Copyright protection of designs based on multi source IPs

Abstract

This paper addresses the copyright protection problem of integrated circuits designed with blocks which are originated from multiple design sources. The process consists of two phases. First, a compact signature is generated from every block independently and made public. Utilizing such signatures, a design can be decomposed into its original building blocks, regardless of multiple hierarchies. Then, a map of all the blocks can be built, thus allowing to reconstruct the original copyright dependencies. The proposed methodology can be used by foundries to verify that designs submitted for fabrication contain blocks traceable to a legal source of intellectual property. The verification process is also useful to intellectual property providers and integrators, as it reduces the likelihood of infringement, thus ultimately minimizing the risk of litigation.