I didn't have time to read the whole article you cited - LOL - but in general terms I understand it's a method to embed a watermark that includes the creator's name/date and thus demonstrate copyright.
Copyright is a complex field of law and there are lawyers who specialise in it. If you know all about copyright I apologise if I'm giving info you already know, but in brief:
Copyright does not protect an 'idea', only the way in which the idea is expressed. The creator of the original piece of work owns the copyright - there are various exceptions and refinements to that, but that is the basic principle.
Copyright prevents the unlawful copying of the piece of work and arises automatically in specified new works, including an original piece of literature, music, films, photographs, sculptures, drawings etc. In general, copyright (in the UK anyway), lasts for the lifetime of the author plus 50 years.
Nobody can legally copy or use a copyrighted piece of work without crediting the original owner and getting permission and maybe paying royalties.
As far as your other questions are concerned, there's no difference between the technology you refer to and any other method used to demonstrate copyright.
If you create something original, you own it. If someone else creates the same thing and claims they own it, it would come down to proving who produced it first. If one of the claimants copied the work and - using the watermark technique you referred to or any other technique - included a creation date that was earlier than the date claimed by the actual owner it would be fraud and a criminal act.
Ultimately, the matter would have to go to court for a ruling, making copyright lawyers very happy. | 
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Digital Photography & Imaging 
please help me to answer these questions about the attached watermarking technique 
