Getting the metadata into the image, biometric or otherwise, is the easy part. What would help photographers much more is a way to search for that invisible watermark in order to find copyright infringement. Most of the high-end digital cameras (and copiers) these days already embed the serial number. Imagine typing that number into Google and finding all the places where that image appears. If Canon could patent that in addition to the watermarking procedure, they would make some real money.
Getting the metadata into the image, biometric or otherwise, is the easy part. What would help photographers much more is a way to search for that invisible watermark in order to find copyright infringement. Most of the high-end digital cameras (and copiers) these days already embed the serial number. Imagine typing that number into Google and finding all the places where that image appears. If Canon could patent that in addition to the watermarking procedure, they would make some real money.
It never ceases to amaze me that our invented data storage is exponentially more crude and fragile than what appears in nature.