MEDIA CONTENT PROTECTION UTILIZING PUBLIC KEY CRYPTOGRAPHY

• US 20020016919A1
• Filed: 08/05/1998
• Published: 02/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: SIMS, J. ROBERT III
• Granted Patent: US 6,438,235 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/193
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/445 by mutual authentication, e.g. between devices or programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2211/008 Public Key, Asymmetric Key, Asymmetric Encryption
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2121 Chip on media, e.g. a disk or tape with a chip embedded in its case
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2129 Authenticate client device independently of the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2135 Metering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/367 involving electronic purses or money safes
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00137 involving measures which result in a restriction to contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier to authorised users
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00144 involving a user identifier, e.g. a unique customer ID
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0021 involving encryption or decryption of contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00253 wherein the key is stored on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00543 wherein external data is encrypted, e.g. for secure communication with an external device or for encrypting content on a separate record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0071 involving a purchase action
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00746 wherein the usage restriction can be expressed as a specific number
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00768 wherein copy control information is used, e.g. for indicating whether a content may be copied freely, no more, once, or never, by setting CGMS, SCMS, or CCI flags

Abstract

A system and method for providing protection of content stored on a bulk storage media is disclosed. The technique for providing protection from unauthorized utilization of the content so stored is provided publicly in order to allow for those utilizing a conforming media device to master or generate content protected according to the present invention. Various ways in which to protect content are disclosed including verification of the authenticity of a particular media, utilization of an accepted list of media play-back devices and their corresponding published public keys in order to securely pass media content keys thereto, and utilization of an external contact to provide media content keys and/or updates of accepted media play-back devices.

Claims

1. A method for preventing unauthorized utilization of content stored on a storage media, said method comprising the steps of:

storing first information on the media, wherein said first information is stored within a controlled access portion of the media, and wherein said first information includes information with respect to at least one authorized media utilization device;

storing second information on the media, wherein said second information includes a cryptographic key of said at least one authorized media utilization device;

storing user content on the media, wherein said user content is stored within an open access portion of the media;

determining if a particular media utilization device is an acceptable media utilization device to provide said user content to, wherein said determination is at least in part made through reference to said first information; and

enabling said particular media utilization device to utilize said user content at least in part by communicating information thereto encrypted with said cryptographic key of said second information associated therewith if said particular utilization device is determined to be acceptable at said determining step.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

determining if said content information is encrypted, wherein if said content information is encrypted said information communicated to said particular media utilization device by said enabling step includes a content cryptographic key.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said content cryptographic key is at least a portion of said first information.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

determining if encryption of said content information utilizes an external contact for decryption;

establishing communication with an external contact having information useful in enabling said particular media utilization device to utilize said user content if said encryption of said content information is determined to utilize an external contact; and

retrieving said information useful in enabling said particular media utilization device to utilize said user content, wherein said information communicated to said particular media utilization device by said enabling step includes at least a portion of said retrieved information.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said information useful in enabling said particular media utilization device to utilize said user content retrieved from said external contact includes a content cryptographic key.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of determining if a particular media utilization device is an acceptable media utilization device comprises the steps of:

reviewing said first information for an indication that said particular media utilization device is an acceptable media utilization device;

determining if external contact information associated with the media is available;

establishing communication with said external contact if said external contact information is determined to be available; and

retrieving information supplemental to said first information with respect to determining if a particular media utilization device is an acceptable media utilization device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said second information is stored within an open access portion of the media.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein a summary indication of said at least one cryptographic key is included in said first information.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of storing said first information comprises the steps of:

providing parameters with respect to said first information in a predetermined format; and

deriving at least a portion of said first information from said parameters, wherein said parameters said portion of said first information is derived from are discarded derivation of said portion of said first information.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said controlled access portion of the media is a discrete portion of said media.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said discrete portion of said media is a selected area physically accessible by a limited subset of media devices.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said controlled access portion of the media is intersperse in a predetermined manner within said open access portion of said media.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said controlled access portion of the media is an active portion of the media.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said validating step comprises the steps of:

encrypting information with a private cryptographic key corresponding to said public cryptographic key of said first information; and

decrypting said information encrypted with said private cryptographic key corresponding to said public cryptographic key of said first information with said public cryptographic key of said first information.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said information encrypted at said encrypting step includes a random number.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein said particular device validated is said storage device.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of:

storing second information on the media, wherein said second information includes a cryptographic key of said at least one authorized media utilization device.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of:

encrypting information with said cryptographic key of said at least one authorized media utilization device of said second information.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said information encrypted at said encrypting step is a content key associated with said content stored on the storage device.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein said particular device validated is said media utilization device.

14. A method for preventing unauthorized utilization of content stored on a storage device, said method comprising the steps of:

storing first information on the storage device, wherein said first information is stored within a controlled access portion of the storage device, and wherein said first information includes a public cryptographic key;

storing user content on the storage device, wherein said user content is stored within an open access portion of the storage device;

validating a particular device operable with said method as acceptable for use with said method, wherein said validating step utilizes at least a portion of said first information; and

enabling utilization of said user content if said particular device is validated as acceptable at said validating step.

22. A system for providing protected content on a bulk storage device, said system comprising:

a storage device providing information storage capacity, wherein at least a portion of said storage capacity is identified as restricted access storage capacity and at least a portion of said storage capacity is identified as open access storage capacity; and

a processor operating under control of an instruction set, wherein said instruction set defines conditions under which access to said restricted access storage capacity is authorized, and wherein at least a storage device public key and information with respect to a plurality of acceptable play-back devices are stored in said restricted access storage capacity under control of said processor in accordance with said instruction set.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein said information with respect to a plurality of acceptable play-back devices stored in said restricted access storage capacity includes information with respect to public keys associated with each of said acceptable play-back devices.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein said information with respect to said public keys identifies a location within said open access storage capacity where said public keys are stored.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein said information with respect to said public keys also provides information suitable for use in determining if said stored public keys have been altered.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein said information with respect to said public keys is said public keys.

27. The system of claim 22, wherein said conditions under which access to said restricted access storage capacity is authorized for storage of said device public key include providing factors from which said device public key is generated to said processor for generation of said device public key by said processor.

28. The system of claim 22, wherein a cryptographic key associated with information to be stored in said open access storage capacity is stored in said restricted access storage capacity under control of said processor in accordance with said instruction set.

29. The system of claim 22, wherein external contact information associated with an external contact having a cryptographic key associated with information to be stored in said open access storage capacity is stored in said restricted access storage capacity under control of said processor in accordance with said instruction set.

30. The system of claim 22, wherein said restricted access storage capacity is a masked portion of said open access storage capacity.

31. The system of claim 22, wherein said restricted access storage capacity is a predefined discrete area of said storage device.

32. The system of claim 22, wherein said restricted access storage capacity is associated with an active portion of said storage device, and wherein said processor is included in said active portion of said storage device.

33. The system of claim 22, wherein said storage device is a DVD formatted disk.