# Protect-Your-IP: Scalable Source-Tracing and Attribution against Personalized Generation

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.16596 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.16596/

## Key facts

- Cited by 3 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Placed in Watermarking generated content and models, one of 12 directions in LLM safety and security.
- Builds on 45 of its 53 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 26 May 2024.

## Placed in

- LLM safety and security / [Watermarking generated content and models](https://mlsanity.com/safety/watermarking-generated-content-and-models/)

## Builds on (most cited first, 30 of 45)

- [Deep Residual Learning for Image Recognition](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1512.03385/) (2015)
- [Denoising Diffusion Probabilistic Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2006.11239/) (2020)
- [High-Resolution Image Synthesis with Latent Diffusion Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2112.10752/) (2021)
- [LoRA: Low-Rank Adaptation of Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2106.09685/) (2021)
- [Denoising Diffusion Implicit Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2010.02502/) (2020)
- [Diffusion Models Beat GANs on Image Synthesis](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2105.05233/) (2021)
- [Generative Adversarial Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2203.00667/) (2022)
- [Adding Conditional Control to Text-to-Image Diffusion Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.05543/) (2023)
- [BLIP: Bootstrapping Language-Image Pre-training for Unified Vision-Language Understanding and Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2201.12086/) (2022)
- [DreamBooth: Fine Tuning Text-to-Image Diffusion Models for Subject-Driven Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2208.12242/) (2022)
- [Progressive Growing of GANs for Improved Quality, Stability, and Variation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1710.10196/) (2017)
- [Large Scale GAN Training for High Fidelity Natural Image Synthesis](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1809.11096/) (2018)
- [Learning without Forgetting](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1606.09282/) (2016)
- [Improved Training of Wasserstein GANs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1704.00028/) (2017)
- [Consistency Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.01469/) (2023)
- [A Comprehensive Survey of Continual Learning: Theory, Method and Application](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.00487/) (2023)
- [InstantID: Zero-shot Identity-Preserving Generation in Seconds](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2401.07519/) (2024)
- [Turning Your Weakness Into a Strength: Watermarking Deep Neural Networks by Backdooring](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1802.04633/) (2018)
- [PhotoMaker: Customizing Realistic Human Photos via Stacked ID Embedding](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2312.04461/) (2023)
- [Embedding Watermarks into Deep Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1701.04082/) (2017)
- [EfficientFormer: Vision Transformers at MobileNet Speed](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2206.01191/) (2022)
- [Artificial Fingerprinting for Generative Models: Rooting Deepfake Attribution in Training Data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2007.08457/) (2020)
- [Anti-DreamBooth: Protecting users from personalized text-to-image synthesis](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.15433/) (2023)
- [EditGuard: Versatile Image Watermarking for Tamper Localization and Copyright Protection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2312.08883/) (2023)
- [Mist: Towards Improved Adversarial Examples for Diffusion Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.12683/) (2023)
- [Responsible Disclosure of Generative Models Using Scalable Fingerprinting](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2012.08726/) (2020)
- [Combining EfficientNet and Vision Transformers for Video Deepfake Detection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2107.02612/) (2021)
- [Incremental Learning In Online Scenario](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2003.13191/) (2020)
- [Towards Discovery and Attribution of Open-world GAN Generated Images](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2105.04580/) (2021)
- [Deep Model Intellectual Property Protection via Deep Watermarking](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2103.04980/) (2021)

## Built on by (most cited first, 3 of 3)

- [FakeShield: Explainable Image Forgery Detection and Localization via Multi-modal Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.02761/) (2024)
- [UniShield: An Adaptive Multi-Agent Framework for Unified Forgery Image Detection and Localization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2510.03161/) (2025)
- [GaussianSeal: Rooting Adaptive Watermarks for 3D Gaussian Generation Model](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.00531/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

With the advent of personalized generation models, users can more readily create images resembling existing content, heightening the risk of violating portrait rights and intellectual property (IP). Traditional post-hoc detection and source-tracing methods for AI-generated content (AIGC) employ proactive watermark approaches; however, these are less effective against personalized generation models. Moreover, attribution techniques for AIGC rely on passive detection but often struggle to differentiate AIGC from authentic images, presenting a substantial challenge. Integrating these two processes into a cohesive framework not only meets the practical demands for protection and forensics but also improves the effectiveness of attribution tasks. Inspired by this insight, we propose a unified approach for image copyright source-tracing and attribution, introducing an innovative watermarking-attribution method that blends proactive and passive strategies. We embed copyright watermarks into protected images and train a watermark decoder to retrieve copyright information from the outputs of personalized models, using this watermark as an initial step for confirming if an image is AIGC-generated. To pinpoint specific generation techniques, we utilize powerful visual backbone networks for classification. Additionally, we implement an incremental learning strategy to adeptly attribute new personalized models without losing prior knowledge, thereby enhancing the model's adaptability to novel generation methods. We have conducted experiments using various celebrity portrait series sourced online, and the results affirm the efficacy of our method in source-tracing and attribution tasks, as well as its robustness against knowledge forgetting.