Rights management system using legality expression language

• US 20040024670A1
• Filed: 04/29/2003
• Published: 02/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ContentGuard Holdings, Inc. (Pendrell Corporation)
• Original Assignee: ContentGuard Holdings, Inc. (Pendrell Corporation)
• Inventors: Valenzuela, Edgar, Wang, Xin, Tadayon, Bijan, Fung, Joseph Zhung Yee
• Application Number:
  US10/425,036
• Publication Number:
  US 20040024670A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/35
• 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 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2137 Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2153 Using hardware token as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/184 Intellectual property management
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/20 involving the use of a pass

Abstract

A system and method for managing a legality expression adapted for use in a system for processing said legality expression, including storing on a removable storage medium a legality expression expressed with a legality expression language; reading the legality expression by a device from the removable storage medium; and interpreting the legality expression with an interpreter component. The legality expression language includes respective elements for specifying at least one of an obligation, a prohibition, an intention, and an assertion.

Claims

1. A method for managing a legality expression adapted for use in a system for processing said legality expression, comprising:

storing on a removable storage medium a legality expression expressed with a legality expression language;

reading said legality expression by a device from said removable storage medium; and

interpreting said legality expression with an interpreter component,

wherein said legality expression language includes respective elements for specifying at least one of an obligation, a prohibition, an intention, and an assertion.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

specifying one of a legal obligation, a right, a request, a statement, a receipt, a confession, and evidence with said legality expression.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

specifying a legal obligation with said legality expression; and

enforcing said legal obligation by said device based on said legality expression.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said obligation is between one or more parties.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said interpreting step comprises:

extracting at least one of syntax information and semantics information from said legality expression.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

specifying evidence with said legality expression; and

presenting said evidence in a court based on said legality expression.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

interpreting said evidence with a reader device in said court, including extracting semantics information from said legality expression to determine a meaning of said evidence; and

presenting said meaning of said evidence to at least one of a judge and a jury of said court.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

specifying a confession with said legality expression; and

presenting said confession as proof based on said legality expression.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

specifying a receipt with said legality expression; and

presenting said receipt as proof based on said legality expression.

10. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

specifying a contract between first and second parties with said legality expression, wherein said legal obligation includes a contractual obligation between said first and second parties.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

specifying a right of at least one party with said legality expression.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said right includes a coupon, and said method comprises:

specifying a discount on a purchase of one of digital and non-digital items based on said coupon.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said non-digital items include physical goods.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

downloading said coupon over a communications network onto said removable storage medium; and

interpreting said coupon with a reader device in a store.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said communications network includes at least one of the Internet and an intranet.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein said reader device is included in a checkout register of said store.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

specifying an issuer of said legality expression with said legality expression.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

digitally signing said legality expression by said issuer; and

specifying the digital signature of said issuer with said legality expression.

19. The method of claim 3, wherein said obligation is between first and second parties.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said first and second parties include individuals.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein one of said first and second parties includes an individual, and

the other of said first and second parties includes a party other than an individual.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said party other than an individual includes one of a country, a state, and a city.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein said party other than an individual includes a company.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein at least one of said first and second parties includes a software component.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein one of said first and second parties includes an individual,

the other of said first and second parties includes a court of one of a country, a state, and a city,

said legality expression includes a probation rule between said first and second parties, and

said legal obligation includes a probation obligation between said first and second parties.

26. The method of claim 19, wherein said legality expression includes a restraining order between said first and second parties, and

said legal obligation includes a restraining obligation between said first and second parties.

27. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

configuring said removable storage medium as a secure removable storage medium.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein said device comprises a digital signing device, and said method further comprises:

employing said removable storage medium in said digital signing device for performing secure digital signing.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein said device comprises a game console, and said method further comprises:

employing said removable storage medium in said game console for performing secure lending of a game.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein said device comprises a music player, and said method further comprises:

employing said removable storage medium in said music player for performing secure lending of a song.

31. The method of claim 27, wherein said device comprises a music player, and said method further comprises:

employing said removable storage medium in said music player for performing secure lending of a song.

32. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

employing said removable storage medium in said device for performing secure lending of an item.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein said item includes one of a digital right and digital content.

34. The method of claim 27, wherein said device comprises one of an electronic money device and an electronic check device, and said method further comprises:

employing said removable storage medium in said device for performing secure transportation of one of electronic money and an electronic check.

35. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

cascading said interpreter component with another interpreter component; and

distributing the interpreting of said legality expression between the cascaded interpreter components.

36. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

cascading said removable storage medium with another removable storage medium; and

distributing said legality expression between the cascaded removable storage medium.

37. The method of claim 35, further comprising:

cascading said removable storage medium with another removable storage medium; and

distributing said legality expression between the cascaded removable storage medium.

38. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

validating said legality expression with a validator component.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein said validating step includes verifying the integrity of said legality expression.

40. The method of claim 38, wherein said verifying step includes determining whether or not said legality expression has been tampered with.

41. The method of claim 38, wherein said interpreting step includes extracting one or more conditions from said legality expression, and

said validating step includes determining whether or not one or more of said one or more conditions has been satisfied.

42. The method of claim 38, further comprising:

cascading said validator component with another validator component; and

distributing the validating of said legality expression between the cascaded validator components.

43. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

establishing a trust relationship between said first and second parties based on a list of trusted issuers accessible to said device, said list of trusted issuers including an issuer of said legality expression trusted by said device, whereby said first legality expression can be trusted.

44. The method of claim 19, wherein said legality expression comprises a first legality expression, and said method further comprise:

establishing a trust relationship between said first and second parties based on a list of trusted issuers accessible to said device, said list of trusted issuers including an issuer of a second legality expression; and

specifying with said second legality expression that an issuer of said first legality expression is authorized to issue said first legality expression,

wherein said issuer of said second legality expression is trusted by said device, whereby said first legality expression and said second legality expression can be trusted.

45. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

configuring said removable storage medium as a secure removable storage medium by specifying one of authentication and authorization information with said legality expression.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein said authentication information corresponds to an owner of said removable storage medium, and said method further comprises

authenticating said holder of said removable storage medium on said device based on said authentication information.

47. The method of claim 46, further comprising:

retrieving authentication information corresponding to said holder of said removable storage medium; and

comparing said authentication information of said holder with said authentication information of said owner.

48. The method of claim 45, wherein said authentication information includes biometric information.

49. The method of claim 48, wherein said biometric information includes at least one of fingerprint information, toe print information, palm print information, iris pattern information, facial geometry information, voice characteristics information, signature information, and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) information.

50. The method of claim 45, wherein said authentication information includes identification information.

51. The method of claim 50, wherein said identification information includes at least one of a username, a password, and a key.

52. The method of claim 45, wherein said authorization information includes rights information.

53. The method of claim 45, wherein said authorization information includes at least one of information regarding who can use said removable storage medium, information regarding how said removable storage medium can be used, and information regarding when said removable storage medium can be used.

54. The method of claim 52, wherein said rights information includes one of a will, a trust, and a power of attorney.

55. The method of claim 48, wherein said device comprises a digital signing device, and said method further comprises:

employing said removable storage medium in said digital signing device for performing secure digital signing based on said biometric information.

56. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

specifying a behavior of a first object with said legality expression; and

transferring said removable storage medium to a second object, whereby said behavior is transferred from said first object to said second object.

57. The method of claim 56, wherein said objects include one of robots, software components, devices, and computers.

58. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

downloading said legality expression to one of said removable storage medium and said device over a communications network.

59. The method of claim 58, further comprising:

buying said legality expression over said communications network.

60. The method of claim 59, wherein said device comprises a game console and said legality expression comprises a license for a game for said game console.

61. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

configuring said removable storage medium to be self-authenticating.

62. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

configuring said removable storage medium to be self-authorizing.

63. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

distorting a file;

specifying with said legality expression a license to play said file in an un-distorted manner and information for un-distorting said file; and

playing said file on said device in said un-distorted manner based on said license and said and information for un-distorting said file.

64. The method of claim 63, wherein said file include one of a music file, a movie file, a software file, and a game file.

65. The method of claim 1, wherein said removable storage medium includes one of memory hardware, a memory device, a memory card, a smart card, a dumb card, a credit card, a floppy disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a compact disk (CD), and a digital versatile disc (DVD).

66. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing said removable storage medium in one of a cellular phone, a pager, a handheld device, a palmtop device, an Internet appliance, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a game console, and a music player.

67. The method of claim 1, wherein said device includes one of a cellular phone, a pager, a handheld device, a palmtop device, an Internet appliance, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and a game console, and a music player.

68. The method of claim 1, wherein said legality expression language includes an element for specifying a permission.

69. The method of claim 1, wherein said legality expression language includes a grammar-based legality expression language.

70. A system for managing a legality expression, comprising:

means for storing a legality expression expressed with a legality expression language;

means for reading said legality expression; and

means for interpreting said legality expression,

wherein said legality expression language includes respective elements for specifying at least one of an obligation, a prohibition, an intention, and an assertion.

71. The system of claim 70, wherein said legality expression language includes an element for specifying a permission.

72. The system of claim 70, wherein said storing means, said reading means, and said interpreting means comprise devices of a computer system.

73. The system of claim 70, wherein said storing means, said reading means, and said interpreting means comprise computer readable instructions recorded on a medium.