Enforcement architecture and method for digital rights management system for roaming a license to a plurality of user devices

• US 20030084306A1
• Filed: 06/27/2001
• Published: 05/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Alkove, James M., McKune, Jeffrey R., Abburi, Rajasekhar, McNeill, William P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,203,966 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/188
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/109 by using specially-adapted hardware at the client

Abstract

An enforcement architecture and method for implementing roaming digital rights management are disclosed. A license distributed from a license server to a computing device of a user may be uploaded to a license synchronization server, and rebound to other devices registered with the service, thereby enabling access to the licensed content from other computing devices.

Claims

1. A method of enabling the use of a digital license on a plurality of devices, said digital license permitting the use of a content item and being bound to a first of said plurality of devices by a first key pair associated with said first device, said method comprising:

receiving a first digital license from said first device;

receiving a second key pair associated with a second of said plurality of devices, said second key pair being different from said first key pair;

creating a second digital license bound to said second device using said second key pair, said second digital license being based on said first digital license; and

transmitting said second digital license to said second device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said first digital license includes a first expiration date.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said act of creating a second digital license includes adding a second expiration date to said second digital license, said second expiration date occurring earlier in time than said first expiration date.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said second expiration date comprises a specified offset from a date on which said act of transmitting said second digital license occurs.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating a third digital license bound to said first device; and

transmitting said third license to said first device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said third digital license includes a first expiration date.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said first expiration date comprises a specified offset from a date on which said act of transmitting said third license occurs.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the act of limiting the number of said plurality of devices.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said second digital license includes a first expiration date, and wherein said method further comprises the act of periodically refreshing said second digital license with one or more third digital licenses based on said first digital license, each of said third digital licenses including a second expiration date different from said first expiration date.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising revoking said second digital license.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising re-assigning said second digital license to a third of said plurality of devices after said revocation of said second digital license.

16. A computer-readable medium containing computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 1.

12. A method of roaming a digital license onto a plurality of devices, said roamed digital license enabling the use of a content item on a plurality of devices, comprising:

receiving a first digital license cryptographically bound to a first device, said first digital license having a first set of terms;

creating a second digital license cryptographically bound to said first device, said second digital license having a second set of terms different from said first set of terms; and

transmitting said second license to said first device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said first set of terms includes a first expiration date, and wherein said second set of terms includes a second expiration date different from said first expiration date.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said second expiration date comprises a date which is a specified offset from a date on which said act of creating said second digital license occurs.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising the act of periodically replacing said second license on said first device.

17. A method of enabling the use of a first digital license on a plurality of devices, said first digital license permitting the use of a content item and being bound to a first of said plurality of devices by a first key pair associated with said first device, said method comprising:

sending, to a license synchronization server, a second key pair associated with a second of said plurality of devices, said second key pair being different from said first key pair; and

receiving, from said license synchronization server, a second digital license bound to said second device by said second key pair, said second digital license being based on said first digital license.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said first digital license includes a first expiration date.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said second digital license includes a second expiration date, said second expiration date occurring earlier in time than said first expiration date.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein said second expiration date comprises a specified offset from a date on which said act of receiving said second digital license occurs.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein said second digital license has a set of license terms and a first expiration date, and wherein said method further comprises periodically receiving a replacement of said second digital license, wherein each of the periodic replacements has said set of license terms and a second expiration date different from said first expiration date.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein said second digital license is revocable.

23. A computer-readable medium containing computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 17.

24. A system for roaming a digital license to a plurality of computing devices comprising:

a receiving module which receives over a computer network;

from a first of said plurality of computing devices, a first digital license which permits the use of a content item and is bound to said first of said plurality of computing devices by a first key pair associated with said first of said plurality of computing devices; and

a second key pair associated with a second of said plurality of computing devices different from said first of said plurality of computing devices, said second key pair being different from said first key pair;

a license-rewriting module which uses said second key pair to create a second digital license based on said first digital license, said second digital license being bound to said second device; and

a transmitting module for transmitting said second license to said second device.

25. The system of claim 24, further comprising:

a transmitting module which periodically transmits a refreshed second license to said second device.

26. The system of claim 24, further comprising:

a module which limits the number of said plurality of devices.