Protected Sharing of 3D Models of Cultural Heritage and Archaeological Artifacts

The increasing use of three-dimensional modeling and digitization techniques in archaeology has raised questions about the digital rights management of the resulting 3D models. Curators of valuable artifacts and creators of 3D models may be reluctant to openly share the digital 3D representations due to fear of misuse or theft of their data and intellectual property. In order to address these concerns, we have investigated a number of techniques for sharing and disseminating 3D models in a secure, protected manner. We have implemented and deployed one such technique, remote 3D rendering, on a wide scale. Our remote rendering system has been used successfully to make thousands of 3D models freely available for interactive visualization, including archaeological artifacts, digitized statuary, and reconstructions of ancient urban sites, while preventing copying or other unauthorized access to the underlying 3D data.