Track listening and playing service for digital media files

• US 20060167804A1
• Filed: 12/20/2005
• Published: 07/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: MySpace Music LLC (Capital V LLC)
• Original Assignee: MySpace Music LLC (Capital V LLC)
• Inventors: Fanning, Shawn, Mendelson, Jordan, Aydar, Ali
• Application Number:
  US11/314,749
• Publication Number:
  US 20060167804A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/51
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1085 Content sharing, e.g. peer-to-peer [P2P]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/123 Shopping for digital content
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass

Abstract

Methods, system and apparatus for identifying, tracking and monitoring digital media files through the use of a track listening service is provided. The service may also include a digital media playing service suitable for playing audio, video, audiovideo, and other media format files. The system provides numerous methods of interfacing with a content outlet and providing track listening services in conjunction therewith. The methods further include comparing attributes of content to be downloaded with attributes of content in a media database. The methods also includes providing restrictions based on a result of the comparing. The methods further include monetizing the methods between both retailers and rights-holders using the system. Additionally, the method may include providing retail analysis, resolving disputes, and distributing royalty payments to rights-holders of content.

Claims

1. A digital rights management system comprising:

an open copyright database storing track information for a plurality of media tracks, for each track said track information including a track title, hashing information identifying a source of said track, fingerprint information, and a track state;

a client access server coupled to the network, said client access server managing said open copyright database, wherein said client access server instantiates a self-registration process, a p2p client interface process, and a rightsholder track management process;

a web crawler operable to search a network and uncover media tracks; and

a track listening service operable to allow a rightsholder to listen to a selected media track.

2. The digital rights management system of claim 1 wherein the p2p client interface process uncovers media tracks.

3. The digital rights management system of claim 2 wherein the uncovered media tracks are likely owned by a rights-holder.

4. The digital rights management system of claim 3 further comprising comparing the uncovered track information to track information stored in the open copyright database.

5. The digital rights management system of claim 3 wherein after the rights-holder has listened to the track, rights are asserted to the track in the file management process.

6. The digital rights management system of claim 1 wherein the digital data of the track is obtained from the p2p networks.

7. The digital rights management system of claim 6 wherein the digital data of the track is cached locally.

8. The digital rights management system of claim 7 wherein the digital data of the track is music.

9. The digital rights management system of claim 7 wherein the most popular version of the track is cached locally.

10. The digital rights management system of claim 6 wherein the hashing information identifying a source of said track is used to locate and cache the track.

11. A method of managing media tracks within an online digital rights management system comprising:

maintaining a list of missing masters tracks including source identification;

receiving a request from a rightsholder to retrieve and play one or more missing master tracks;

requesting a missing master track from the source;

receiving and caching the requested missing masters;

displaying to the rights-holder a track listening service interface; and

playing the tracks to the rights-holder as requested.

12. The method of managing media tracks within an online digital rights management system of claim 11 further comprising;

receiving instructions from the rights-holder as to ownership assertion of the selected track.

13. The method of managing media tracks within an online digital rights management system of claim 12 further comprising;

updating the track with the ownership information.

14. The method of managing media tracks within an online digital rights management system of claim 11 wherein the cache is purged upon completion of the track listening.

15. The method of managing media tracks within an online digital rights management system of claim 11 wherein playing the track includes playing a most popular version of the track.

16. The method of managing media tracks within an online digital rights management system of claim 11 wherein playing the track includes playing a best available copy of a track.

17. The method of managing media tracks within an online digital rights management system of claim 11 further comprising displaying a list of available tracks and a list of unavailable tracks.

18. The method of managing media tracks within an online digital rights management system of claim 17 further comprising searching for and downloading unavailable tracks.

19. The method of managing media tracks within an online digital rights management system of claim 18 further comprising playing an alternate version of a track.

20. The method of managing media tracks within an online digital rights management system of claim 15 wherein a track is moved from the unavailable list to the available list when it is downloaded.

21. A method of managing media tracks within an online digital rights management system comprising:

displaying a first list of tracks immediately available and cached;

displaying a second list of tracks that are currently being downloaded;

receiving a request to play an available track; and

playing the requested track.

22. The method of managing media tracks within an online digital rights management system of claim 21 further comprising moving a track from the second list to the first list once a track is downloaded.

23. The method of managing media tracks within an online digital rights management system of claim 21 further comprising searching for the second list of tracks.

24. The method of managing media tracks within an online digital rights management system of claim 23 wherein the searching is performed on a peer to peer network.

25. The method of managing media tracks within an online digital rights management system of claim 23 wherein the searching is performed on a record label database.

26. An apparatus for playing digital media tracks within an online digital rights management system comprising:

an open copyright database storing track information for a plurality of audio, video, or other media tracks,

an interface that displays a list of track titles that are immediately available and a list of tracks titles currently being downloaded, wherein the interface receives a selection to play one of the displayed tracks; and

a track listening service operable to play the selected track.

27. The apparatus for playing digital media tracks of claim 26 further comprising a web crawler that searches for tracks to be downloaded.

28. The apparatus for playing audio tracks of claim 27 wherein the downloaded media tracks are likely owned by a rights-holder.

29. The apparatus for playing digital media tracks of claim 26 further comprising comparing the downloaded track information to track information stored in the open copyright database.

30. The apparatus for playing digital media tracks of claim 26 wherein after a rights-holder has listened to the track, rights are asserted to the track.