covertly acquire the resistant writers' work simultaneously, while it's being produced. The goal of course is to clean all the religious and righteous rhetoric out of this work that might be worthy for the BIG screen. Imagine the other ways that one could be penalized for prioritizing positive messages above profitability?

Yes, passive religious creative professionals who have conservative values that are looked down upon by liberal producers, can sometimes get their work edited into non-recognition (and/or stripped of certain spiritual content), as a condition during a deal or contract. Such is a common desire it seems, especially when you consider how well sex, violence, and miscellaneous lucre bolster revenue in modern pop culture. With the case of pre-eminent creators who make amazing material that would probably get edited in such a manner, they will certainly want to proactively use tools that can ensure that they aren't eventually taken advantage of by real-time infringers. Employing the use of an identity derived template that divides a production process into iterations that are based on specific metrics will guarantee that the course of a creative literary process is identifiable with the creator. Chrono-Barrier does just that and I'll show you all about it soon; it can also be adapted for visual productions too. All one has to do is simply tally the natural steps for the production of a creative piece, and assign them numerical values that can be mapped into the Chrono-Barrier system. Furthermore, one can even convert a digital rough sketch with a resolution of 256 x 256 pixels into a series of values that can be calculated into a digital signature, using the actual colors in the image. The sky is the limit, but it's best to keep it simple, so that the results are reproducible with very little effort.

Remember, the process of real-time copyright infringement enables a person to discretely take information from you as they like, and use it without your permission. It's because the information is being generated at the same time on both sides (by the owner and the infringers) which at a glance and then some, would be a draw if there was a legal dispute - depending on the material in question. The gall required for one to commit this sort of trespass stems from the fact that they seemingly have a zero-residual presence (no traceable contact with a creator's production) as they steal his or her work. You wouldn't even be aware of what they're doing in most cases, unless they have a salient insider that they've placed close to you for reverse incrimination tactics. Remember Soleil and Logan? They could place someone that close to you and use them to implicate you, or compromise the secrecy of your production(s).

What does all this mean? It means that they don't have to give you credit for any intellectual property that they take from you. Even if they use the exact same ideas, or express the idea in a manner that is substantially similar to your own form of expression, they can still deny that they ever had access to your work. This is especially the case if they're stealing the information from afar, with a device like a Remote Neural Monitor. This technology actually gives them a great advantage - so much so that they can even claim that you copied from them.

I gotta admit. It's a pretty smooth operation, if you're a proponent of industrial espionage and human rights violations.

Such efforts will only work if you don't stay on top of your game as a creative professional. That's the reason why I gave you that hint about caching (holding) sentences in your head before you write them down. This particular tip pertains to combating the preemptive capabilities of RNM. Essentially, speaking sentences into your real-time audio recorder even if they're unresolved (unrefined) will make a BIG difference. Once you've spoken into the mic, your audio recorder transforms your words into tangible data (such is copyrightable). Let me explore this concept further.

"Question?!"

"How can you paraphrase a paragraph in real-time?"

By 'paraphrase' I mean revising a paragraph so that it reads and appears very different, or somewhat derivative from the original. So, how can this be achieved while the paragraph is being written, sentence by sentence \- essentially before the paragraph even exists? Well, if the paragraph is fully realized in a person's mind then sure it can be grabbed with a Remote Neural Monitor and tweaked. Be advised that the preemptive capabilities of Remote Neural Monitoring can't calculate what a person will write unless that individual has substantially formulated it in the mind.

So, if you're writing something on-the-fly or free-styling (like a super-fly rapper), the RNM database responses can't match that evenly. It's much easier to work this way when using a sound recorder, to get good results. Flow with the mic and you're work is safe. The key is to remember that there can be a delay or bottleneck that may occur, if something along the lines of artificial intelligence is being used to track your metrics in any way. You're a chaotic "being" and you're unpredictable in many ways, so the computer can't pre-empt everything you do. The same is true for most surveillance systems. For instance when TI's go jogging and they're being tracked by gangs-talkers they've been able to throw the gang-stalkers off for a while by sporadically taking alternate routes, on-the-fly. It seems theoretically impossible to always pre-empt a person LIVE with any computer interface because interpretation is always required. Unless one has time traveled five minutes into the future and then back, to observe the scene without changing anything whatsoever, I think it's safe to say that free-styling is a good way to sneak your ideas past that Remote Neural Monitoring Artificial Intelligence or database response for bio-electric emission reads!

You catchin' my vibe?

Remote Neural Monitoring systems lock in on intelligence-based bio-electric patterns. Much like any human surveillance technology this system can hone in on something your body emits, when you do something. Yes, when you're thinking something, your body emits something. For example let's just say that-

You're thinking about yummy cinnamon scones.

Your bio-electric energy emits a tri-value of 105321.03, 211542 and 12003.5

Then

You start thinking about coffee and,

Your bio-electric field gives off a value of 23414.66, 2314.349 and 1123.40

Even though I was using pseudo data as values, just imagine how easy it would be to map real values to those thoughts. All one would need is some sort of detection probe to catalog a stream of ideas or perceptions that a target has during a conversation, which involves a pre-concocted series of questions. I came to this understanding after reading about John St. Clair Akwei online. Yet, I'm a little curious about whether the stories about him are true. Nevertheless, the information imparted in regards to his plight which involved a certain intelligence entity is very informative. Also, the United States Patent Office has records for a device that fits the description of what has been identified as the Remote Neural Monitor.

This is why I don't like to depend too much on countless hours of deliberation when I write a story, as I walk around the city, or do chores and stuff like that. I keep my aspirations for a story or an idea emotionally signed and un-expatiated. This was the case ever since that guy started taunting me from outside my house. You know? The one who knew what I was doing on my computer?

Emotionally signing an idea is like remembering the feeling you get after reading a great book or watching an impacting film. There's an emotion that encompasses the entire experience. If you train your mind to lock onto that when you get a good idea, you can encrypt your intentions for a story. Then when you start writing you can systematically decode what you feel and let if flow onto the page. It sounds complicated but it's really just what many people call 'writing from inspiration.' Though I suspect that many writers don't structure their processes in a way that allows them to fine tune it and control this method. So, in lieu of my becoming aware of the existence of devices like a Remote Neural Monitor four years ago, I've become quite comfortable with what I call "the creative risk flip." It's like initiating a wave of potential that you have for an idea in an instant, and on demand as you express it; then you stop on a dime when you're done documenting it in real-time. There is very little residual loss of singularity when one creates original ideas in this manner, especially in this digital age when people may be lurking around with advanced human surveillance devices that can decode evoked potentials - thoughts or intentions.

I suspect that the people who use these systems effectively bridge the gaps between rudimentary words and robust intelligible thought decryption by probing targets as they view films. They capture what the bio-electric field emits when targets process the dialogue and imagery in any given film. Then they simply map the emitted values (over time) to the actual screenplay, and enter it all into a computer database. This is more or less a form of Brain Mapping. Needless to say this is not just illegal, but for all intensive purposes it's a forbidden practice, because it puts a person's life in jeopardy from the get-go (depending on who is doing the mapping). Just use your imagination and you'll understand what I mean. Consider that when this is being done to a target they may not even know about it, thus no consent is ever given.

It definitely ranks super high on the "hate crime" meter when brain map data is used to control a person's life and sometimes social interactions. In the specific cases when Remote Neural Monitoring is being used to steal art, the amount of data that a person processes when they're developing a concept is just too profuse for a real-time infringer to accurately sketch out, based on mere text descriptions. Sometimes they can even get false hits on the information that they're gathering from a targeted artist. The case is also true when a targeted writer is brainstorming about a plot. Once again, though RNM technology is quite elaborate, it only allows the user to preempt what a targeted individual is doing, within a certain tolerance of time. It totally sucks at allowing its users to compensate for spontaneous thoughts or actions. Use this knowledge to your advantage if you suspect that someone is using such a system against you.

As far as physical intimidation is concerned, I've read how gangs-talking has a signature which suggests that the people who perpetrate it use RNM. Such would be enacted to facilitate close proximity harassment against a target. Yet, if targets spontaneously do something, gangs-talkers have a hard time reacting to it without looking odd or suspect - especially on mall cameras (lol). Don't ask me how I know this, but I know it to be absolutely true :). It has more to do with my understanding of computers if anything.

In lieu of how such dastardly mechanisms enable certain persons to execute real-time copyright infringement, one has to devise countermeasures to compensate, of course.

Consider these four components:

-A screen recorder (Debut)

-An audio recorder (Audacity)

-A webcam (Logitech)

-Accurate System time (per NIST) via your operating system's Time Service

When they're used together on a well-running workstation these four time-centric components can help diffuse real-time infringement. Though one can't be too sure about how desperate thieves would respond to this. Would they actually replicate your use of these four components to bring about an inconclusive decision during litigation? You'll only discover the answer to that question once you've gone through such a legal proceeding. Those components act as a multi-factor documentation and authentication solution, when combined. Reason being is that in combination they certify that you're the author and creator of the documents that you're creating on your workstation.

The screen recorder provides -

\- Visual confirmation of your work in progress: Time-Start and Time-End on a per session basis.

\- General verification of your work being created on the workstation by YOU.

The Audio recorder provides -

Proof of voice, intellect, thought processes, and other idiosyncratic habits that might be manifested in the screen recording, along with your lip movements.

The webcam (when embedded in the screen capture video) provides -

Proof of your physical presence at the workstation, along with behavioral evidence which shows that you're creating what is seen onscreen (or in the screen recorder video).

Accurate System Time Provides -

When properly synched with NIST government time the 'time of creation' for every bit of your work gains a huge amount of credibility, because the time attributes of the files will correlate with "real world" time. Each time your computer connects and synchs with a NIST server, a log is created on both sides.

It's time to traverse from theory and into the application end of these techniques.

Let's do a case study to see how effective one component from this documentation scheme would fair against real-time copyright infringement. In this example I will be comparing the configurations of two computers that were used to create a piece of literature that's being contended for in a copyright infringement trial. Both machines are dated properly - based on government time. Essentially, the two authors are contesting over the same work that they seemed to have written at the same time. Each author has a set of documents which show that they each progressively created the document on their respective workstations simultaneously, in their entirety. Since both works possess a substantial similarity that is startling, it's assumed that one author stole from the other, during the production of either work(s). So, let's take a look at what one might have to weigh in the investigative process, to determine who the guilty party is. Here is an outline of the important facts.

Case 1:

\- Literary manuscript infringement.

\- Primary media: computer files

\- System times for both work machines were equally set during production.

\- Common tools used by both authors: Personal computer and a word processor.

Miscellaneous Production Details:

\- While Author A (Mr. Davies) was working on his manuscript he used a screen recorder software to document his work. He saved sporadically, or based on his own preferences.

\- When Author B (Mr. Sparrow) created his manuscript he used voice recognition software. The auto-save feature for his word processor was set to "every 1 minute."

Hmmmm... This case seems pretty straightforward because all we have to do is take a look at the file progression for each author's collection of the manuscript (iterations from start to finish) in order to discover who was copying from who.

Right?

Seeing how both computers were set to the same exact time, and remained well-synched with NIST time (which can be validated), ascertaining whether either computer had fallen out of synch during the time that the manuscript(s) were being created on either computer, is a fairly simple task. You're the investigator and after checking for such time discrepancies you find none on either machine. So, you proceed to analyze the hard drive file system (MFT tables) to see when certain entries were being made into the hard drives.

You discover that Mr. Sparrow was always ahead of Mr. Davies when it came to file saves (File/ Save As), when looking at both these authors' hard drives. You see that Mr. Davies saved quite a bit during the writing process, but his saves were quite sporadic. Overall, Mr. Davies' saves were not equally spaced out over time. At a glance, it appears that Mr. Sparrow was the point of origin during the writing process. However, you cannot determine how the infringement was seemingly facilitated, seeing how Mr. Davies appears to be the guilty party.

Case closed?

Wait! Not so fast!

One thing that we have to consider is that document saves can't fully describe the rate of content progression for a body of text, on a per character basis.

Yup, that was a "technicallly jargonic" mouthful.

But seriously, consider how when a person types the words per minute rate is variable and not always constant. Knowing the rate of saves for a literary production doesn't give us a clear picture of what the actual rate was for content creation. Did he type things out fast then waited before he saved, or was he typing slow and saved right after? We can't really know what words Mr. Sparrow was typing at the midways between his saves; we can only average them out based on the file system data, right? This consideration regarding the rate of saves makes the disqualification of Mr. Davies seem rather premature, now that I think about it. However, what if we were able to bridge that gap? I'm essentially talking about seeing what was being written before each save; yes, seeing what was held in the system memory (RAM) before each save, would provide a great deal of insight. Unfortunately, we can't know for sure because computer memory doesn't store information permanently.

Each time a computer is turned off, the RAM is cleaned of all its data. This is why system RAM is often referred to as temporary storage or volatile storage. Although it can't be said for Mr. Sparrow 's production, there is something that can help us get a glimpse of what was held in the system memory on Mr. Davies 's computer, while he was writing in-between saves.

You remember that Mr. Davies used a screen recorder to document his whole writing process - from start to finish. It seems that Mr. Davies read this book and employed the use of a screen recorder, in combination with a webcam. He actually configured his desktop like what is seen in Figure AB, from Chapter 5. You test the screen recorder software that Mr. Davies used, in order to see how accurate it is. After conducting some tests by configuring a workstation desktop like what is seen in Figure AB, you come to the conclusion that the screen capture software is reliable to a high degree.

Now it's time to verify the reliability of the voice recognition software that Mr. Sparrow used. Since such software reacts to voice signatures you decide to invite Mr. Sparrow to your lab, so that he can dictate some pages from the manuscript in question. You notice that when Mr. Sparrow speaks certain words into the microphone at a certain pace, the voice recognition software takes a while to display words on the screen. Whenever Mr. Sparrow speaks more than 3 words per second, a processing bottle-neck occurs, and words cease to append onscreen as they should. There is a slight delay of about 0.5 to 1 second before subsequent words begin appearing on the screen again. These tests help you understand more about the writing habits of both authors, so that when you begin to do some in-depth hard drive analysis, it will be easier to prove who the counterfeit writer is.

Let me give you a brief and generic overview of what a computer forensic specialists may do in order to figure out which Author was committing intentional copyright infringement in this case. All hard drives have data structures that are governed by whichever operating system is loaded on them. When a file is created or modified, an operating system seeks out storage space on the hard drive. If more data is added to the file then the amount of space used will increase. Though some operating systems refer to storage space as a collection of blocks or clusters, I will refer to them as data units.

To keep track of these data units and the content that is contained therein, an operating system will assign them several attributes. Then the OS will combine the information from these attributes into a data set, which constitutes what is known as metadata. To keep matters simple let me simply say that metadata contains several important pieces of information that report where and when data was entered into a hard drive. I'm not just talking about when a file was modified or saved; what I speak of applies to all the data in any given file as well. In fact you can recall a file using its metadata address and recover portions or the entire contents of a computer file, therewith. Since portions of files can occupy several data units, it's common for some files to occupy myriad data units throughout a hard drive. Thus, we can track the rate at which contents from a particular file was filling these units (i.e. the rate at which the document was being filled with information - after each save). Or you could just take a gander at the saved iterations of the files as they exist in the hard drive file system, but this might not be as visually compelling. This is why there are special tools that create charts and timeline reports of hard drive activity, so that forensic specialists can get a visual understanding of certain file system aspects, as they pertain to their respective investigations.

But in this case...

To rule out that any backdating took place you'd want to have a look at the metadata instead of relying on the time and date properties that are posted by the operating system. Among the attributes in the metadata, the most relevant ones for this discussion are logical address and time of entry (or last written). Though it's somewhat idealized please take a look at the Figure (G) below, which shows how a hard drive handles content from the text file named "myCoolBook.txt."

Figure G

Keep in mind that much more text would fit into each data unit in a more realistic scenario, but I hope you get the idea. Again, to understand or discover where an operating system has assigned a file's contents in a file system we can look at the metadata of the file. This is where we'll locate information for when the file was last accessed or modified, and which data units were assigned to all of the bits that make up the file. Since each data unit has a logical address, the operating system can keep track of which areas of a hard drive are assigned to any particular file. When metadata is analyzed the overall data structure, attribute info, and composition can be used to gauge the rate at which information was being entered into, or removed from a computer file. Notice the sentence that appears at the top of Figure G.

-"I think that I will purchase a new Wacom tablet today."-

Below the sentence is a diagramed explanation of how the information was stored inside of a hard drive. Notice that the sentence spans over several of the white blocks. Each of these blocks has a logical address (250,147 - 250, 148 - 250,149 - etc.) that is registered or logged in the metadata for myCoolBook.txt. In addition to that each of the blocks has a time attribute (upper left corners for each block) that shows us when the data was entered into each unit. The light blue squares are free space (unallocated) on the hard drive, and the dark blue squares are used (allocated) space. Although data is entered sequentially in most cases when dealing with a vast amount of empty storage space, an operating system may choose to skip a few data units when a sequence of blocks is interrupted by another file's contents, as seen with the characters today." (block 250,153).

Let's just say that you've taken a closer look at both authors' hard drives and the respective metadata. Apart from a few differences both Authors practically wrote the same thing during each and every writing session. Based on your more detailed analysis of the metadata from each drive you've once again discovered that Mr. Sparrow was always ahead of Mr. Davies, when the writing was in progress. Though you are pretty confident with your findings you decide to look at other evidence that was provided by Mr. Davies. The most significant are the screen recording videos that basically look like Figure AB. After making some observations you see that all of the activity in both the word processor and embedded web cam feed are all in synch, in the videos; Mr. Davies' typing matches everything that is appearing in the word processor on screen.

You embark on comparing the screen recording videos that Mr. Davies provided, with the metadata from Mr. Sparrow's computer. For the sake of being thorough you first compare Mr. Davies' screen recordings metadata with the metadata from his manuscripts. Both sets of data possess the same chronology, in regards to 'time of creation.' Then you compare each frame advance in the screen recording video, with each of the corresponding text manuscript metadata 'time of entry' attributes. You also check the file save record to ensure that each save, or last entry in certain files match what is seen in the screen video record. In most cases they do, with the exception of minor edits and embellishments that seemed to be made when the screen recorder was not in use.

Here's a simplified breakdown. Mind you that modern hard drives contain data units that can hold 512 bytes, and more recently 4,096 bytes. Yet, if a manuscript has illustrations and images embedded into it then the file size will be quite larger. So for a hard drive with 512 bytes per data unit, it would take about 2,048 data units to hold a manuscript that is 1 megabyte (1,048,576 bytes) in size. Let's do a little bit more math here. In my windows OS I can test the size of how much hard drive space a letter or a character takes up by entering it into a notepad file. From what I can see, when I make a blank text file and then save it after entering the letter 'A', the file size goes from 0 bytes to 1 byte. If I enter 21 characters, I get 21 bytes for the file size. Thus, it would seem that 512 characters would equal 512 bytes. That's roughly the size of the first five and a half sentences from this paragraph, with the spaces included.

\- Example for how one could forensically track the rate of content creation in a series of documents when comparing it to a screen recorded video.

Mr. Davies' PC

Timeline Focus: January 22, 2012 @ 4:53 PM

\- Video file = "myCoolBook_0129.mov"

\- Screen recording playback time = 0:50:09:005 (50 minutes, 9 seconds, and 5 frames)

\- Onscreen visual: word being written = gotcha

VS

Manuscript file = "myCoolBook_014.txt"

\- Metadata: logical address = 256,133

\- (File saved) Time of entry attribute = 04:53 PM

\- Data unit contents = ...(512 bytes ending with) e, gotcha agai

What one could essentially do is look at the contents of a data unit to discover which portions of the manuscript match the time that's reflected as a saving point in the screen recording. Then you can sift through the 512 bytes of data and see how it compares with the opposition (Mr. Sparrow). You see how this allows us to get a better handle on clocking Mr. Davies' progression, despite the fact that he saved quite sporadically? Make note of the fact that it's a little harder to figure out the rate of progression when file saves reflect non-sequential edits. Also note that there will be an imposed shift or offset in the manuscript's contents for these types of changes. Ok, you've gotten as close as you can to fully recreating the writing process and timeline for both authors.

So, now you're ready to compile and compare the data from Mr. Davies' computer against Mr. Sparrow's. When this round of analysis is complete, you discover that Mr. Davies was the point of origin for the ideas that were being expressed in both manuscripts. This is evident after you synchronized the progression of the evidence from both file records, and created a virtual timeline for key areas of content. On average Mr. Davies was anywhere from 1 to 50 seconds ahead of Mr. Sparrow when he was typing. However, the manuscript or word processor file record does not account for this, seeing how he was not saving as consistently as Mr. Sparrow. It is safe to say that Mr. Sparrow capitalized on this fact and thought it to be an advantage when filing his claim to take possession of the manuscript. After closely observing the screen recordings we also find that the only times when Author B (Mr. Sparrow) was ahead of Author A (Mr. Davies) was when it appeared like Mr. Davies was brainstorming, before he typed something into his manuscript.

It seems like Mr. Sparrow may not have known about the screen recording; but how is that possible? He either didn't know, or thought it would be of no consequence in court. Mr. Sparrow also seemed to have purposely set his word processor to save every one minute based on the fact that Mr. Davies has a habit of saving in uneven increments. In fact Mr. Davies did not save for several minutes at a time - sometimes not until the passing of 10 minutes, on average. Thus, as we can see, if Mr. Davies did not provide the screen recording, then Mr. Sparrow would have most likely gotten away with real-time copyright infringement.

One would assume that such a resourceful fellow as Mr. Sparrow should have taken into account that a collection of screen recorded videos is strong evidence. It is possible that Mr. Sparrow was fed false information from a source that was feeding him information about Mr. Davies' writing activities. Perhaps this could be the case, but we'll never know, unless Mr. Sparrow confesses to the fullness of his criminal activities. Though he may not fully come clean, he's still going to take a charge for Criminal Infringement against another author's work, in this case.

Perhaps you've tried to guess what Mr. Sparrow was using to seemingly steal from Mr. Davies, in real-time. For certain portions of the writing sessions the virtual timelines showed that Mr. Sparrow was almost equally matched with Mr. Davies within the time increment of 1.5 seconds. I don't think that the best typist in the world could even match this rate of transcription. It appears that Mr. Sparrow was able to predict what Mr. Davies was about to write in some cases. He may very well be a fast typist, or perhaps he just might have been using Remote Neural Monitoring, which allows one to preempt what another is about to do. Evoked potentials can be deciphered, catalogued, and preempted with a system that is used to interpret them into plain text (RNM).

One thing to remember about Remote Neural Monitoring is that it requires interpretation. If someone is using RNM to steal literary work then there will be a gap between the times when they intercept "the information" and when they actually render it into something that is comprehendible. This is why the use of a real-time audio recorder should be employed during your writing process - this is especially true when you're brainstorming and building up the essential portions that make a manuscript differ from another, when defending yourself against the use of RNM facilitated infringement.

Wait....

Actually, do you remember that Mr. Sparrow was using voice dictation software? So what do you think would've happened if he were just typing instead? The aforementioned gap of time (1 to 50 seconds) would have increased of course. That's the reason why he was using voice dictation software in the first place.

It wasn't just for covering up the fact that he's a bad typist.

Nooooo...

He wanted to reduce the time differential that would have been caused by manual typing, so that he could make it look like he was the real author. If Mr. Davies had used Audacity (audio recorder) to dictate his ideas instantaneously as he was writing, then his body of evidence would have left Mr. Sparrow in the dust. Or more specifically, if he'd used Think-Speak---->Type the instantaneous rendering of his voice into tangible form would've made this an easier case to solve. I will mention this entire scenario again in the next chapter. At that point I will show you how the use of Chrono-Barrier would have shielded Mr. Davies' intellectual property time of creation from what Mr. Sparrow was doing, to a degree that's startling.

It takes dozens if not hundreds of hours to write a novel. Imagine if someone arranged it so that every book that you ever wrote appeared like you stole it from someone? That's what real-time copyright infringers can do with the equipment that they employ. Be aware that these agents of injustice prefer to operate incognito. This is why they use their supporters and alternative tactics to intimidate reluctant creators in various ways. Once you sign over the rights to your work they can rest assured that you will never be able to claim anything at all, because they'll own the two initial copies of your work (your original and their original counterfeit). They would effectively own that work, though in time they may even try to effectively monopolize every profitable thought that runs through your creative mind. That's what Remote Neural Monitoring can help them do.

Imagine if making a living, having a successful social life and disposition were all dependent on your lack of resistance in objectifying yourself. However, I'm not talking about sex for cash. No... I'm talking about selling your soul in a manner that satisfies a technocratic deviation that is imposed by the criminally-minded; by thinking up ideas that can be captured with a Remote Neural Monitor, for the benefit of another party who is practically trying to own you or hold you hostage? The Bill of Rights guarantees inalienable human rights, and the very notion that electronic harassment can be used to enslave a person - here in the United States should be a great concern for every American citizen.

"If you don't think of something good that will make us money then you won't ever get a good paying job, because our network of collaborators will make it so. Just think it, but don't write it down - don't claim it; and don't you dare speak a word of it out loud, now or ever. Just think it... and we'll simply take it with our dream machine - right from your imagination, for our fortune and glory."

Sounds poetic right? For a real-time IP crook the Remote Neural Monitor can be a dream machine by which they steal other people's magnificently expressed dreams. However, for a target - the victim, it's a most grievous mechanism indeed.

~----~ 0 ~----~

I would like to deal with backdating files for a moment while keeping Case 1 in mind. Let's consider how we would solve it if the system times on both machines were different from real-world or NIST time. The answer is quite simple. We would use the same methods for file analysis; however, we would first have to identify what the time offsets are, in comparison with real-world time. Think about it; no matter what your computer system time says, if something was written at 6:00pm in real-world time then that's when it was actually written, because real-world time is standardized. So, it's simply a matter of figuring out who is farthest away from real-world time, and weighing this with everything else. This means that the inaccurate system times could be thought of as virtual time. During the time-centric analysis you will have to use something that resembles either of these two pseudo-formulas.

If system time is fast{

System Time - Real World Time = Time Offset; }

If system time is slow{

Real World Time - System Time = Time Offset; }

One thing to remember is that sometimes a computer's system time may have been changed on several occasions. This also has to be accounted for as well. We would have to look at operating system logs to see when these time alterations occurred. The same goes for tricky BIOS time manipulations. These will also appear in the operating system logs as well. Of course these types of issues make things more complicated, but in the end the comparative procedures for the content of files is close to the same.

One final word in this chapter -

Copyright infringement suits are civil trials. So, what is the burden of proof in a civil trial, by the way? The plaintiffs must show that they are entitled to a claim through a preponderance of evidence. When speaking about copyrights, one should understand that "Time of Creation," is key. Therefore, always having the correct time set on your workstation makes a world of difference. Perpetually, having the incorrect time on your computer will certainly count against you in some cases. Furthermore, computers that have no recorded internet activity, software activations, network activity, etc., have a lack of evidence for corroborating any advantageous claims about 'time of creation'. Essentially, I am talking about reference points that can be used to build a timeline for the creation of any file on a computer.

One last thing I want to mention is that I abbreviated the investigation in Case 1 quite a bit. I omitted the part(s) where the judge and other skilled literary experts take a close look at the 'actual writing' to discover who the 'true Author' is in Case 1. However, the interesting thing with real-time copyright infringement is that the people who undertake it usually do some serious research on their targets; they eventually start cloning their style of expression, semantics, use of vocabulary and literary quirks. What I mean is that they sometimes try to assimilate their target's skills, style, and techniques. For the sake of brevity, I omitted all that. Presumably it was a wash, and the focus had to be on the electronic forensics, which is eventually what it would come down to if someone was cloning your work in real-time (as you were creating it).

And that's the skinny on this one folks.

See you in the next chapter. Keep this chapter's results in mind and think of how the use of all that real-time documentation can be greatly reduced, with the implementation of what you learn in the next new chapter. It's gonna be cool.
Chapter 10

Chrono-Barrier

In my considerations of information security as it pertains to the realm of intellectual property over the past two years, I've come to understand that literary expression is perhaps the most at-risk type of creative work out there. It's far easier to steal, modify and take ownership of beautifully arranged words, in opposed to traditional paintings and sculpture. Even if it's digital art one has to do some serious work to make it look like it's not someone else's. I'm sure that there are complex programs that can change the style of a digital painting to look like someone else made it. For all intensive purposes there doesn't seem to be as much as a threat to digital visual art in that regard, or in comparison to what something like an article spinner can do to an original novel. Article spinners can automatically take every word in a book or poem, change them, and rewrite targeted sentences, so that they read quite well though looking stylistically different. One can even alter and target certain semantical uses for the purpose of eradicating or minimizing the idiosyncratic tokens that are present in the writing, with the use of article spinners.

I'm sure that as a result of this the copyright judges have beefed up what they consider when they hear trials that involve literary theft. Like I've said before, the idea of going to a court room to argue over whether or not a particular work is mine, mine, mine, gets me rather annoyed. In truth, I would rather spend my time producing something that can make a difference to someone, somewhere. Part of the wonders of dabbling in the written word is the ability to illuminate the eyes and mind of the reader. Thus, I've sagaciously endeavored to spare myself from the bickering that may arise, if I ever write a Best Seller that gets real-time infringed. This is why I did some interesting brain-storming during the summer of 2014. I've got something going here and it's got some teeth to it, so to speak.

What am I talking about?  
Alright, so here's my pitch. Pardon me while I sound like that soothing voice from a theatrical trailer. After all, we ARE talking about the fate of intellectual property as it hangs in the balance.

Ahem...

...

In a world, where the use of Remote Neural Monitoring for intellectual property theft, is an impending reality -

In a world, where one's creative efforts can be reaped invisibly by perfidious others, in real-time.

...

Yes, one needs to have a preemptive defense; a righteous solution.

...  
What if instead of simply depending on literary style to make your literature distinctive, you could employ a system that makes the whole entire production unique and signature - identifiable with you, and with you alone?

...

In THIS world -

There is a Solution...

Ladies and gentlemen, let's get psyched, because I've developed something that does just what this pitch suggests. It's called Chrono-Barrier. If you're not into studying the origins of words (etymology) then let me clarify. Chrono stands for chronological, or simply, Time. The 'Barrier' simply means "back the heck up," if you know what I'm saying, man? I've essentially designed an identity driven system for creative production scheduling. It can help make your production cycles for literature unfold in quite a unique fashion. Yes, to the point where no other writer who is cloning your efforts can reasonably claim that they've infringed upon your literary work by accident, while it's in production. I know that accidental infringement occurs in minor fits all across the world of literature, but that's not what real-time copyright infringers do.

Nope. Not even...

Now, relatively speaking real-time infringement can be hard to judge in a court of law, from what I imagine. There are a lot of genius criminal minds out there that can do some pretty amazing things with computers. Many of these dexterous individuals can manipulate valuable information in a manner that makes it appear as if it belongs to them. I decided not to focus so much on the information itself but the production process, more so. It's one thing to be recording audio while someone else is replicating your efforts, and only lagging behind you by 2 or 3 seconds. However what if the entire process - even the time that each recording "will take place" is based on a unique sequence of values that can only be identified with you? That would be a pretty powerful advantage, right?

This is one of the major features of Chrono-Barrier. You can pre-plan a production schedule ahead of time by using unique data. Don't get me wrong. I'm sure that it's not such a unique or unheard of approach. I'm sure that some government computers incorporate the same types of calculations into their authentication procedures. Maybe even some of what I show you here was used during World War II for code-breaking. It may even be the case that someone in Tibet has been using this sort of system privately for years. Since this would be person didn't put it online for general consumption, I decided to help the good creative folks out. You're going to be empowered by what I'm about to convey.

Let's talk about basic encoding or encryption for a minute. The initial thing that people gravitate toward when they want to encode a valuable piece of information is their name. For example, if I wanted to create a lock combination out of my name I might do something like this -

Emmanuel =  
5 - 13 - 13 - 1 - 14 - 21 - 5 - 12

Simply by taking the letters and converting them to numbers based on their positions in the alphabet, I can arrive at a pretty interesting combination for a lock or even for a computer password. One problem though; there are other people out there who have the same first name as I do. Even if I use my first, last name, and middle initial, there's still a chance that the information won't be unique enough to encode something to the point where it's overly matchless. On top of that simply using your name is too obvious, don't you think? We need to try another approach. Now check this out. How do you think I got this result for a code?

76b53b8ac89af5163ebba32d6024815c

Quite an interesting assembly of numbers and letters, isn't it? Yes, very much so. What would you say if I told you that this was a digital signature for the following information?

Emmanuel C. Flint

eflint@digitalflint.com

Country: United States

In case you're wondering, a nifty program called HashCalc was used to produce the aforementioned digital signature. It calculated those three lines of information against an intricate piece of code. I simply inserted that information into a Windows text file, and removed the spaces, before and after each line. What HashCalc does is use a complex algorithm to process the file's contents. Apart from the use of standard computer code, this process is very much exclusive and independent of file extensions. HashCalc focuses more on the file's specific contents. This program can pretty much give you a digital signature for any computer file on your computer. Each file attribute that is calculated receives a value. The final enumeration manifests in a string of unique characters. For any of you who already know, the great thing about digital signatures is that they're highly unique. The same signature cannot be calculated for two different pieces of information. Even if you change one letter in those three lines of information that was used to generate the previous digital signature, the whole entire result will look totally different. Look what happens when I add a simple bracket after United States.

Emmanuel C. Flint

eflint@digitalflint.com

Country: United States}

This is the result I get with HashCalc.

4d535fc434aaff1e44dd0cedd206f7df

Now let's compare -

Initial result:

76b53b8ac89af5163ebba32d6024815c

Result after adding a closing bracket:

4d535fc434aaff1e44dd0cedd206f7df

The whole entire signature has changed even though I only added one extra character!

Holy cryptographic services, Batman!  
The whole entire signature has gotten a face lift, or perhaps a blood transfusion! Anyhow, this is great. Now you can selectively assemble some data that identifies you definitively, and convert it into a unique code that is traceable - right back to you, if needed. There are different types of signatures that can be produced by programs such as HashCalc. Essentially, what I'm referring to are the names for all the existent algorithms that such applications can use to factor out digital information into digital signatures. Here are some of the most common hash algorithm types.

MD-5 SHA-1 SHA-256 SHA-384

SHA-512 TIGER MD2 CRC32

The most commonly used hashes these days are MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256 and SHA-512. I would say that SHA-256 is presently the most loved by anyone who works in cyber security, because this particular algorithm hasn't been cracked yet. Plus, the results that it gives are much lighter than that of SHA-512. The two previous digital signatures were calculated using MD-5, which has been cracked as well; hence, it's no longer secure. So, you don't have to use it if you don't want to. I personally use SHA-256 or higher, but for my demonstrations here I'll use MD-5 because of the shorter hashes that it creates (only 32 characters).

Pop Quiz!

Where did I get this string of "numbers" from?

76253281389165163522132460248153

Think real hard....

Yup, this is the first digital signature I showed you a few paragraphs ago; however, all the letters have been converted to numbers. Now let me show you something even more interesting. What if I did this next?

762 | 532 | 813 | 891 | 651 | 635 | 221 | 324 | 602 | 481 (*the last two digits were removed)

Does this new arrangement give you any ideas? Well don't worry if you still have no clue, for I shall elucidate much. As previously established, we clearly have a unique set of information that can be identified with me, for the most part. This is unless somebody out there, who has the same full name as me, is incidentally touting the same exact email address, yah?

No.

It's not likely, and this means that the odds of someone assigning the same set of information to something important are going to be somewhere in the octillions at least, yah?

Correct.

I'm very comfortable with those odds, so let me move on to the next step where I explain how we can use the Chrono-Barrier system to process this information and convert it into a production schedule. The key is to assign attributes to each digit or piece of data. Obviously, I would have to assign time-based values to some of the data, seeing how this is going to help me devise a schedule. Let me just say three words in this regard: hour, minute, duration. Yes, essentially I'm talking about using that long list of digits for establishing writing sessions that are controlled by these three factors. Here is an example.

Let's just say for argument sake that I usually start writing in the morning. Seeing how this is the case I'd have to map the numbers respectively. Like so,

0 = 9 am

1 = 10 am

2 = 11 am

3 = 12 pm

4 = 1 pm

5 = 2 pm

... and so on.

Based on this approach the number seven from 762 (the first digit from the first number triplet) would represent 4 p.m. Then I could use the second digit in the current set (762) to establish the minute within that hour that I embark on writing. This adds more precision - making it perhaps more distinct than the usual times that people start writing in the morning. I could very well use the six to represent 00:06, thus giving me 4:06 pm as the result. The number 7 is mapped to 4pm, and the number six simply stands for six minutes into the hour.

Using 6 to represent :06 leaves me with very little options, if I want to map values that can span an entire hour. This is due to the fact that a hash digest can only factor out values that run from 0 to 9 numerically. Such makes the use of multipliers quite necessary. When I say 'multipliers' I am talking about a constant value, or set of values that I can multiply against a piece of data. Since the numbers in a hash algorithm can run from 0 to 9, I developed a little formula that helps me control their influence on the "minutes attribute" of each three number set. In the end, this is what I came up with to make the result more diffusing and unexpected.

Let's just say that the second number in the set 762 is n.

If ( n >= 6 ){ //If n is greater than or equal to six)

n = ( n/2.5 ); //Divide n by 2.5

n = (n *10); //Multiply the result by 10;

}

else{ //Otherwise just multiply by 10;

n * 10;

}

Now if this was a real program, and I wanted it to spit out the final value for n in the statement, I would so something like this.

First, I'd declare a string at the beginning of the previous piece of code like this.

string $minutes;

Then I would add this line at the end of the code; -

print ("The result is" + n \+ "$minutes");

What I've done here is use concatenation to make the supposed program post the following message.

The result is 24 minutes.

Now I know exactly what time I'm going to begin writing, which is 4:24 pm. The last thing I have to address is the duration, which is dependent on the last digit in 762. The length of the writing session is a relatively painless value to arrive upon because all you have to do is set a constant multiplier for it. Since the highest number you can get in a digital signature is 9, the longest duration I can get if I use 10 as a multiplier is 90 minutes. This works for me as a maximum writing duration, but I could certainly use something like 20 or 30 for multipliers, if I wanted to. Essentially, I will follow these types of instructions during a writing production.

Writing Session 1:

Start time: 4:24 p.m.

Duration: 20 minutes

Now imagine if you laid this all out in a spreadsheet and then followed it to the letter? It took several conversions but in the end we arrived at these instructions, by manipulating the values that appear in a digital signature, which was derived from my personal information.

If one were to process every three digit set of numbers from the digital signature and sculpt out the remainder of the schedule then it would be easy to discover who the actual author is using the original information (name, email, country, etc.). It wouldn't matter if someone was copying you. Even if they're trailing behind you by minutes they'd have to explain what their methodology was for establishing the times and durations for their writing sessions. Of course it would seem suspicious if they claim that it was simply an accident even though their convergence with your writing sessions was quite substantial. Ultimately, when the files and hard drive tables are analyzed it would be a no-brainer.

I do admit that this first example of how I would factor out all the values from the digital signature may not work for a fulltime writer, because the timing wouldn't work well. One day you start writing at 2 p.m. and the next day you'd begin writing at 10 a.m. On top of that the durations aren't long enough. Yup, that's why I refer to the previous strategy as Chrono-Barrier v 1.0. It works well for intermittent writers who dabble in the art form. After doing some brainstorming I soon came upon a better solution which I dubbed Chrono-Barrier v2.0.

Since I didn't want to get all fancy with writing a C++ program, which wouldn't allow direct user access to the data on a rudimentary level, I decided to add new methods of control when I upgraded the Chrono-Barrier specification. I needed a way to make the writing not so dependant on a specific timeframe, but more dependant on where the actual content is written in a manuscript. Trading time for content location seemed acceptable and it gives me more flexibility as a writer. Furthermore, since time and date are already addressed by the system time on a computer, and thereby will be evident in a hard drive's metadata file, I decided to loosen up the literal use of time and converted it into a pattern-based use of chronology. This would of course be in relation to the manner in which I would divvy up a manuscript.

Every story has a beginning, middle, and end; however, I felt that slicing the story up into smaller pieces would add a greater level of depth (LOD), so to speak. Mind you, I couldn't do this arbitrarily, and the data that I'd use to slice up the document would have to be constant - based on something that was derived from solid computer science. So, I decided to incorporate another hash that I could use to slice up the document. Here's how I did that.

I created a file that I call the Chrono-Barrier Driver. It essentially drives the progression, or how I would traverse the subdivided manuscript between each writing session.

The driver file contains the following information in a text file.

Chrono-Barrier-Driver

Project-Name:Cool Stuff

Author:Emmanuel-C-Flint

Email:eflint@digitalflint.com

HashCalc kicked out the following string of data via a SHA-1 hash.

d30cd21a5ce3d54529a630599be1e268d623c523

I had to ensure that whichever portion of the hash that I used was totally void of repetition. Since I was striving to develop a sequence I looked in the hash to see if there was a series of non-repeating numbers that I could use to label and section out the manuscript. I focused on this particular set of numbers that is located near the middle of the string.

529a630

After converting the letters to numbers, I get this result.

5291630

The cool thing is that I had a reliable set of data that wasn't arbitrary. It's a portion of a signature that was the result of various complex calculations. So, what if an investigator asks me how I devised the pattern that I use to progress from section to section in a manuscript? The answer is that I would simply show him or her the original Chrono-Barrier Driver file, the HashCalc result, and point out the seven non-repeating numbers in the digital signature. The following is an abbreviated template that I can use in conjunction with that series of numbers when I'm writing a manuscript.

Manuscript Alpha: A very bodacious story.

-Section 0

Good writing. Blah blah blah

-Section 1

Awesome Action. You don't say, even more blah.

-Section 2

Groovy Drama. Give me liberty or a pastry instead.

-Section 3

Funny idea. Killing two birds with one scone.

-Section 5

Grumpy grandpa. Needs to give me his Gran Torino.

-Section 6

The end of this awesome story. Got groovy results.

-Section 9

Yup - there's a sequel. Dun- dun- dun!

See how all the numbers from that series of digits are listed in natural order for the labeling of each section in the manuscript? Essentially, I've divided the manuscript into zones (like a grid), but the great thing is that I won't be writing the scenes in order. I will work my way through the manuscript using the sequence 5291630. Since it's not a logical sequence, the odds of someone writing in the same order are quite slim, and in my favor.

It becomes obvious that version 2.0 of Chrono-Barrier requires the writer to use his or her non-linear writing skills quite effectively or profusely, in order to pull off a comprehensive manuscript. Thus, "this solution is not for everyone." Though, if you rise to the challenge and learn how to implement it proficiently you'll be untouchable in the eyes of real-time copyright infringers. If you catch them in the act of stealing any work from you in a timeframe which suggests that they replicated your efforts LIVE while you produced a work then you'll have enough proof to expose their high crimes. Remember, that the production process you'll employ is derived from highly unique data that is based on your identity. Thus, for someone to have the same schedule they would have to use that same exact information. It's not something to laugh about if one gets caught for criminally infringing on a creative production, in a manner which suggests that they're trying to own a person's work, their identity, and practically their mind via illegal technologies such as RNM, for example. The laws of the United States are against such activities, and so are most of the world's human rights laws.

Back to that sample manuscript. Notice how I'll begin writing the manuscript in Section 5? For the next Session I write in Section 2 and so on. An even more interesting detail is that based on the sequence 5291630, I write the intro to the story last (in Section 0). Let me elaborate more on the odds for any possible replication of this initial sequence. If I factor out the possibilities for this set of numbers being arrived upon by accident, I get the following result via some conservative factoring.

Since there are 7 numbers in the sequence I must calculate as follows.

7! = 7 x 6 x 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 = 5,040

5,040 would be the amount of times that someone would have to take a stab at guessing what the sequence is. However, consider that the number 4 is not even present in the sequence of 5291630. Let's also consider that the sequence doesn't have to be seven numbers. It could be nine numbers for all they know.

Thus, factoring 7! hardly scratches the surface, because there are other aspects of the production for any manuscript which would push the odds into the trillions at least. Not to mention that Chrono-Barrier v 2.0 imposes certain rules that will max-out these odds, considerably. However, one fact that I can definitely lean upon if there's ever a problem involving any convergence with another manuscript in-progress by another author, is that my literary development progression is driven by solid computed data (no arbitrary hoopla). Now that I've established an initial writing sequence, I can begin to sculpt in more conditions from the deriving hash to distinguish my writing schedule even more. Here is the current string that I'm dealing with for exploring Chrono-Barrier v 2.0. Now let's make a second approach or pass on this hash, so that we can derive some data to drive the writing times.

d30cd21a5ce3d54529a630599be1e268d623c523

Equals

4303421153534545291630599251526846233523

Equals

430 | 342 | 115 | 353 | 454 | 529 | 163 | 059 | 925 | 152 | 684 | 623 | 352 | 3

Much like with Chrono-Barrier v 1.0 we must now assign attributes to these values. All the first digits in each set will represent the minute I begin writing in any hour that I choose to write. Notice that I say "any hour that I choose to write." When working a full-time job in Design I can't just wait for a specific hour to come around. So, any hour in the day will do for version 2.0. For the first set which is |430| I would start writing at 40 minutes into any given hour, if I use 10 as a multiplier. If this first number exceeds 6 then I would run into an obvious problem, so I would use a conversion like the aforementioned for any number that is greater than or equal to 5.

( if n > 5 then divide by 2.5 and multiply by 10, else just multiply by 10 ).

If the number was 7 then the result would be 28 minutes, after doing that calculation.

To make it more interesting I will use the last two digits in each set to govern the duration (30). However, if simply writing for 30 minutes per session is not enough, here's a hint. You could use multiple sets for each day you write (if they fit within a day) or implement a constant multiplier for increasing the duration value. One very important thing to remember is that your formula has to stay CONSTANT. This includes your conversions and multipliers. Now, I'll give you a glance at how Chrono-Barrier v2.0 works for a production. Remember that your sequence driver is what pushes the production forward. The number sets in the second pass are for determining your writing times, so ensure that you don't mix things up when cycling through both sets of data to establish a schedule. Here is how it runs for three sets or sessions.

Sequence Driver for Manuscript Sections: 5291630

Time instructions: 430 | 342 | 115

Simulate writing production for three sessions.

1) Start in Manuscript Section 5 -

Set 430 = Start writing at 40 minutes into any given hour and stop after 30 minutes of writing.

2) Start in Manuscript Section 2 -

Set 342 = Start writing at 30 minutes into any given hour and stop after 42 minutes of writing.

3) Start in Manuscript Section 9 -

Set 115 = Start writing at 10 minutes into any given hour and stop after 15 minutes of writing.

You see how this makes a kick-arse solution for shaking up a real-time copyright infringer?! A writer could use the full 13 session schedule over and over again; and not one person who was replicating that author's writing in real-time would be able to explain their way out of a criminal infringement charge, if their production cycle was equivalent, or substantially similar. As long as the original writer had the time set properly on his or her machine and stuck to the schedule, a forensic analyst could easily compare the CB 2.0 output to the MFT file in the incumbent hard drive. They would find that every time instruction from CB 2.0 is reflected in the first and last saves of your manuscript files from each session. Also, the likelihood that another writer could replicate the same sequence randomly is small, if not totally impossible. Moreover, since the manuscript was initially divided into seven different sections, the progression of the content development will also have a distinct pattern or signature that can be traced back to the use of Chrono-Barrier 2.0. To ice the cake we'll take solace in the fact that the entire schedule is based on private information that is identifiable with the true author. That's the power behind Chrono-Barrier.

Glad I thought of it, yah (lol)?

If you're one of those people who get annoyed by certain capricious persons who always like to claim that they're involved in your attractive book writing habit when they're actually not, you can rest assured that using Chrono-Barrier will make their claims look rather dubious when you write that next genius novel. Simply declare yourself as a Sole-Author in the Chrono-Barrier driver file, and enter in one specific piece of personal data that people usually don't share with anyone except government agencies. The existence of such data will render the Chrono-Barrier driver file as a privileged document, and not something that anyone can say you whimsically shared, in case the file is stolen and used to replicate your work process. That would be identity theft, technically.

There is one more thing that I wish to relate concerning the use of Chrono-Barrier. Let's consider how you can effectively reduce the number of incident(s) that lead to any loss of exclusivity against your writing, in an ever-evolving modern world. I'll simply say that if you worked in the field of intelligence one of the things that they would recommend to you is that when you leave work 'don't think about it.' I know it sounds funny and keep in mind that they don't say 'don't talk about it'; no, they would certainly say 'don't think about work when you're not at work.' One could ostensibly argue that such advice is meant to inform a government employee who works in the field of intelligence that he or she should not think about matters pertaining to their job, when they're off the clock. Perhaps because thinking about work will naturally lead to discussions thereof. However, I have come to suspect that there is another reason for this little caveat regarding life outside of work for the intelligence community.

Shall we consider that since the 1980's there have been certain 'projects' in the works here in the United States which today have manifested themselves as various technologies that can read evoked potentials, or even thought processes in a human brain. The most notable mention goes out to the Remote Neural Monitor which I've already introduced you to in a previous chapter. Hmmm, a creative professional would have to ask his or herself if the stakes are that high in regards to anything that they produce, before they start to even consider what I've just asserted. I believe that right now the proliferation of illegally implemented human surveillance technologies is something that creative professionals should be considering as they pursue their careers.

Since I've just revisited the topic of human surveillance I would like to remind you that gang-stalkers purportedly pursue their targets by utilizing several kinds of human surveillance technologies that have geo-positional capabilities. Moreover, the whole subject of Electronic Harassment in present society is no stranger to reports about people who claim that someone is 'broadcasting' strange rhetoric" at them in a manner which suggests that the harasser is seeing what they're doing in private.

LOL!

Hey, I'm not trying to baptize you with paranoia, and I hope this book has helped you understand that based on how I've presented the information contained herein; but, may I make a few suggestions regarding your thought process for developing certain creative content such as literature? You might very well thank me for it later.

...

Ok, here it is.

...

Countless people all over the world are complaining about certain activities going on around them on a daily basis, which collectively suggest that some people can decipher their 'intents or intended actions.' So, do yourself a favor at some point and keep your detailed creative thought processes in closer proximity to the times that you actually create, instead of when you're walking around the city drinking ice coffee or something (lol).

Yes, it sounds funny, but it's good advice.

Oh yes, remember to have a sound recorder going when you actually sit down to write. It will enable you to document your ideas in a fashion that reduces any occurrence of theft against anything that you have in the works. Essentially, what I'm saying is that you should only expatiate your ideas, concepts, or scenes in full detail only once you've started creating and saving forward versions along the way. When you begin to perfect this approach for creative writing especially, you'll have a profound understanding of how using CB 2.0 adds a considerable amount of protection to your projects. Hopefully, I've just sold you on the idea of using Chrono-Barrier,

In this world.

Well, technically speaking I haven't actually sold it to you because Chrono-Barrier is free. Check out the full details and notes for Version 2.5, in Appendix [C].

Chapter 11

Contract Terms

Now that we have become familiarized with many of the subtleties and nuances involved in protecting oneself from real-time copyright infringement, we should now focus on how one can negotiate contracts terms that account for such illegal activities, as they are waged against creative professionals. Not that a client would be the culprit, but rather agents who make your private business their business. I'm not a legal expert but I've signed my share of work agreements as a creative professional. You certainly may have guessed that there are some things which you need to make sure that both parties (you and the Client) agree to regarding information security, or confidentiality when you're undertaking a creative project. For example, you should make sure to note the things that you're NOT responsible for regarding advanced methods of copyright infringement (or confidentiality breaches). After all, we are just artists - not military or intelligence personnel who have regular access to frequency jammers and Electro-magnetic shields. Thus, we have limitations in how we guard the physical manifestations of our ideas, notions, and concepts.

One thing that I've found to be quite crucial as a freelancer is the consideration of how I control the flow of ideas, from myself to the client. Maintaining focus on the objective at hand without showing off too much, so that the development of visual assets remains concise, is key. For Graphic Designers this may be a non-issue except for things like logo development and product-oriented design. If you let the client see 101 ideas during a Work for Hire job then you're giving away too much of your time. More than you should be doing. Sometimes you can come across early stage logo iterations from a previous job, and discreetly reuse them for a current client without crossing the infringement line. This is what I mean by giving away too much; some things need to stay hidden from the client. As designers we must find ways to capitalize on our time, as much as possible. In light of this we should also keep contact terms in mind, as we sagaciously endeavor to develop dynamic creative campaigns for many clients.

With the case of Concept Design it's more complicated, because once a client sees an idea for a character or creature they may use it later even though it's not the final concept they bought into during a job. You can't make them un-see what you show them, so proceed carefully. In general, a Client usually purchases the rights to the final concept, and not all the iterations that were generated during the brainstorming phases. That is unless the Client is a giant studio or corporation. Albeit, you should make yourself aware of the fact that Clients don't own everything that you produce during a job, unless you were hired under a Work for Hire Agreement. Certain contracts with strict stipulations about the client retaining all the preliminaries and pre-final materials from a project should be read very carefully. They may want to own all your preliminaries, or have them subject to a Non-disclosure agreement (NDA). For my arguments here, I am focusing on the standard freelance situation between a Designer and a client who is perhaps an associate in a mid-sized business.

Ultimately, I tend to go through several steps in identifying what the Client wants for features in a concept without straying too far off home base. This means that I 'm being careful about firing off extra ideas that could potentially be used for satisfying the needs of another Client in the future. I keep it close enough to the line so that the Client feels that they have a nice spread of ideas to choose from. Here is a relevant scenario.

1) Ad posting - Concept Designer Wanted:

"I need a concept created for an adventurous bunny rabbit that raids tombs for treasure."

2) The client hires me for this project:

She gives me the details for the bunny that I'm supposed to develop, but then she wants me to try creating a design for a bull, moose, and squirrel as well.

3.)My Response:

"This is potentially five times the amount of work we agreed upon at the beginning of the project. Hence, there needs to be an understanding that I will have more time and more compensation for completing all of the above."

I'm not being pessimistic at all you see, because sometimes a Client will try and slipstream or solicit a request for more work than what was agreed upon at the genesis of a project. My advice - keep track of how many unique concepts that are being developed during a job. Still document your work in the various real-time fashions that I've recommended thus far, or one that works well for you in regards to protecting your work (if you fancy to). Give yourself some flexibility and breathing room in regards to all your contract negotiations.

The next thing that I should touch base on and hit home with you is confidentiality. This entire book almost exclusively focuses on the subject (directly and indirectly), and why it's important for you to maintain confidentiality when you're working with a client. Confidentiality directly correlates with exclusivity, and exclusivity correlates with profitability. Therefore, if a client trusts you to maintain confidentiality you must make a reasonable effort to maintain it, for a project. So, what would be considered a 'reasonable' effort for your average everyday creative professional, in regards to confidentiality? There are people out there who have dedicated their lives to breaking security schemes of all kinds. Hence, you should not be expected to undertake advanced counterintelligence training to prove that you have made a reasonable effort to maintain confidentiality for your client.

Let's take a look at a standard confidentiality clause. The following confidentiality agreement excerpts are from a fairly recent document that was posted on the Harvard Business School website in 2012.

1. Definition of Confidential Information.

(a) For purposes of this Agreement, "Confidential Information" means any data or information that is proprietary to the Disclosing Party and not generally known to the public, whether in tangible or intangible form, whenever and however disclosed, including, but not limited to: (i) any marketing strategies, plans, financial information, or projections, operations, sales estimates, business plans and performance results relating to the past, present or future business activities of such party, its affiliates, subsidiaries and affiliated companies; (ii) plans for products or services, and customer or supplier lists; (iii) any scientific or technical information, invention, design, process, procedure, formula, improvement, technology or method; (iv) any concepts, reports, data, know-how, works-in-progress, designs, development tools, specifications, computer software, source code, object code, flow charts, databases, inventions, information and trade secrets; and (v) any other information that should reasonably be recognized as confidential information of the Disclosing Party. Confidential Information need not be novel, unique, patentable, copyrightable or constitute a trade secret in order to be designated Confidential Information. The Receiving Party acknowledges that the Confidential Information is proprietary to the Disclosing Party, has been developed and obtained through great efforts by the Disclosing Party and that the Disclosing Party regards all of its Confidential Information as trade secrets.

As you can see, this definition of confidential information is pretty detailed and equates confidential information with trade secrets, which tend to be the central focus during industrial espionage litigations or investigations. So, it should be your understanding that you have a great deal of responsibility as a creative professional, to comply with what your client regards as confidential information - per whichever confidentiality terms that you agree to before starting a project.

3. Use of Confidential Information.

The Receiving Party agrees to use the Confidential Information solely in connection with the current or contemplated business relationship between the parties and not for any purpose other than as authorized by this Agreement without the prior written consent of an authorized representative of the Disclosing Party. No other right or license, whether expressed or implied, in the Confidential Information is granted to the Receiving Party hereunder. Title to the Confidential Information will remain solely with the Disclosing Party. All use of Confidential Information by the Receiving Party shall be for the benefit of the Disclosing Party and any modifications and improvements thereof by the Receiving Party shall be the sole property of the Disclosing Party. Nothing contained herein is intended to modify the parties' existing agreement that their discussions in furtherance of a potential business relationship are governed by Federal Rule of Evidence 408.

This basically states that you will not be using any of the confidential information for personal gains, and for nothing else other than the work that you are assigned to by the client. It also mentions how your involvement in developing 'the work' for the client does not diminish their rights to the previous and final state of the intellectual property that you are developing for them.

In some cases you may need to do research and development during the preliminary stages of a project, and the use of confidentiality procedures also applies, when making your queries during your research. Naturally, we must ask ourselves what would be considered a breach of confidentiality in regards to real-time copyright infringement. Be at peace in knowing that real-time copyright infringement has yet to plague the courts, because most of the perpetrators of such crimes prefer to remain unidentified. However, if such cases would see their days in court, the burdens of proof would be astronomical, in most cases. Theoretically, many law-abiding and unsuspecting authors would be stripped of their substance for simply not being aware of certain procedures for documenting their work against real-time theft. Yet, I'm optimistic about this because the laws in this nation would certainly change to combat such a threat to the "natural order of creation."

The methods we've explored in this book will substantially reduce the effectiveness of real-time intellectual property theft, as the case study showed in the previous chapter. Yet I'm certain that such cases can only be solved at the forensic level, during a trial or investigation. However, the implementation of real-time theft deterrents can also discourage anyone from even trying to steal your work in such a manner in the first place.

This is what I prefer to be the outcome of using the techniques outlined in this book.

-After noticing how I've been implementing a signature production process derived from Chrono-Barrier v2.0, a tech savvy IP thief chooses to look elsewhere for some Intellectual Property to steal.

THE END -

Now, back to the relationship between you and your clients; you must make certain promises in your agreement(s) for delivering the final products of your labors. The first thing that I recommend is to make sure that you either list or mention the various methods that you'll employ for communicating with your client, and delivering final project items.

For instance -

Stating that you'll deliver all documents or 'products' via a secure and registered file delivery service that provides 256-bit SSL encryption. By today's standards that would be considered a secure and reasonable means for digital file delivery, during a serious business venture. This is usually all that I put in my work agreements for delivery methods, in regards to confidentiality - especially if the client has an expanded version of their own expectations for file handling, in their agreement form.

Yup, and I know you're itching to ask this question.

"What would be the penalty or consequence if a breach of confidentiality occurred during a project?"

Well, let's take a look at section 6 of the agreement form Harvard Business School to get a good idea.

6. Remedies.

Both parties acknowledge that the Confidential Information to be disclosed hereunder is of a unique and valuable character, and that the unauthorized dissemination of the Confidential Information would destroy or diminish the value of such information. The damages to the Disclosing Party that would result from the unauthorized dissemination of the Confidential Information would be impossible to calculate. Therefore, both parties hereby agree that the Disclosing Party shall be entitled to injunctive relief preventing the dissemination of any Confidential Information in violation of the terms hereof. Such injunctive relief shall be in addition to any other remedies available hereunder, whether at law or in equity. The Disclosing Party shall be entitled to recover its costs and fees, including reasonable attorneys' fees, incurred in obtaining any such relief. Further, in the event of litigation relating to this Agreement, the prevailing party shall be entitled to recover its reasonable attorney's fees and expenses.

Despite the use of embellished rhetoric, this part is pretty straightforward and it resonates with what I discussed in earlier chapters. You must protect your client's interests, by maintaining some standards that will enable you to guarantee that you did not willingly allow the release of confidential information - by any negligence or fault of your own. You can only counter certain things when it comes to the systematic and unauthorized acquisition of confidential information, before it becomes a case for the Feds (FBI) - per industrial espionage being perpetrated against you, and perhaps your client. For instance, I don't know any human being that can naturally withstand a Remote Neural Monitor probe. Therefore, to expect one to maintain confidentiality while they're being probed by someone using such privacy-breaching systems seems quite unreasonable. If someone is systematically using such a system to acquire information from writers, artists, and creative professionals, in a manner which suggests that they're trying to sabotage and hinder the progress of such people (and their client's) then it's definitely something that is beyond the jurisdiction of simple confidentiality practices.

So, it behooves you to familiarize yourself with these two additional terms: Warranty of Originality and Indemnification. Since real-time copyright infringers effectively try to reproduce your work as you're creating it, one could try to argue that 'your copy' of the work is not original - though technically it was 'original 'until it was copied illegally (and concurrently). Let me quote from a standard contract I found in the Graphic Artist's Guild Handbook that details what a Warranty of Originality is.

10. Warranty of Originality

The Artist warrants and represents that, to the best of his/her knowledge, the work assigned hereunder is original and has not been previously published, or that consent to use has been obtained on an unlimited basis; that all work or portions thereof obtained through the undersigned from third parties is original or, if previously published, that consent to use has been obtained on an unlimited basis; that the Artist has full authority to make this agreement; and that the work prepared by the Artist does not contain any scandalous, libelous, or unlawful matter. This warranty does not extend to any uses that the Client (Buyer) or others may make of the Artist's product which may infringe upon the rights of others. Client (Buyer) expressly agrees that it will hold the Artist harmless (blameless), for all liability caused by the Client's (Buyer's) use of the Artist's product to the extent such use infringes upon the rights of others.

Let's breakdown this clause in bullet points in order to understand exactly what it means.

  * As an artist you certify that the work you are submitting for an assignment is original, to the best of your knowledge, and does not infringe upon the rights of others.

  * If the work is not original then you have made the proper arrangement(s) to use the work on an unlimited basis.

  * The work contains no scandalous, libelous, or unlawful matter.

  * You're not responsible for how the Client (Buyer) uses the work you submit to them.

  * You are not responsible for any infringements upon the right of others that arise from how the Client uses the work you produced for them.

Hopefully, you were able to identify the key points in this clause/ term that pertain to real-time copyright infringement and your culpability if someone commits such a crime against you. In this clause you are claiming that your work is original and that you are the creator of if. Furthermore, you are certifying that any other portions of the work that are not solely created by you, have been obtained for unlimited use through the proper channels.

Be it as it may, when someone commits an act of industrial espionage or threatens to do so, it's not your fault if you're taking the proper steps to secure all confidential information, in a manner that complies with certain business standards, in your class of professional expertise. So, acts of intellectual property theft that go beyond a certain threshold should not be of considerable concern for the average creative professional. Let me reiterate again; you should not feel the need to buy government-grade counterintelligence equipment from the places where the DOD (Department of Defense) shops, in order to certify that you are protecting your Client's intellectual property in a reasonable fashion. If a breach occurs and the evidence or artifacts that you have in your possession prove that you took the necessary steps to maintain confidentiality during a job, then you may very well see your client consult a Special Agent at the Federal Bureau of Investigation to inspect why the "project in question" was infringed upon, or sabotaged.

Even if someone remotely hacks into your computer and steals files, it wouldn't really be your fault if the computer was on a secure network, or had the proper security software installed. However, as you've learned in this book, having a workstation that is 'standalone' (isolated from the web) can certainly help investigators narrow down the possibilities, and pinpoint the type of tools that were used to commit the information theft. Even the use of things like hard drives and CD-ROMS are noted in operating system logs when they are inserted, or used on certain workstations. So, if there are signs of such media use then we kind of arrive at other breach scenarios that the 'investigators' can look into.

Even after inserting a warranty of originality you should also include an indemnification statement, to ice the layered cake of culpability in your work agreement.

Indemnification

The Client shall indemnify and hold harmless the Artist from all claims, costs, damages, or expenses arising out of the negligence of the Client. Likewise, the Artist shall indemnify and hold harmless the Client from all claims, costs, damages, or expenses arising out of the actions of the Artist, including the violation or infringement of any copyright. In the case of negligence by either party involved (Client and Artist), any damages shall be levied in proportion to the percentage of negligence attributable to each party.

As you may have noticed indemnification is more of a continuation to warranty of originality. It basically speaks about the responsibilities and obligations that may arise if negligence occurs on the part of either party that are subjecting themselves to the relevant work agreement. The good thing to consider is that if you're protecting yourself from real-time copyright infringement (per what is recommended in this book), negligence is not really an issue, because your strategies for documenting and securing your work are already past a certain tolerance or standard for the average creative professional. As long as you're not passing out copies of the work that you create for clients, or uploading confidential information to places like social websites, then you shouldn't have much to worry about. Just make sure that you limit access to your workstation, studio, or work materials as well. Doing a reasonable amount of research is a good idea, because this will help you avoid any unexpected occurrences of unintentional copyright infringement, on your part.

I think that does it for this section in regards to what terms you should include in a work agreement, when you're undertaking a creative project for a client. It may seem like a lot of paperwork or legal jargon, but it can really protect you from a lot of misery in the end. Think of all the props (praise) you'll get from your client when they realize that you protected them, by protecting yourself. That's right; protecting your work process and maintaining confidentiality during an assignment, even after an assignment is over. It will give your client a great deal of satisfaction and confidence in you as well. They will love you for it! If you have any further questions about any of the above from this section, just check out some of the Graphic Artist's Guild websites that contain sample contract terms. Also, you can check out a business school website for some samples as well. You can also buy books which contain pre-made work agreements that you can use for your own respective workflow(s) and negotiations.

Get it in writing! Nuff said.
Chapter 12

Quiz Time

Hey you! Show yourself that you learned something from this book.

Just kidding.

No seriously... I hope you learned a lot from this book.

Soooooooo,

In this section I'm going to pose you a series of questions that will prompt you to pool together all the information that you've acquired from this book, to produce some awesome answers. Go on and take the quiz, to test your critical thinking skills in regards to Real-time Copyright Infringement! Some of the questions are open-ended and require a little bit of extra reading, beyond this book to exemplify your knowledge and understanding. You can find the answers to these questions in Appendix A, at the end of this book.

Here we go!

Quiz Questions (1 - 26)

1.) What do you call the act of stealing a manuscript that is later used to publish a book that's pretty much identical to the stolen manuscript; essentially, the person who stole the manuscript would claim the manuscript as his or her own work)?

2.) How can you tell if your manuscript or artistic piece is infringing upon someone else's work?

3.) How can you increase the chances that your manuscript does not infringe upon another person's published or in-progress work?

4.) What steps can you take to ensure that your computer system time clock is consistently accurate, to a high degree?

5.) What is the penalty for intentional copyright infringement?

6.) What is the burden of proof for the claimant in a copyright infringement trial?

7.) Which process would be used to analyze the electronic (computer) data and documents that will be used as evidence in a copyright infringement lawsuit?

8.) Where is the best place to register a copyright that is officially and expressly recognized by the government of the United States of America?

9.) What is a non-repudiation service?

10.) Does a signed timestamp provide substantial proof that you are both the owner and the creator of a work?

11.) Which of the following can be considered a human surveillance technology that can be used to illegally acquire intellectual property (choose all that apply)?

A.) Intercom.

B.) Cell phone.

C.) Electro Magnetic Reader.

D.) Remote Neural Monitoring.

E.) Audio Recorder.

12.) What is the fastest and most reliable way to create a tangible record of a painting?

A.) Traditional film photo.

B.) Hi-Resolution Digital camera photo.

C.) Text description of the entire image.

D.) Scanning the image into a computer.

E.) Xerox.

13.) You're on the road and you have a great idea for a plotline, or a scene for a literary work. What is the best way to document that idea to facilitate an immediate and reliable copyright?

A.) Write the idea down on a napkin.

B.) Use a pen to write the idea down on high quality note-taking paper.

C.) Use a digital voice recorder.

D.) Use a cell phone voice recorder.

E.) Rush back home and type the idea into your computer.

14.) After publishing a few books you've noticed that one particular author has been publishing the same exact type of subject matter in her books, at the same times as you. After reading that other author's books you notice that several pages, if not chapters, are pretty much identical to the content in your books - respectively. You check the United States Copyright Office website and see that the other author's manuscripts were each registered a day before you registered each one of yours, prior to their relative publication times. When you were writing all the previous books, you did not implement any of the steps that I discussed in this book. What should you do at this point?

15.) One day you see a commercial for a new book that sounds like the one that you just finished editing on your computer, and have poised to publish in a week or so. The book in the commercial is said to have been written by Sassie Malone, who is a hot new best selling author. Sassie is one of those writers who prefer to remain anonymous. After reading some of Ms. Malone's latest novel, you find that there are striking similarities between her book and yours. You ask around in order to figure out what the real name of this author is. Later on you arrive at the answer to this mystery. Sassie Malone is actually a friend of your brother's that visits your house each weekend for a group activity. What should be done in this case?

16.) You discover that someone in your neighborhood has you under some sort of surveillance that doesn't seem like it's connected with any official law enforcement investigation. That person routinely shouts taunts from the street that is adjacent to your house - implying with some degree of accuracy that they can see what you're doing on your computer, although it's not connected to the internet. He (or they) threatens to use your work to make loads of cash on the internet via affiliate marketing. What are the likely technologies that would be used to perpetrate this type of privacy breach, industrial espionage, and electronic harassment?

A.) Microwave beams.

B.) X-ray glasses.

C.) Remote Neural Monitoring.

D.) Electro-Magnetic Radiation Probe.

E.) Wireless Hotspot.

17.) *Keep question 16 in mind. You have identified that an advanced technology was being used to breach your privacy in a manner that is meant to be cryptic (practically undetectable). As a creative professional your career would be put at risk by such breaches. You understand that the methods of theft and intimidation which the privacy violators are employing have been designed to make you look mentally unstable, if you report them to the authorities outright. The perpetrators (if identified by authorities) will simply say that they _"don't_ know what you're talking about" when questioned. What can you do to ensure that your creative endeavors are well-protected from this moment on (Choose all that apply)?

A.) Write a brief letter to the FBI explaining what you experienced regarding privacy threats.

B.) Use a screen recorder to document your work from this time on.

C.) Employ the use of a non-repudiation copyright protection service.

D.) Begin to keep an accurate file record on your computer for all your creative projects.

E.) When working on a project, use voice notation to document the rudimentary stages.

18.) You are working on your manuscript in the basement of your house. For convenience's sake you are using your Toshiba laptop. You notice that there are guests in your house because one of your family members invited them. After working for an hour, you decide to take a break and go to the movies. What should you do with your laptop before you leave (Choose all that apply)?

A.) Save all your work.

B.) Turn off your laptop and make sure that its password protected.

C.) Engage the fingerprint lock for the laptop (requires setup ahead of time).

D.) Put the laptop in a secure place that has a physical key lock.

E.) All of the above.

19.) For reasons pertaining to lessons learned from past experiences you prefer to save your manuscripts to an external Solid State hard drive, instead of saving them to the system drive in your workstation. You often leave this hard drive connected to the computer when you're alone in your apartment. Tonight you'll have some dinner guests and some of them are not close friends. What should you do to physically secure your data before they arrive for dinner (Choose all that apply)?

A.) Remove the external hard drive and lock it in a safe place.

B.) Make sure that your computer is secured with a strong password or a fingerprint pass code.

C.) Make an accurate note of the time that you log off your computer before the guests arrive.

D.) Turn on a screensaver.

E.) Run a history eraser program on the computer.

20.) Remember that privacy violator from Question 16? Well, he (or they) is at it again; and this time he (or they) has made more threats while walking by your house. These threats imply that he will initiate a defamation campaign against you if you don't stop protecting your intellectual property with some of the methods described in this book. In some cases he has even threatened that you will have a hard time finding employment in your field of creative expertise, wherever you go. You notice that when you go to the grocery store or other places where there are groups of people, they begin to move in strange ways that imply that they are trying to intercept your walking paths, in a preemptive manner. Oftentimes you notice that when you think to go somewhere or pickup something, some person immediately moves into place to block you from performing that action, before you even make a move. For example, as you are about to bend down and pickup a can of soup, someone quickly reaches down before you even start to move into place, to get the same can of soup. The strange thing about this is that the movement of that other person seemed like it was synchronized with yours. Some of the people who are showing these signs of synchronicity are holding and looking at their cell phones, while they are walking toward you or around you. However, some of them simply move in a way that's timed just right, so that they will either impede upon your walking, moving, traversing, or exploration of an area.

Two questions -

A.) What human surveillance technology that I've spoken about in this book can be used to drive and/or perpetrate this type of organized crime?

B.) What are the implications of such activities, as they pertain to your copyrights, as a creative professional?

21.) After reading this book, you became psyched about protecting your intellectual property. You've done this in a manner that will make real-time copyright infringement quite difficult to perpetrate against your creative endeavors - both traditional and digital. You're a literature enthusiast who now wants to become a published author. Although your computer has a built in screen recorder software, you don't have the money to buy a webcam, so that you can embed the video feed from the webcam into the screen recording videos. The nice thing about your workstation is that it has a built-in microphone. How else can you show that the activity in the screen recording video is as a result of your creative genius, and not someone else's?

A.) Use Audacity to document some ideas as you are writing them onscreen.

B.) Every 10 minutes take a digital photo of you sitting at your workstation.

C.) Use a key-logging software that provides proof of the keystrokes being made on the keyboard.

D.) Use Audacity for oral notation to support the onscreen activity, and have a "friendly" key logger software running in the back ground to capture all your keystrokes.

E.) Use the "Audio" option in the screen recorder software to capture oral notation, so that it will be embedded into the captured video.

22.) Your name is Joseph. One day you visit the mall and you meet a gorgeous woman who immediately takes interests in you because of your creative abilities in screenplay writing. Sometimes she speaks about her own aspirations to become a creative professional in the area of Concept Design. This woman, who goes by the name of Laura, also speaks about her abilities in writing, though she's not a published author yet. You find that she spends a lot of time asking you about how you generate ideas for your screenplays. As time goes by, you begin to change the subject often, whenever she only focuses on asking you questions about your latest book. In time Laura loses interest in you when you effectively and always change the subject when it comes to sharing plot ideas with her. What's the best way to describe what Laura was trying to do by simply being associated with you?

A.) Industrial Espionage.

B.) Testing your patience.

C.) Social Engineering

D.) Co-authorship.

E.) Aid you in becoming a better creative professional.

23.) John has filed a lawsuit against a private local studio across town, because of the fact that they have been producing creative material that mimics his own in a manner that defies all coincidence - especially in the aspect of production chronology. During the trial it's discovered that the studio began their projects in the following manner:

\- Each time they had an idea for a concept they would jot it down in note form, and make rudimentary sketches that were not discernable, as unique concepts.

However, upon further inspection of their production timeline it becomes evident that the concepts only became more solidified when John began working on each of his own concepts, at his workstation (in his home). Prior to working on each concept at his workstation John simply sketched out ideas in detail, on a paper sketchpad. He then photographed each drawing with a digital camera. Eventually, through a preponderance of evidence that supports his claims in court, John won the copyright infringement lawsuit against the local studio. It was also shown that studio's various acts of infringement were intentional. Based on the details given in this scenario, what technology was the studio using to infringe upon John's work?

A.) Sub-vocal Reader.

B.) Rouge Router.

C.) Remote Neural Monitoring.

D.) Infra-red.

E.) Electromagnetic Emissions Reader (Probe).

24.) What is it called when a group of people organize in a manner that makes it difficult for a creative professional to find employment, despite his or her qualifications, and experience?

A.) Haterism.

B.) Tattling.

C.) Spot-blocking.

D.) Blacklisting.

E.) Incrimination.

25.) Being an aspiring creative professional Susan works freelance at home and then works part-time at a retail store. She has been filing applications for employment to several game development studios over the course of 18 months, but has not received any considerable leads. All the while, a group of citizens have been engaging in perfidious acts against her that are similar to those detailed in question 20; only after Susan resists their DEMANDS (to create amazing artwork for them FOR FREE, and not document the creation process). Due to the overwhelming ploys that these people enact against her at work (as customers and employees), Susan quits her part-time retail job of 10 years. Before she does this the managers at her retail job begin writing her up for things that were not her fault.

She also begins to get bad customer reviews about her etiquette, and professionalism after she "makes the decision" to quit her job. Now she is having trouble finding a job in her area of expertise. For the past 7 months she has kept a job application work search log which shows that she has not received any interviews after filing 400 to 500 job applications in her field of expertise (3D Design). What should Susan do, in order to remedy the situation (Choose all that apply)?

A.) Join the Graphic Artist's Guild.

B.) Speak to the local department of labor employment or career services office for assistance.

C.) Keep applying for jobs and continue to keep a detailed work search log.

D.) Change her field of expertise.

E.) Call the Mayor's Office.

26.) You are the typical online dater and you enjoy meeting new romance prospects on a free site called My Love Bug "dot com." It's taken you a while but you've finally landed a date with a nice looking romance buddy. As you chat-it-up online with this awesome new object of your affection you notice that they keep sending you these strange types of questions that pertain to your lifestyle. In fact a few of the questions seem like they are stale enough to be used in some type of survey. Once you were asked "Do you prefer to date people who continually disrespect you in subtle ways, so that you won't feel too rejected if they lose interest?" You eventually meet the person on a dinner date, but for some reason your date never really makes eye contact or looks you in the eye - face to face. Nope, they always look at you from the side or via some strange quarter view. This gets kind of annoying but you figure that it's just them being shy on a first date, maybe. What can you gather from this scenario as it pertains to real-time copyright infringement?

A.) The person you're dating is a spy from MI-5.

B.) Your online dating buddy is a double and doesn't want you to notice it; because your second or subsequent dates won't be with the same person, but with someone who has the same similitude.

C.) You need to pay your online dating bill because the online dating police are after you. Your date is just an investigator from My Love Bug "dot com."

D.) The person you're dating is trying to perpetrate some type of social engineering, regarding something you have in the works that may be valuable.

E.) Your date is attempting to run a psychological profile on you for several reasons, including gathering information on you that could be used for intimidation or blackmail.

Bonus Questions!!!

**Bonus 1.)** What is the device that holds a patent with the United States Patent Office under catalog number 3951134 referred to as?

Bonus 2.) Give a brief description of the device that holds U.S. Patent number 3393279.

* Remember, you can find the answers to all the questions in **Appendix A,** at the end of this book.

Chapter 13

The Final Word

I know some of you may be upset about the existence of this book, because you've been told by your cohorts that you'll benefit from the illegal activities that are denounced herein. Though the promises you've been given about your illicit role(s) sound rather sweet to the ears, keep in mind that participating in mob-like activities has its inevitable downsides. Real-time copyright infringement is NOT untraceable, nor is it an invisible crime. Furthermore, when a group of people gang up against one person in order to coerce him or her into doing something, then it will eventually manifest itself on _The Grid_ \- a figurative description for what "Big Brother" uses to solve advanced crimes. Make no mistake about it; illegal activities that enable people to facilitate real-time copyright infringement are making Big Brother _get bigger and fierce; just take a quick look at the previous decade._ More tech savvy or advanced crime directly correlates with inflated national security budgets and bureaucracy. Incidentally, the economy can be hit quite hard as well, depending on the nature of the crimes.

...

Now, I shall address the honest and hard-working creative professionals. ;)

If anything, I hope that by now you've been able to identify the vulnerabilities in your creative processes, as they pertain to real-time copyright infringement. The idea of someone using advanced technology to steal information from your computer or even directly from YOU, via biometric human surveillance technology should seem less far-fetched by now. Though this book was somewhat brief it covered a broad scope of techniques that can be used to not only protect your work, but help certain authorities understand why someone might have an unauthorized copy of it. The truth is that you may never know if someone has scoped your work, unless they use it or publicize it without your permission. Then there's the matter of detection altogether. How will you find out and are you really invested in knowing? I suppose that you'll have to keep your eyes peeled for any grand spectacles in literature or entertainment that bear your trusty form of expression. However, you can rest assured that real-time documentation methods will debunk any type of manufactured evidence that "the thieves" will try to amass to prove that they are guiltless of infringing upon your copyrights. If you are wise enough to successfully implement Chrono-Barrier v2.0 during a production then you have a sharp double-edged sword in your arsenal.

I sometimes mentioned a few of the things that real-time copyright infringement groups enact against the creators that they target. In order to leverage their ability to capitalize on the work that they steal, a group of such criminals might organize a series of woes in a creative professional's life, to make them more willing to 'sell-out,' so to speak. From what I can gather, the most effective means are -

\- Imposed and extended unemployment.

\- Barring targeted creators from working in their creative fields or trades (in various ways).

\- Orchestrated financial setbacks

\- Social isolation.

\- Gangs-talking.

\- Voice to skull (V2K) harassment (3D sound projections as a means of coercion and intimidation - in some cases torture).

In the case of gang-stalking one has to wonder why groups of people would engage in activities that have the potential to psychologically harm the very people that they wish to profit from. Well, that's one of the symptoms of greed. Sometimes it makes no sense at all. One thing you should know about such people is that if they lean on you, and you sell them the "family jewels," they will surely lean on you again - perhaps indefinitely. It may be difficult to endure at first, but saying "NO" to them is ultimately, the best option. If you say "YES" then one day they'll initiate you into their cause by having you break the law, no doubt.

Question?

Can you imagine someone issuing you a command via some electronic monstrosity like V2K - telling you to think about something creative, original, and profitable? Yet they insist that you should not write it down, or say it out loud. If you have no idea about what I'm saying then that's great for you. However, if you've just had the blood rush to the surface of your skin in the same way that it happens to most people when they realize,

"Finally, someone who understands my pain!"

Then you already know why I wrote this book ;)

Many people are aware of the fact that real-time copyright infringement is in progress, but no one wants to talk about it. There is also a growing awareness of how thousands of Americans are being subjected to sundry forms of electronic harassment, but no one has gotten right down to the root of the issue, yet. It took me a while to understand why this is the case. Although they are somewhat organized in their methods for illegally acquiring intellectual property in real-time, real-time IP infringers and their cohorts employ chaotic methods for forcing their targets to submit to their demands. Sometimes it's all very difficult to quantify and keep track of. Nevertheless, the earlier you can identify what they want from you, the better. One method they use is sending hordes of people into your path(s) to reiterate loaded statements, while they're not even looking at you. It's quite an eerie experience and it's much like something you might see in a particular sci-fi film, regarding a fallen angel who jumps from person to person by merely touching them.

"What's a loaded statement," You may ask?

Well, let me give you an example.

* Imagine that you've added a wonderful and original portion to your latest manuscript in progress about a lady who lives in the water. You decide to take a break from working, so you can get some Japanese food. After grabbing your coat you head downstairs to catch a train. Then you walk up to a bus terminal and wait for a downtown-bound shuttle. While you're waiting there a middle-aged man walks up to the terminal, lights a cigarette, and then stares up at the sky. He says the following statement out loud without even looking at you.

"Oh man, I sure love me some literature about that lady in the water."

Then all of a sudden he begins reciting several lines from the brilliant portions you added to your manuscript just minutes ago - with exact precision.

Such an occurrence would make anyone shudder and have a thousand questions run through their mind in an instant, among all instants. However, the most obvious fact is that the statement or statements will mean something to you and only you, even if there were a thousand people at that bus terminal. This is why they call it a **loaded statement** , because it packs a psychological punch, for the intended recipient. Other intimidation methods like gang-stalking have a strong physical presence - traceable on any city-wide grid with the right tools. The bottom line is that these people need to communicate with each other in order to converge on the locations of their targets, and to do this they need mobile devices.

Do your research on "targeted individuals" to corroborate what I'm saying. There is still a widespread vow of silence about this subject. The truth is that many have been recruited as collaborators who eventually choose to say nothing about such on-goings, so that they can get their piece of the illicit pie (their cut). Many spotters sign on to gain credit that facilitates an easy ascent in their quests for vocational success. I swear it's like these guys get commission for how effectively they harass targeted people.

So, if you decide to implement security measures in your workflow, or even go as far as to write a book about your opinion regarding such activities, then you will be dealing a serious blow to this movement of tech savvy crooks; they have cost the creative industries countless dollars in revenue, by hindering certain creators from reaching their full potentials. They've also corrupted many people in these industries by inspiring them to invest in corruption. Be forewarned; real-time copyright infringement protection is not for the faint-hearted. If someone is already stealing your work in this manner then you may experience some sundry inconveniences, when you decide to stop being so informal and lackadaisical about documenting your work. I won't go into any substantial detail about it, but I certainly felt the _crunch_ when I began securing my work in the Summer of 2010 (around July 8th).

It's almost as if someone got mad at me when I stopped connecting my computer to the internet and began using non-repudiation services to secure my copyrights. All things considering, I still find it strange that certain people think it convenient to harass talented individuals, in order to stop them from serving their country in their fields of expertise - stopping emergent creative professionals from fueling the American economy with some awesome deficit-kicking dollars. Speaking of profit... Can you believe that one of these people had the audacity to drop this statement in passing?

"What we're doing is good for the economy, because it makes use of untapped creative material."

How can a work be "untapped" if it's still being developed by its creator? Then to "tap" that material you cause the able creator to lose their job or their position? That does not seem like economy building to me. Not to mention that this sordid process usually upsets the disposition of the creator who just lost their job; meaning that the "untapped" work may never be fully realized at the time that the economy needs it to be. Sometimes it takes years to fully realize a creative project. So what exactly inspires an infringer to be presumptuous enough to say that "it's done," when the creator feels like "it's just getting started?" Well, I suppose that a real-time infringer might come to this conclusion when they find a rogue studio that wants to buy into the "untapped" (stolen) work-in-progress for lots of cash. That's when the real-time infringer who is stealing from the able artist convinces himself that the "lazy artist is being irresponsible," for taking his or her sweet time in developing the work.

After all, the economy hangs in the balance right? Or perhaps it has more to do with someone's covetous desire for fortune and glory? I think that the latter is much truer than the first. Yes, that's when the observers' self-deception and greed prod them to start causing trouble in the lives of the creators that they target. I wonder if at this point they could explain how impeding upon the success of creative professionals' work and careers will bolster the economy. Obviously, real-time copyright infringers are quite conflicted in their creeds, yah? Their motives are apparent, when you consider how they operate outside of the law, and don't wish to declare their methods openly.

Shall I continue?

Oh, but I must.

So...

Simple question.

How does keeping talented people down help the economy? Will such tidings not prompt creative people to seek out other vocations in which their contributions are not as potent or effective? Though it's a romantic notion, I seriously doubt that prolonged misery or the impediment of hopeful dreams that may come will perpetually inspire creativity in most human beings, after some time. If at first the need for vengeance and perseverance fuels the creative spirit, such passions will give way to overbearing melancholia \- brought on by a somewhat pervasive subjugation that inhibits one from pursuing their own happiness. Furthermore, if disenfranchising talented individuals becomes the norm for the so-called good of the economy then we will soon find ourselves immersed in a society that lacks the ability to cultivate any spark of creative genius whatsoever. Come to mention it, the last two sentences sound like a portion from the plot of a book that I have in the works.

Nevertheless, it sounds like the dark ages to me.

Who wants to spend a lifetime learning to be a brilliant creative professional, so that at some point when you reach your peak, you get derailed? As events unravel you soon find yourself coming to the realization that you're being dehumanized for the sake of the covetous mobs who don't want you making a decent living, so that they can keep you in-pocket? Yes, keeping you accessible and within an arms' reach while using other negative effects to instigate your acquiescence to it all. Up and coming artists seem like they're more accessible and controllable, perhaps. They certainly can be if they're not hip the game, if you know what I mean.

Let me say it simply. What will it profit anyone if a producer has ten modern William Shakespeares locked away in the basement - each with no vocation, social life, or happiness? This is pretty much what a lot of real-time copyright infringers try to orchestrate, as they collaborate with people who are in the front lines of employment. The goal is to engineer refusal it seems - based on what I've read from the accounts of TI's. Albeit, refusal of employment is very effective at first for making one squirm, and want to give in to certain demands; when you look closely at the salient pattern that manifests as a result of such refusal(s), you might find yourself in a unique position to effect positive change in society - by writing a book perhaps. Yes, the ray of light that peers through that set of loose bricks among the dark crevices of modern Shakespeare's dingy confines. The dungeon symbolizes the imposed lack of employment, social isolation, and in some cases, incessant voice-to-skull (V2K) bombardments. So, in order to help assuage the pains of those who have been affected by such forms of inhumane treatments in this era, I've done some brainstorming.

What if all the documentation methods that I suggested in this book were combined in a service that was accessible to every creative American that wanted real-time copyright protection for their work? I was thinking about this the other day, and came up with a business model that I call Relay Copy. As you well know there are certain companies that provide in-home metered equipment services to people who need things like electronics stamps or registration services. What if there was a company that provided creative folks a means to protect all their digitally created work, by using a machine that could interface with their computer, for the purpose of recording all the activity that occurs on it? While I'm sure that such things exist in the corporate sectors, I haven't seen any advertising for such services in the mainstream consumer market. So, I suppose my idea is worth throwing out there at least, right?

Much like a black box for an airplane this particular device that I have in mind would record everything that is accessed and entered into a computer, when it's in use. There are several issues that such a machine would have to address in regards to authentication. Two of the most important are the user's identity, and the work being created. Here are just a few others that stand out to me at the moment.

  * Confirming that the authenticated user is physically present at the workstation.

  * Voice authentication for all oral dictation.

  * Keystroke activity logging.

  * Input device data and verification.

  * Secure storage and registration of all recorded data.

  * Easy file upload to the server of the company that provides this service.

  * A direct VPN connection with the United States Copyright Office online registration service (or maybe not, lol).

This Relay Copy recording unit would definitely have to include some basic onboard connections: USB, Firewire, a standard headphone jack, and a microphone jack. The best choice for connecting the machine itself to the computer would be USB 3.0.

Oh yeah...

Would it be asking too much to allow one to plug their keyboard directly into the unit via USB, so that all keystrokes can be recorded? Now what about all that mouse and drawing tablet activity, for those awesome digital painters? This Relay Copy unit should also record all the input coordinates that correspond to any onscreen cursor movement, in relation to human interface devices. When the user connects the capture box to a secure internet connection they can use onboard controls to safely upload all the information that was captured into the unit, to a 256 bit SSL encrypted online repository (storage). Oh wait, it would be wise to include an Ethernet jack, so that the user can off-load their captured work to the Relay Copy Data Server. Such would also help him or her secure a United States Copyright application number upon request :)

Now in regards to home wireless connections, I'm not so sure about them because they would make the unit somewhat vulnerable to remote hacking. Perhaps a wireless connection that is driven by some government grade version of wireless technology is a better option? It would be far better than using standard home router-based connections. If not then definitely the most secure 4G connection would be preferred.

Ultimately, a reliable connection would increase the reliability and integrity of the timestamps that are issued in any network exchange. I think that one of the best ways to ensure that digital timestamps cannot be forged is to include a one-way math coprocessor in the hardware design scheme. Let's also toss in a GPS as well, so that the location of the unit can be verified at all times. The inclusion of global positioning would make it possible for each work session to have accompanying longitude and latitude data, much like most pictures that are taken with cell phones these days. The GPS will also serve as a kind of Lo-jack, in case the recording unit is stolen or tampered with.

I know it sounds like a monster task for any industrial or electronics engineer, but I think it's doable; and it would certainly present itself as a wonderful business opportunity for certain contractors that have provided metered services, which involve non-repudiation. When you combine all these features with a screen recorder and embedded webcam PIP (picture in picture), it's an unstoppable real-time copyright infringement diffuser. One thing I can't help but mention is that a signature-based scheduling application that computes using the Chrono-Barrier v2.5 method should be included in the programming scheme for Relay Copy's API. It would basically empower any creative professional against any form of real-time infringement, to a high degree.

A cool thing to keep in mind is that a business like _Relay Copy_ would create lots of jobs in several categories. Much like POS terminals, these recording machines would most certainly require installation and maintenance. In addition to this the company that provides _Relay Copy Services_ would need customer service representatives, installers, technical support providers, programmers, web developers, and other types of auxiliary personnel. Let's just say that each Relay Copy location will need at least 15 to 25 people for standard operation. Now multiply that by each major city in the United States, and that equals thousands of jobs that will indirectly boost revenue in the creative industries. Additionally, tax payers' dollars would not be wasted on trials that are inherently complex, as a result of obfuscated real-time infringement, perpetrated by one of the parties involved. Relay Copy would substantially reduce the cost of such trials if all its recording units are compliant with some government standard. All a forensic specialist would have to do is verify that a Relay Copy unit was not tampered with. After that it's simply an issue of validating the data and all the relevant metrics that pertain to proof of copyright.

One other technology that comes to mind which could aid in combating real-time copyright infringement is a Sub-vocal Sound Recorder. With the right equipment sub-vocal speech can be amplified and cleaned up to represent true speech. So, a mobile version of this type of technology would be great. Imagine wearing a neckpiece that captures all your sub-vocal activity and converts it into speech, on a recording device. That would also render the use of RNM supported real-time copyright infringement useless.

I really have to ask though, seeing how I've upset some of you by writing this book. "Why don't you real-time thieves just work with certain creative professionals after you've identified them as being talented?"

Hmmmmm?

Do you really have to steal information from creators in THAT way? Well let's take a look at the alternatives available to you, so you won't have to resort to real-time copyright theft, shall we? I'm going to focus on literature, because it's the easiest to steal with many of the illegal tactics that were mentioned in previous chapters.

...

Let me proceed in a rhetorical manner.

...

"If you're a literature or screenplay enthusiast who wishes to make a name for yourself in the big biz, you can do a few things to increase your chances of success if your work has been known to SUCK; thus, making you somewhat bitter-tempered I imagine."

Uhhmmm....

Collaborate with a writer or a rewriting service that will help you transform your unpolished (sucky) material into something that might be novel worthy or screenplay worthy. In this collaboration you can even get hints on how to strengthen your writing skills. However, you should probably first try to read award-winning material and find out why it's so friggin' awesome, aye?

Yeaaah, that might help.

If an insatiable love for fast money is your fundamental motivation for committing real-time copyright infringement, then you should know that no book is guaranteed to be a success. So, why ruin peoples' lives for something that's not guaranteed to be a hit?! Instead of violating an author's human rights by probing them with RNM and projecting V2K at their brain incessantly, try doing this instead.

...

Understand how affiliate marketing works! It's a lucrative business conduit and it could help you discover how to make your sucky novel a success, even if a publisher or literary agent won't touch it. Advertising is KEY when it comes to book sales, and if you get good at affiliate marketing you won't need a publisher or an agent. Affiliate marketing enables you to put a product in the face of millions of people. So, if you put your sucky novel in the faces of millions, it will probably make some money.

There have been many occasions when certain authors have self-published and made millions after being rejected by publishers or literary agents. Also consider how it's possible for a group of authors to band together and form a consortium that operates like KDP. Simply having more authors involved will increase the chances of success - even for your sucky novel (lol).

See! There are other options that don't involve destroying peoples' lives. If perhaps you haven't appreciated my use of sarcasm yet as I make these glaring points, let me try another approach.  
The Q&A Waltz

Q: Why would someone want to use RNM (Remote Neural Monitoring) to take ideas from a creative professional?

SIMPLE!

A: They want to make money from another person's creative masterpiece, and not have to give them any credit whatsoever. Thus, real-time copyright infringement can also be categorized as an act of greed and malice - more or less, a hate crime among other things.

Here's an astute observation that most of you serious authors will certainly appreciate.

Q: If someone is using advanced technologies (especially the type that monitors evoked potentials) to steal intellectual property that belongs to creative professionals, won't that hinder the creative community at large?

A: Yes, it most certainly will.

Imagine that?!

Just two final steps in this waltz - the bottom line, before _"I'm outtie 5000 folks."_

Q: How does someone get away with stealing another person's work and making loads of cash from it?

A: They cover it up and inhibit the victim, so that he or she can't do anything about it.

Do you remember me saying something like this before in a poetic fashion?

Let me reiterate...

"If you don't think of something good that will make us money then you won't ever get a good paying job, because our network of collaborators will make it so. Just think it, but don't write it down - don't even claim it; and don't you dare speak a word of it out loud, now or ever. Just think it... and we'll simply take it with our dream machine - right from your imagination, for our fortune and glory."

And just what is this dream machine that certain cruel persons use to inhibit, while harvesting the creative dreams of others? It's none other than the Remote Neural Monitor.

~ You can stick a fork in this book now - cause it's DONE!

.. Now I have to get back to filling out those job applications; like it was when I wrote the first edition of this book. Honesty refuses to pay my salary, as of late. :(
Bibliography

Buskirk, Eliot Van. "Billboard Blasts Passers-By with Audio Advertisement." Wired Magazine 13 December 2007. March 17, 2012 <http://www.wired.com/listening_post/2007/12/billboard-blast/>. (*Article was removed from wired.com between 2013 and 2015. There are still remnants of this article online in many places, but they exist mostly as excerpts.)

Carrier, Brian. File System Forensic Analysis. Addison Wesley Professional, 2005.

Graphic Artists Guild. "Graphic Artists Guild Handbook: Pricing and Ethical Guidelines." 9th Edition. Graphic Artists Guild Inc. New York, 1997.

Hampp, Andrew. "An A&E Billboard 'Whispers' a Spooky Message Audible Only in Your Head in Push to Promote Its New 'Paranormal' Program." Adage December 10, 2007. March 17, 2012 <http://adage.com/article/news/hear-voices-ad/122491/>

Harvard Business School. "Non-Disclosure Agreement." October 2012. http://www.hbs.edu/entrepreneurship/pdf/Sample_NDA.pdf.

History.com Staff. "Cotton Gin and Eli Whitney." January 26, 2015

A&E Networks, 2010. <http://www.history.com/topics/inventions/cotton-gin-and-eli-whitney>

Lammle, Todd. "Comptia Network+ Study Guide: Exam N10-004." Wiley Publishing (Sybex), 2009.

Meyers, Mike. Comptia A+ Certification Exam Guide 7th Edition. McGraw Hill Companies, 2110.

NASA "Subvocal Speech Demo." 2014-2015

<http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/news/releases/2004/subvocal/subvocal.html>

National Security Agency (USA). "TEMPEST Certification Program." 7 January 2013. <http://www.nsa.gov/applications/ia/tempest/index.cfm>

Robinson, Derrick. Freedom from Covert Harassment and Surveillance California, 2008-2013. <http://www.freedomfchs.com>.

Sans Institute "An Introduction to TEMPEST." 27 October 2012 <http://www.sans.org/reading_room/whitepapers/privacy/introduction-tempest_981.pdf>

"Speaking to the Subconscious Using Subvocal Speech." 26 Feb 2014

< https://itp.nyu.edu/classes/roy-spring2014/speaking-to-the-subconscious-using-subvocal-speech/>

Other References

Joel McNamara – The Complete, Unofficial TEMPEST Information Page

http://www.eskimo.com/~joelm/tempest.html

*page is not working online but the information can be found if you do a search using the url provided above.

Prof. Erhart Moller – Protective Measures Against Compromising Electro Magnetic Radiation Emitted by Video Display Terminals.

http://www.fc.net/phrack/files/p44/p44-10.html

*page is not working online but the information can be found if you do a search using the url provided above.

Markus G. Kuhn and Ross J. Anderson – Soft Tempest: Hidden Data Transmission Using Electromagnetic Emanations.

http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~mgk25/ih98-tempest.pdf

http://www.smartcomputing.com/editorial/article.asp?article=articles%2Farchive%2Fg0804%2F23g04%2F23g04%2Easp

*site is not available but here is an alternate mirror

< http://www.sans.org/reading-room/whitepapers/privacy/introduction-tempest-981 >

New-wave spies -- Electronic eavesdropping is becoming mere child's play; New Scientist Magazine, 6 November 1999

http://www.newscientist.com/ns/19991106/newsstory6.html

*site is not available but here is an alternate mirror

TEMPEST, December 1, 1999< www.aegisjournal.com/tempest/>

WHO'S LISTENING ? Ian A Murphy, President CEO IAM / Secure Data System Inc.

http://www.ravenswoodinc.com/captwhos.htm

NSA Tempest Documents

http://www.cryptome.org/nsa-tempest.htm

United States Copyright Office.

www.copyright.gov
Appendix A

Answers to Questions

These are the answers to the questions from Chapter 12. Hopefully, you will find them to be quite helpful.

Answer to Question 1.)

Intellectual Property Theft and/or Intentional Copyright Infringement.

Answer to Question 2.)

Conduct some preliminary research on books that were written about the topic that you are focusing on in your own manuscript.

Answer to Question 3.)

Doing some research will help you identify any blatant infractions that you might be making upon someone else's work. However, the best way to ensure that you are writing an original manuscript is to write the story or book in your own words. Unless you are writing a non-fictional book, you should not be sourcing material from other authors in a manner that represents literal or derivative copying. In the case of artwork, make sure to include a rich development process in your workflow - don't just copy stuff. Start with thumbnails, and then move onto rough sketches then final compositions. This will reduce the chances of you infringing upon someone else's work.

Answer to Question 4.)

Follow the steps shown in Chapter 4 of this book. Setting up your computer so that it synchs with NIST time in short intervals can decrease the chances that your system time will be inaccurate on any given occasion.

Answer to Question 5.)

There is a United States Copyright Act that deals with what can be considered "Criminal (Intentional) Copyright Infringement" (Intentional Inducement of Copyright Infringements Act of 2004). The part that stands out to me most is Section II of the act (The Inducing Infringements Act).

In subsection (g) to Section 501 of the Copyright Act. This new section in Section 501 of the Copyright Act, created a new species of copyright liability by making clear that anyone who intentionally induces any violation of subsection (a: Section 501) shall be liable as an infringer" In other words, a person who "intentionally induces" infringement would be as liable as if he or she committed the infringement. The bill defines "intentionally induces" as meaning:

intentionally aids, abets, induces, or procures, and intent may be shown by acts from which a reasonable person would find intent to induce infringement based upon all relevant information about such acts then reasonably available to the actor, including whether the activity relies on infringement for its commercial viability."

Based on this information it's clear that real-time copyright infringement is an intentional act of infringement. As for the penalties for committing this crime, take a look at -

Copyright Law of the United States of America and Related Laws Contained in Title 17 of the United States Code: Circular 92, Chapter 5

504: Criminal Offenses Remedies for infringement: Damages and profits.

Some of the penalties that are mentioned inside or in relation to this act are six figure fines, and prison time. However, we must not forget that real-time copyright infringement is worse than what is mentioned in this act. Those who perpetrate real-time infringement negatively affect the creators that they target -all stemming from the desire to cut the original creator out completely, so they don't get any credit. In some cases real-time infringers will conspire to make it appear as if a targeted creator is infringing against his or her own work (check the case study in Chapter 10 to see how this would be possible). The processes involved in real-time copyright infringement violates privacy rights, human rights and national security acts when TEMPEST grade technologies are in the mix. When a creator does not relent to the various elusive yet coercive tactics that real-time copyright infringers employ, one might see certain negative effects eventually begin to plague the life of the targeted creator. So, I think that a simple fine won't be all that these guys get when they are caught pursuing the business of real-time copyright infringement. What do you think?

Answer to Question 6.)

Since copyright infringement cases are tried in civil trial hearing or proceedings, the burden of proof for the claimant is a Preponderance of Evidence.

Answer to Question 7.)

Electronic Forensics

Answer to Question 8.)

The United States Copyright Office

Answer to Question 9.)

This is a service that provides irrefutable proof which shows that you owned a particular piece of intellectual property, at a certain time.

Answer to Question 10.)

In most cases - "YES." However, it depends on the way that the timestamp vendor (provider) issues timestamps.

Answer to Question 11.)

D.) Remote Neural Monitor

Answer to Question 12.)

B.) Hi-resolution Digital camera photo.

Answer to Question 13.)

C.) Use a digital voice recorder. The reason why you would not always want to use a cell phone voice recorder has a lot to do with signal strength, as it relates to accurate time-keeping on the cell phone. If you're underground for a long period of time, your cell phone time might get sluggish. However, a digital voice recorder will maintain accurate time as long as the battery has an adequate charge. So, I usually opt for a digital voice recorder over a cell phone.

Answer to Question 14.)

This is a tricky matter, seeing how you didn't employ a tight documentation process when creating the works in question. However, you should keep the hard drive that you created the manuscripts on. This might help you later if this type of phenomena continues. If you maintained accurate system time on your workstation along with good file versioning for each progressive edit of your manuscript, then you might be able to show that some type of data theft occurred against your work.

Ask a lawyer for advice before taking any legal action. When in discussion with your attorney don't forget to ask them what the proper courses of action would be for letting certain authorities know that you may have been a victim of Industrial Espionage (a serious crime) or simply Criminal Infringement. If the aforementioned type of infringement occurs against your work even after you've implemented real-time documentation in your work process, then your chances of winning a copyright infringement trial will increase (a lot) when electronic forensic analysts get involved.

Answer to Question 15.)

It's possible (if not obvious) that Sassie Malone used her relationship with your brother to facilitate a pretty serious instance of social engineering that resulted in the theft of intellectual property from your home. The first thing you should do is read the books that she has published and locate the instances where she has either lifted material from your manuscripts, or simply copied from them altogether. In regards to 'Proof of Access' (to prove that she had the opportunity to steal from you), it's clear that she frequented your home regularly. So, all you'll really have to focus on in any copyright infringement trial is 'Proof of Copying'. If you employed real-time copyright infringement countermeasures, make sure that all your evidence is cohesively organized for the best possible results, when evidence is heard in the relevant trial. For more support, simply consult your lawyer.

Answer to Question 16.)

C. and D. Remote Neural Monitor (reads evoked potentials and human neural activity); Electro-Magnetic Radiation Probe (reads energy emissions from computers).

Answer to Question 17.)

B, C, D, and E. You don't want to contact the FBI just yet, because you don't have any 'proof of copying'. In fact - your mystery neighbor may just be trying to get you riled up, so that you can make false accusations against him (making you look unstable or questionable, to say the least). If you "cry wolf," so to speak, it will reduce the effectiveness of any valid claims that you make against him in the future. The best course of action is to take a more proactive approach in making sure that your work is protected from here on. You could also do some research on the latest released books to see if any of your neighbor's claims about stealing your work are true.

Answer to Question 18.)

E.) All of the above.

Answer to Question 19.)

A, B, and C.

A: Removing the external hard drive that holds all your work is important for matters pertaining to physical security; no one can have access to the drive without breaking into the place where you locked it away. This is not true if you are using a wireless hard drive or personal cloud that can be remotely accessed when it's powered. Though, I would recommend storing such a hard drive unplugged from any power source if you want to fully secure it from possible intrusions. As always, make sure to enable encryption when using such wireless storage devices.

B: It is always a good idea to log off your computer and secure it with a strong password, so that none of your guests can access your work without your permission.

C: Lastly, it's a good idea to make note of when you last accessed your computer. If the system log shows that your computer was accessed at 9:30 pm but you finished working on it (and logged off) at 8:45 pm, then this let's you know that something is amiss. So, being able to compare an operating system's time and access logs against your own personal time logs can help you determine when unauthorized access occurred on your workstation.

*Wrong answers D and E: A screen saver or a history eraser program won't protect any work that is saved on a hard drive, with any real effectiveness.

Answer to Question 20.)  
The key thing to keep in mind for this question is that the synchronous activity is not spontaneous, but planned. Such can be confirmed through behavioral analysis if the events are playing out on camera. If you look up gangs-talking and study it you will gain more insight into the nature of the problems described in this question. Here are the answers, nonetheless.

A.) Remote Neural Monitoring.

B.) Real-time copyright infringement, industrial espionage, workplace mobbing, and human rights violations can all be perpetrated against the target of such illegal activity.

Answer to Question 21.)

D.) Use Audacity for oral notation to support the onscreen activity and have a "friendly" key logger software running in the background to capture all keystrokes. Remember that some key loggers are rogue and can compromise your privacy.

Hint* The reason that you wouldn't want to go with answer E is because recording audio into your screen recording could cause some side effects in the recorded videos, if they are lengthy. So, be careful if you're workstation is not a high performance PC. Audacity bookmarks audio in a way that helps you create a nice progressive (and incremental) record of the audio notations that you are making. So, using Audacity for audio notations should be preferred above the audio embed for a screen recorded video.

Answer to Question 22.)

C.) Social Engineering

Answer to Question 23.)

C.) Remote Neural Monitoring

E.) Electromagnetic Reader/ Probe

Answer to Question 24.)

D.) Blacklisting.

Answer to Question 25.)

All the answers are correct, but they depend on 'timing' and the severity of the length of 'time' that Susan is unemployed. If she finds that she is not getting call backs or interview offers after filing so many applications then she may want to call a city official or two to ask some questions - however, that is up to her. She may also want to try a field that is related to her own. For instance, a 3D Artist in Games could try working for companies that create 3D models of engineering parts.

It may take a little extra training but it's doable. Let's not forget the negative experiences Susan had at her job before she quit. It may very well be the case that the same group that caused her to quit is effectively working behind the scenes, against her efforts to find work. This sometimes happens when those who are engaged in Remote Neural Monitoring related crimes wish to bring a targeted individual to a state of financial desperation, so that they'll give into certain demands: signing over the rights to a valuable work, working for free and/or performing certain compromising (or illegal) tasks. If someone, or a group of cohorts is heavily invested in coercing you to sign over a creative product then common sense should tell you that the work is valuable and worth holding onto. Enduring something like six to twelve months of unemployment is better than having your life's work fall into the hands of such criminals.

Answer to Question 26.)

B, D, and E

Believe it or not, there are quite a lot of people who are invested in going online and scouting for certain persons that they can use to make money in sundry ways. These sundry methods vary but some of them actually violate the Emancipation Proclamation when it comes to using a person to make money in a way that disenfranchises or impoverishes them; and does not offer them compensation in an expressly reasonable manner. Let's think about how in the pre-civil war era, many plantation owners would claim the inventions of their slaves, by default. Such is obviously true seeing how slaves in North America were unable to vote prior to their liberation; hence, were declared non-citizens of the United States, but more or less property.

In this modern era if one were to create a system (whether pronounced or underground) where oppressed individuals are robbed of credit and compensation for any work at large then that brings us dangerously close to the same plight that was existent prior to the American Civil War; presently, in a time when the Emancipation Proclamation is in full effect in the United States. Furthermore, such would be an odious reversal of select human rights, rights that pertain to physical property, and the right to intellectual property. Such is especially true with any subjugation that is implemented with the use of human surveillance devices that can effectively decode evoked potentials, for exacting a pervasive yet esoteric control of human beings; even to the point where ideas and expressions are purposely gleaned from encumbered humans, for the sake of profit (without the tendering of any compensation whatsoever).

For a more recent case in point let us consider the nature of Human Trafficking, which is another form of slavery. This subject is an example of where a person is forced to perform a kind of labor or service without receiving any compensation for it. Quite frankly the room and board that are usually given to trafficked persons is close to what one would consider as rudimentary physical storage for an object. Human trafficking has been cited as being a violation of the Emancipation Proclamation, because it resembles slavery quite a bit. Therefore the "sundry methods" I referred to previously also qualify as the means to perfect such a state.

Yet, there are emerging forms of slavery that are almost invisible - much more startling and quite discreet. Theoretically, can a person be enslaved by a crew of people who continually torture him or her using high volume 3D sound (V2K)? The valuable intellectual property that this person generates while under such duress would be gathered up with a device that can decode evoked potentials of course, like a Remote Neural Monitor. From what I gather the existence of technology that can decode evoked potentials in humans can, may, has or is quite contagious. It can cause certain creative persons who have exceptional talent to remain unemployed for a considerable amount of time, for no apparent justification whatsoever; however, behind the scenes there may be a subversive conglomerate that is imposing hardships on them for profit and gain.

Would a targeted creative professional be forced to think up valuable ideas on a regular day basis, or else be tortured with 3D sound?

Would it be detectable?

Would the target understand what was going on?

Would the target be able to quantify or explain their plight to someone without looking totally insane?

The seemingly science fictional nature and mystery regarding such situations is what inspires the reluctance in coming forward, on the part of TI's. On the matter of detection by the authorities let's consider the fact that many kidnappings remain unsolved in this day and age. Therefore, the quick detection of electronic harassment that is designed to enthrall an individual would be quite difficult if this sort of crime was in progress anywhere in the United States. So, reporting such crime is of the essence; for freedom, liberty and justice all hang in the balance.

On the other hand the use of V2k (Voice to Skull) for the purpose of instilling fear in people has been cited on many occasions in present day society. Such a device can be used to control and coerce, or even enslave. Let me give you a scenario that is most likely happening in this day and age, based on what I've read online in the places where TI's (targeted individuals) write their stories in forums.  
Scenario:

A group of people who scout for intellectual property using advanced human surveillance equipment like Remote Neural Monitoring come across a couple of exceptional yet unemployed writers. In order to force these writers into producing valuable intellectual property and not take ownership of it this group attacks them in various ways. The initial gauntlet manifests in high pitched cacophony that is delivered via V2k, which causes sleep deprivation for several days at a time. The second barrage is financial, for they enlist several operatives in hiring positions to spread the word about the two writers; it is understood that unless the writers generate the desired literature, they won't find employment for years. I am pretty sure that this sort of thing is going on right now in the world somewhere, and perhaps just around the corner. Devices like V2K and Remote Neural Monitoring have been in existence way too long for the temptation of their possible effects to have remained unutilized for such heinous deeds. Now let me put all this in perspective regarding Question 26's answers.

Let me expatiate upon Answer B first. The reason why I mentioned the posing of profile type questions from the online chat was because sometimes it's necessary to question a person's sanity when you want to put their testimony into question. Such psychologically focused queries emerge when the offending side wishes to orchestrate a cover up of some sort when certain crimes are in progress. I get that sense when I read stories posted by TI's online, regarding how they are treated. Cover-ups would be needed, and testimony from corrupt agents of psychology usually helps seal the deal when it comes to electronic harassment that is designed to make TI's look incredulous. That way if a TI complains, no one will believe them; because a person who they're associated with that happens to hold credentials in psychology, has testified or commented on their mental state in a manner that is unflattering for the TI.

Answer D can come into play when the agent of psychology is being used for gaining 'access' to a TI on behalf of another party that may be petitioning for influence (usually as a result of the TI's talents or knowledge). What I mean when I say 'access' is that perhaps some 'party' will want to manipulate a TI, and have control over them with as much zero residual presence that they can secure. This happens a lot in the black markets of illegal commerce, or fringe science.

Theoretically, illegally marketing information that is stolen directly from human minds via a Remote Neural Monitor would require such shady procedures. It sounds funny, but let's consider how narco mapping and brain mapping are now quite real; whereas before these concepts were only reckoned with in sci-fi shows for children.

So, in the best interest of making a person look like they're crazy, there may be a prolific use of doubles. I know it sounds weird, but test this out when you have a chance. Go online to some social or dating sites and if you look closely you'll find profiles that have pictures of people who look similar, but claim that they are the same person. Sometimes these people simply wish to make sure that they are not impersonated online. However, if you ever happen to go on a date with some of these people who have profile pictures with differing likenesses, you might find that they keep changing somehow - in a manner that goes beyond hair, clothes, and makeup. It's difficult to know the full reason why some people are doing this, but if RNM or information theft is involved then you'd best be sure that it's all for establishing an exit strategy, and putting a TI's word into question, at the bottom line. So, watch out for people who approach you methodically online, in manners that pertain to anything in the realm of psychology. Also, watch out for people who for some reason or another wish to hide their likeness from you (lol), when you meet them in person.

Bonus Questions.

Answer to Bonus Question 1.)

Per the United States Patent Office (USPTO), the patent number 3,951,134 was issued on April 20, 1976 for an apparatus and method for remotely monitoring and altering brain waves. In this present day we know this device as the Remote Neural Monitor which is used to harass, torture, stalk, and psychologically maim many Americans for sundry reasons; I'm quite sure that such ill deeds are perpetrated by rogue Americans, who don't abide by the laws of this land.

Answer to Bonus Question 2.)

This patent number was issued on July 16, 1968. Although the full description is not available on the United States Patent Office website (uspto.gov), one can still discover the nature of the device that holds this patent by simply doing some online research. Since Google tends to be reliable for patent information from the USTPO I have chosen to include some information from google.com/patents.

In summary this patent is for a Nervous System Excitation Device. Basically, it allows an operator to project sound radiation at the mind of any human being who is not shielded from such forms of radiation. There is no natural deterrent or defense for such a process of sound delivery, because it bypasses the ears and directly reverberates in the brain. In this modern day the device is often referred to as V2k or Voice to Skull technology.

Thank you for reading this book!

Emmanuel C. Flint
Appendix B

System Time Server Settings for Linux and Unix

These are just some notes to get you started on modifying your Unix and Linux NTP (Network Time Protocol) settings to be more accurate and in synch with government time(s). Remember, choose a reliable time server from the NIST website that I mentioned in Chapter 3. Ensure that the poll intervals are set to a smaller increment that will allow less inaccuracy in your workstation's system time-keeping. Although you can synch manually for offline machines, its important to keep a close eye on the system times for machines that are always on the internet. Even though hacking and viruses are not a big issue for Linux and Unix, you never know....

For Linux Workstations:

Website source: http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/networking/syncing-time-in-linux-and-windows-with-ntp/3711

In order to get NTP up and running you first have to install the ntp daemon on the machine. This is very simple, as ntpd will be located in your default repositories. So, with that in mind, open up a terminal window and issue one of the following commands (dependent upon which Linux distribution you're using). NOTE: If you're using a non-sudo distribution you will need to first su (substitute user) to the root user. Once you have administrative privileges issue one of the following:

sudo apt-get install ntp (for Debian-based systems).

yum install ntp (for Red Hat-based systems).

urpmi ntp (For Mandriva-based systems).

zypper ntp (For SUSE-based systems)

Upon installation, your NTP system should be pre-configured correctly to use an NTP server for time. But if you want to change the server you use, you would need to edit your /etc/ntp.conf file. In this file you want to add (or edit) a line to reflect your NTP needs. An entry looks like:

SERVER_ADDRESS [OPTIONS]

Where SERVER_ADDRESS is the address of the server you want to use and [OPTIONS] are the available options. Of the available options, there are two that might be of interest to you:

iburst: Use this option when the configured server is unreachable. This option will send out bursts of eight packets instead of the default one when trying to reconnect to the server.

dynamic: Use this option if the NTP server is currently unreachable (but will be reachable at some point).

By default, the /etc/ntp.conf file will look similar to this:

server 0.debian.pool.ntp.org iburst dynamic

server 1.debian.pool.ntp.org iburst dynamic

server 2.debian.pool.ntp.org iburst dynamic

server 3.debian.pool.ntp.org iburst dynamic

More than one server is used in order to assure a connection. Should one server not be available, another one will pick up the duty.

When you have everything set up correctly, enter the following command:

sudo /etc/init.d/ntp start (on Debian-based machines) OR /etc/rc.d/init.d/ntp start (on most other machines. NOTE: You will need to first su to the root user for this command to work).

For Unix Workstations:

Website Source: http://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/howto-configure-hpux-unix-xntpd-ntp-server/

HP-UX xntpd server configuration

xntpd server (daemon) is used by HP-UX. Open file /etc/rc.config.d/netdaemons:

# vi /etc/rc.config.d/netdaemons

Make sure following variables are defined and XNTPD is set to 1:

export NTPDATE_SERVER='ntp.mycorp.com pool.ntp.org in.pool.ntp.org'

export XNTPD=1

export XNTPD_ARGS=

Save and close the file. Where,

NTPDATE_SERVER : space-separated list of timeserver / IPs - If server uses the radio clock / system time, leave the NTPDATE_SERVER blank.

XNTPD : set it to 1 to enable NTP

XNTPD_ARGS : set options, see man page

Make sure correct timezone is setup in /etc/TIMEZONE file (look for TZ variable):

# vi /etc/TIMEZONE

Save and close the file. Open /etc/ntp.conf file:

vi /etc/ntp.conf

Make sure server are defined:

server unix-box-ntp

server delhi-ntp

peer delhi-noc-ntp

driftfile /etc/ntp.drift

Close and save the file. Where,

server : ntp server used (poll) to obtain time

peer : a peer relationship with another ntp server

driftfile : track local clock time (drift of the local clock)

Start HP-UX ntp service:

# /sbin/init.d/xntpd start

# /sbin/init.d/xntpd stop <\-- stop ntp service

Verify that everything is working fine:

# ntpq -p

Watch out log file /var/adm/syslog/syslog.log for errors:

# tail -f /var/adm/syslog/syslog.log

Make sure xntpd is running:

# ps -ef | grep xntpd

Chrono-Barrier 2.5 Guide  
Manuscript Template and Schedule Development

This is my formal specification and guide for Chrono-Barrier version 2.5. If you've read and understood Chapter 10 in this book you will have realized the immense power that you'll have when you successfully learn to implement this algorithm driven template system. It will help you diffuse any real-time replication of your creative projects. Chrono-Barrier is mostly meant for literature, but it can be applied to visual projects as well, if you can successfully break down your creative visual processes to comply. The best way would be to get a digital signature of a final sketch and then implement it somehow. It's totally up to you. Here, I will show you the systematic implementation of Chrono-Barrier for a literary project \- from start to finish.

When you want to employ CB 2.5 you must first build a plain text file (.txt) that can be referred to as the Chrono-Barrier Driver. This file should contain information that is specifically identifiable with you and no one else. Also make sure that you remove all white spaces (spaces) from the file when you're finished. This also means no spaces before or after any returns. Having white spaces will cause the verification of this file to not go as planned in some cases. My suggestion is that you be able to memorize the information contained therein, just in case of file tampering. Here is an example.

Chrono-Barrier-Driver  
Author-Name:Bruce-Wayne  
Authorship-Type:Sole-Authorship  
Date-of-Birth:12/12/1965  
Email-Address:bruce@batman.com

Though I would recommend using information that is more relevant to government issued identification, the information written above will serve well for the following examples. The previous information yields the following SHA-1 digital signature when calculated with HashCalc, a free program for creating hash digests.

b191e54d3462983806238d77b7b1965b615112ef

Verify the results several times before you continue. It's also a good idea to have a digital signature website that you can verify this text with just in case. After making sure that the results are solid you must convert all the letters in the signature (string) to numbers.

2191554434629838062384772721965261511256

Now separate the numbers into groups of three digits.

219 | 155 | 443 | 462 | 983 | 806 | 238 | 477 | 272 | 196 | 526 | 151 | 125 | 6

There is one extra number at the end (6) which can be removed. Now we have a full set of triplets that will help us devise specific information for a production schedule.

219 | 155 | 443 | 462 | 983 | 806 | 238 | 477 | 272 | 196 | 526 | 151 | 125

One more thing that we need to do before we continue is to get a series of non-repeating numbers that will help us drive the progression of our writing in the actual manuscript. Moving in a straight line is very easy to mimic and predict, so we must refrain from that common approach. The originality of our writing times will partially diffuse any copying, which may still be labeled as 'accidental' in various cases. To push the odds even further - to virtually impossible, we need to break the manuscript into pieces and then assign each portion a number from a unique non-sequential string (set of values). Since that's pretty much what a digital signature is at a glance we can take a look at the one that we already have, to see if we can extract such a sequence of numbers. There is such a set of numbers near the middle of our already established string, and here it is.

0623847

This is actually great because consider how when writing something you usually go from chapter 1 to 2, to 3, to 4, to 5, to 6, and so on. However, if we use that non-sequential string to govern our progression, we will start at 0 then go to 6, then 2, then 3, then 8, then 4, and finally 7. This is not a natural sequence, and the best part is that it's derived from a digital signature that is based on the Chrono-Barrier Driver - someone's identity (hopefully yours).

Let's map this sequence to a short manuscript outline, which is what you should start off with anyway, when writing a story.

Story Outline: My Strange Arising

Section 0: A man wakes up in a train station.  
Section 2: He seems to have been kidnapped, and he has to escape capture.  
Section 3: Many criminals are asking him why he robbed their gold stash.  
Section 4: He escapes and meets a woman who aids him in discovering why he's on the run.  
Section 6: They both fight to overtake the leader of the criminal gang.  
Section 7: Other nasty criminals arrive to destroy everything, completely.  
Section 8: It's discovered in the end that the train station is really an underground army lab from World War II.

Zombies start attacking of course.

To be continued, in the place where evil is a resident... apparently.

Notice that I mapped the outline using only the numbers in the seven digit sequence from the digital signature. Thus, when I start writing I'll use the sequence to first write the beginning of the story (0). Then I'll jump to Section 6 and so on. Now we need to arrive at the times when all this writing takes place. For this we need the entire signature and not just the part that was used to map the sections of the manuscript. Thus, you need to assess what your average writing schedule will be, and which times you intend to start writing, overall. Let me keep it simple by using a standard 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule for mapping the numbers 0 to 9. In case you're wondering why I am citing the numeric range 0 to 9, it's because this is the value range that is contained within a digital signature, after all the letters are converted to numbers.

Incidentally it's possible to assign nine sections to nine sequential hours in one day through several methods, if you want to write for eight hours each day. Thus far I've only been showing you how to write for 10 to 180 minutes fits per day. Such would allow you to create a standard manuscript in three months to a year, at a reasonable pace. To actually get six to eight hours of writing per session and still diffuse real-time infringement you'd have to push Chrono-Barrier much further. You'd have to break up the manuscript into more sections first of all. Then it would be necessary to randomize the sections using non-arbitrary data as well (identity driven data). That's very tricky businesses and beyond the scope of this Chrono-Barrier version. Be my guest of course. I'm just getting the ball rolling for you.

If you're not a fulltime writer you can divide hours into parts and map those parts respectively as well. For instance, if you decide to either start at the top of the hour (00:00), or the bottom of the hour (00:30) that allows you two start times per any given hour. Let me show you how I would map between 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. with this convention.

0= 10:00 a.m.

1= 10:30 a.m.

2= 11:00 a.m.

3= 11:30 a.m.

4 = 12:00 p.m.

5 = 12:30 p.m.

6 = 1:00 p.m.

7 = 1:30 p.m.

8 = 2:00 p.m.

9 = 2:30 p.m.

You can also map the hours between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. if you prefer to write after you get home from working the standard 9 to 5 shift. The following is how I map the hours between 9 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

0= 10:00 a.m.

1= 11:00 a.m.

2= 12:00 p.m.

3= 01:00 p.m.

4 = 2:00 p.m.

5 = 3:00 p.m.

6 = 4:00 p.m.

7 = 5:00 p.m.

8 = 6:00 p.m.

9 = 7:00 p.m.

Let's take another glance at that set of triplets from before.

219 | 155 | 443 | 462 | 983 | 806 | 238 | 477 | 272 | 196 | 526 | 151 | 125

As far as these groupings are concerned the start times correspond to the first numbers in each set. The second numbers in each set correspond to the 'minute' when we start writing for each iteration. Lastly, we have the 'duration' value being the last number from each set. If you're the observant type you've already realized that there's a problem. Although we've mapped the hours quite successfully it seems like the 'minute' values are rather miniscule (below 10 minutes for every set). Furthermore, the 'durations' are 8 minutes at the most. Well, that's why we have to implement multipliers or constant conversions to treat our values, so that they're compatible with hours and minutes, to the degree that they can span an entire hour.

For the minutes we must use a conversion as follows.

If n >= 5 {

n/2;

n*10;

}

else{

n*10;

}

Basically, if the number is greater than or equal to 5 then I must divide it by 2 and multiply the result by 10; otherwise I just multiply by 10. This way when we deal with numbers such as 6, 7, 8 and 9 we don't overshoot any given hour, seeing how each hour only has 60 minutes. Doing this conversion is pretty clean and all the results will stay within 0 to 60, which is what we need. The highest value we can get from this kind of conversion is 45. However, if you want to use 1.5 as the divisor then you'll get 60 as the highest value; it will ultimately be a value of n+1. Use whichever method you like.

Now, I'll process the first two digits in the triplet with what we've discussed so far.

Triplet - | 219 |

Start Hour : 2 = 12:00 p.m.

Start Minute: 1 = 10 minutes

The final number in the triplet can simply be multiplied by any number that you deem suitable. It will define your duration. Let's just use 20 for this example. This would give us 180 minutes for the first triplet. The highest value we will arrive upon is 180 minutes, if we're treating the number 9 (the max value for most digital signatures). Our final result for the entire triplet of 219 is -

Start Hour: 2 = 11:00 a.m.

Start Minute: 1 = 10 minutes

Duration: 9 = 180 minutes

Now we can put all this together with our sections progression (sequence) to get a pretty decent schedule. Here is how I lay out four iterations, or sets.

Writing Times Data { 219 | 155 | 443 | 462 | 983 | 806 | 238 | 477 | 272 | 196 | 526 | 151 | 125 }

Manuscript Sections Data { 0623847 }

Section 0: 219

Start Hour: 12:00 p.m.

Start Minute: 10 minutes into the hour

Duration: 180 minutes

Section 6: 155

Start Hour: 11:00 a.m.

Start Minute: 25 minutes into the hour

Duration: 100 minutes

Section 2: 443

Start Hour: 2:00 p.m.

Start Minute: 40 minutes into the hour

Duration: 60 minutes

Section 3: 462

Start Hour: 2:00 p.m.

Start Minute: 30 minutes into the hour

Duration: 40 minutes

In total there will be 13 sets or iterations. However, you can cycle through them over and over until you're done with your manuscript. Otherwise you can utilize a SHA-256 hash which is more secure and contains 64 characters, instead of 32 (as was used for these examples). Hopefully, the previous four iterations have helped you get an idea of what to do next. You can place all the results in an excel spreadsheet to gain a good visual understanding of how powerful this system is. Anyone who has the same schedule needs to explain how they arrived upon it. However, it seems practically impossible that they'll wiggle out of trouble or suspicion. Even if they use the same conversions they won't arrive upon the same schedule unless they use your information, and copy your process, point for point. This of course means that they have to steal your private information too. The first in a long list of crimes...

One last hint is that you should think "modular" when writing. One primary concept that you must consider when using Chrono-Barrier v2.5 is that your manuscript content is organized in blocks that are each labeled accordingly. Think of them as adjacent containers which should be sectioned off - each having their own coordinates. When you start writing make sure that you impose an outline for the entire manuscript and then assign the appropriate literary content to each block (section). During the writing process ensure that you don't move things around. Such will defeat the purpose of it all. If you want to move content around I recommend that you get used to doing it after the manuscript is 75% to 95% done. This is a small price to pay for using a system that diffuses real-time copyright infringement. Hopefully, by then you will have accumulated enough protected interim versions to ensure that you're pattern of writing is evidential.

Thank you for reading, and enjoy using Chrono-Barrier version 2.5 for your creative productions,

Kind regards,

Emmanuel C. Flint

\- Document END -

Looking forward to How to Beat Real-time Copyright Infringers Version 3.0?

Keep a look-out for the next edition which will deal with some more serious subject matter, regarding creative inception and other interesting tidbits.

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