Recent years have witnessed rapid developments of the information communication technology and the Next-Generation Internet.  3G and 4G wireless mobile networks have been striding to a large-scale deployment and application.  So, we have seen the potential and value for new technologies from a variety of digital networks to various interconnected digital devices, which made it possible to realize the ubiquitous network and society. 

Ubiquitous networks could enable a convenient connection “anytime, anywhere, anything, anyone” to the information communications network.  Yet, it is necessary for users to establish a highly secure and reliable environment in which they could enjoy ubiquitous digital services via ubiquitous network and connectivity.  Establishing trustworthy ubiquitous network brings up some urgent and challenging issues. 

In contrast to the cyberspace we have seen until now, the ubiquitous network will be capable of exchanging information more freely beyond the boundaries of time and distance.  Unfortunately, in such environment, copyright infringement behaviors, such as illicit copying, malicious distribution, unauthorized usage, free sharing of copyright-protected digital contents, will also become a much more common phenomenon.  Contents protection & Digital Rights Management (DRM) have a tangible goal to safeguard the rights and benefits of multimedia contents owners, copyrights holders, digital services providers, and even consumers in contents value chain.  Some applications research frontiers, related to contents security, have emerged in recent years.  These include subjects on trustworthy networks and transactions, secure digital multimedia broadcasting and controlled contents sharing.  Researchers, contents industry engineers and administrators attempt to resort to the state-of-the-art technologies and ideas to protect valuable digital contents and services assets against attacks and IP piracy in the emerging ubiquitous network. 

This special session aims to bring together related research works in the realm of Ubiquitous Networks and Multimedia Contents Security, and further investigates and discusses trusted solutions and secure techniques for Ubiquitous Networks and Ubiquitous Computing, as well as some open issues faced by digital contents owners/rights holders/multimedia services providers, who dedicate themselves to protect their Intellectual Property Rights and business benefits.  In addition, novel ideas and research works from end consumers’ perspective, such as privacy, trustworthiness and multimedia contents sharing in ubiquitous network society, will be embraced by the session.