System using radio frequency identification (RFID) for copy management of digital media

• US 20050180566A1
• Filed: 02/17/2004
• Published: 08/18/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: SONY CORPORATION AND SONY ELECTRONICS, INC.
• Inventors: Ryal, Kim Annon
• Granted Patent: US 7,038,985 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/57
• 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 20/00275 the key being stored on a chip attached to the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00746 wherein the usage restriction can be expressed as a specific number
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00753 wherein the usage restriction limits the number of copies that can be made, e.g. CGMS, SCMS, or CCI flags
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00876 wherein physical copy protection means are attached to the medium, e.g. holograms, sensors, or additional semiconductor circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 23/0035 means incorporated in the disc, e.g. hub, to enable its guiding, loading or driving means for driving the head G11B21/06; guiding the disc for centering or locking G11B17/022; turntables or spindles for driving G11B19/2009
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 23/284 on the record carrier

Abstract

A readable and writable radio frequency identification (RFID) tag is attached to a physical medium such as a CDROM or DVD. Each time a copy of the medium is created, a variable or count stored in the writable RFID is updated. In cases where the mechanism for reading and writing the RFID is in communication with the device making a copy of the medium, the created copy can have its permitted number of copies set to zero, or other restrictions put in place. Or the device can be prevented from making any copies. In this manner the total number of copies of an original product can be regulated. The RFID can be read or written from a mechanism in a CDROM or DVD player or the read/write mechanism can be in a different device such as in a computer, or in another device.

Claims

1. An apparatus for enforcing copy protection in a medium, the apparatus comprising

a read/write RFID tag permanently secured to the medium;

and

a machine readable value stored in the RFID tag, wherein the value indicates a limit on the number of copies that can be made from the medium.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the medium includes a CDROM disc.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the medium includes a DVD disc.

4. A method for enforcing copy protection in a medium, the method comprising

permanently securing a read/write RFID to the medium;

storing in the RFID an indication of the number of copies that can be made of the medium;

detecting when a copy of the medium is selected to be made;

reading the indication of the number of copies that can be made of the medium;

if the indication meets a predetermined condition then preventing creation of a copy of the medium.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising

creating a copy of the medium;

and

updating the indication in the RFID.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising

setting a copy restriction in the copy of the medium.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the copy restriction includes preventing copies of the copy of the medium from being created.

8. A method for enforcing access rights to a medium, the method comprising

permanently securing a read/write RFID to the medium;

storing in the RFID an indication relating to access rights;

detecting when a copy of the medium is selected to be made;

reading the access rights indication; and

if the indication meets a predetermined condition then enforcing access rights to the medium.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein access rights are in accordance with a Copy Control Information (CCI) standard.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein access rights are in accordance with an Extended Copy Control Information (ExCCI) standard.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the access rights are in accordance with Copy Generation Management System (CGMS).

12. The method of claim 8, wherein access rights include a restriction on the number of copies that can be made of content on the medium.

13. A method for authorizing a copy of a medium, the method comprising

detecting a first RFID tag value;

detecting correlating information on the medium;

comparing the first RFID tag value to the detected correlating information to determine if there is a correlation;

if a correlation is determined then detecting a second RFID tag value; and

if the detected second RFID tag value meets a predetermined condition, then

authorizing a copy of the medium if a correlation is determined.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the correlating information includes an indentification code.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the correlating information includes a digital watermark.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the detected second RFID tag value is encrypted.

17. An apparatus for authorizing a copy of a medium, wherein the medium includes an RFID tag, the apparatus comprising

an RFID read/write unit for reading the RFID tag and for updating a value stored in the RFID tag;

a media read/write unit; and

a control system for accepting a signal from the RFID read/write unit to indicate that a copy can be made.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising

a housing including the media read/write unit, wherein the RFID read/write unit is external to the housing.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the RFID read/write unit is in communication with an authorization process.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the authorization process is remotely located from the RFID read/write unit.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the RFID read/write unit is in communication with the authorization process via digital network.