Method, apparatus and system for securely providing material to a licensee of the material

• US 20030078795A1
• Filed: 02/22/2002
• Published: 04/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marking Object Virtualization Intelligence, LLC
• Original Assignee: Macrovision Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Collier, David C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,299,209 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1
• 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]

Abstract

A method, apparatus and system for securely providing material to a licensee of the material are described. In each, at least one license key is provided, preferably along with a license including usage rights for requested content or material to the licensee. The material requested and licensed by the licensee is provided to the licensee encrypted with at least one content key. To achieve a second-level of security, the at least one content key is provided to the licensee encrypted with the at least one license key so that both the at least one content key and the at least one license key are necessary for the licensee to decrypt and use the encrypted material.

Claims

1. A method for securely providing material to a licensee of the material, comprising:

providing at least one license key to a licensee of material;

providing said material encrypted with at least one content key to said licensee; and

providing said at least one content key encrypted with said at least one license key to said licensee.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising providing a license authorizing said licensee to use said material.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said license includes a plurality of usage rights for using said material.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein said at least one license key is provided along with said license to said licensee.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said providing at least one license key to a licensee of material, comprises providing said at least one license key encrypted with a public key of said licensee to said licensee.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said at least one license key and said material encrypted with said at least one content key are provided by transmitting them through different communication mediums to said licensee.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said at least one content key encrypted with said at least one license key is provided to said licensee along with said material encrypted with said at least one content key.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein said at least one content key encrypted with said at least one license key and said material encrypted with said at least one content key are provided by transmitting them over an authenticated secure channel to said licensee.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein said providing said material encrypted with at least one content key to said licensee, comprises encrypting said material in real-time with said at least one content key and providing said material encrypted with said at least one content key to said licensee by transmitting it as streaming media.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein said material is included in at least one MPEG-4 bit stream encrypted with said at least one content key.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein said at least one content key encrypted with said at least one license key is included in an IPMP stream provided to said licensee along with said material included in said at least one MPEG-4 bit stream encrypted with said at least one content key.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein said at least one content key encrypted with said at least one license key is mapped to corresponding portions of said material included in said at least one MPEG-4 bit stream encrypted with said at least one content key, by IPMP descriptors associated with said corresponding portions.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein said at least one content key includes a plurality of content keys for encrypting and decrypting corresponding portions of said material.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein said at least one content key includes a plurality of content keys for encrypting and decrypting corresponding time periods of said material.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein said plurality of content key s are used one-at-a-time in a predetermined fashion for encrypting and decrypting said corresponding time periods of said material.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein said at least one license key includes a plurality of license keys for encrypting and decrypting said at least one content key.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein said plurality of license keys are used one-at-a-time in a predetermined fashion for encrypting and decrypting said at least one content key.

18. An apparatus for securely providing material to a licensee of the material, comprising at least one server configured to:

transmit at least one license key to a client device operable by a licensee of material;

transmit said material encrypted with at least one content key to said client device; and

transmit said at least one content key encrypted with said at least one license key to said client device.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said at least one server is further configured to transmit a license authorizing said licensee to use said material.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said license includes a plurality of usage rights for using said material.

21. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said at least one server is further configured to establish an authenticated secure channel with said client device and transmit said at least one license key along with said license to said client device over said secure channel.

22. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said at least one server comprises a license server configured to transmit said at least one license key to said client device, and a data providing server configured to transmit said material encrypted with at least one content key and said at least one content key encrypted with said license key, to said client device.

23. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said material is included in at least one MPEG-4 stream encrypted with said at least one content key.

24. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein said at least one content key encrypted with said at least one license key is included in an IPMP stream provided to said licensee along with said material included in said at least one MPEG-4 bit stream encrypted with said at least one content key.

25. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said at least one content key encrypted with said at least one license key is mapped to corresponding portions of said material included in said at least one MPEG-4 bit stream encrypted with said at least one content key, by IPMP descriptors associated with said corresponding portions.

26. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein said at least one content key includes a plurality of content keys for encrypting and decrypting corresponding portions of said material.

27. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein said at least one content key includes a plurality of content keys for encrypting and decrypting corresponding time periods of said material.

28. The apparatus according to claim 27, wherein said plurality of content keys are used one-at-a-time in a predetermined fashion for encrypting and decrypting said corresponding time periods of said material.

29. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein said at least one license key includes a plurality of license keys for encrypting and decrypting said at least one content key.

30. The apparatus according to claim 29, wherein said plurality of license keys are used one-at-a-time in a predetermined fashion for encrypting and decrypting said at least one content key.

31. A system for securely providing material to a licensee of the material, comprising:

a client device operable by a licensee of material; and

at least one server configured to transmit at least one license key, said material encrypted with at least one content key, and said at least one content key encrypted with said at least one license key to said client device.

32. The system according to claim 31, wherein said at least one server is further configured to transmit a license authorizing said licensee to use said material to said client device.

33. The system according to claim 32, wherein said license includes a plurality of usage rights for using said material.

34. The system according to claim 32, wherein said at least one server is further configured to establish an authenticated secure channel with said client device and transmit said at least one license key along with said license to said client device over said secure channel.

35. The system according to claim 31, wherein said at least one server comprises a license server configured to transmit said at least one license key to said client device, and a data providing server configured to transmit said encrypted material and said encrypted at least one content key to said client device.

36. The system according to claim 31, wherein said material is included in at least one MPEG-4 stream encrypted with said at least one content key.

37. The system according to claim 36, wherein said at least one content key encrypted with said at least one license key is included in an IPMP stream provided to said licensee along with said material included in said at least one MPEG-4 bit stream encrypted with said at least one content key.

38. The system according to claim 37, wherein said at least one content key encrypted with said at least one license key is mapped to corresponding portions of said material included in said at least one MPEG-4 bit stream encrypted with said at least one content key, by IPMP descriptors associated with said corresponding portions.

39. The system according to claim 36, wherein said at least one content key includes a plurality of content keys for encrypting and decrypting corresponding portions of said material.

40. The system according to claim 36, wherein said at least one content key includes a plurality of content keys for encrypting and decrypting corresponding time periods of said material.

41. The system according to claim 40, wherein said plurality of content keys are used one-at-a-time in a predetermined fashion for encrypting and decrypting said corresponding time periods of said material.

42. The system according to claim 37, wherein said at least one license key includes a plurality of license keys for encrypting and decrypting said at least one content key.

43. The system according to claim 42, wherein said plurality of license keys are used one-at-a-time in a predetermined fashion for encrypting and decrypting said at least one content key.

44. The system according to claim 31, wherein said client device is configured to:

decrypt said encrypted at least one content key using said license key; and

decrypt said encrypted material using said decrypted at least one content key.

45. The system according to claim 44, wherein said client device is further configured to receive said license key along with a license authorizing said licensee to use said material from said at least one server.

46. The system according to claim 45, wherein said license includes a plurality of usage rights for using said material.

47. The system according to claim 46, wherein said client device is further configured to use said material only in accordance with said plurality of usage rights of said license.

48. A method for securely providing material to a licensee of the material, comprising:

providing a license to use material and a license key corresponding to said license;

providing said material encrypted with a content key; and

providing said content key encrypted with said license key.

49. The method according to claim 48, wherein said license includes a plurality of usage rights for using said material.

50. The method according to claim 48, wherein said encrypted content key is provided with said encrypted material.

51. The method according to claim 48, wherein said license, said license key, said encrypted material, and said encrypted content key are provided by electronically transmitting them to a client requesting said material.

52. A method for securely providing material to a licensee of the material, comprising:

receiving a license to use material and a license key corresponding to said license;

receiving said material encrypted with a content key;

receiving said content key encrypted with said license key;

decrypting said encrypted content key using said license key; and

decrypting said encrypted material using said decrypted content key.

53. The method according to claim 52, wherein said license includes a plurality of usage rights for using said material.

54. The method according to claim 52, wherein said encrypted content key is received with said encrypted material.

55. The method according to claim 52, wherein said license, said license key, said encrypted material, and said encrypted content key are received electronically.