Flexible licensing architecture for licensing digital application

• US 20060179002A1
• Filed: 02/04/2005
• Published: 08/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Gunyakti, Caglar, Haugen, Todd, Girotto, Jay Robert, Brooks, Cecil Ray
• Granted Patent: US 7,890,428 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/59
• 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

An application includes a plurality of features. A transaction is engaged with a retailer to obtain a product license corresponding to the application. The product license defines at least one feature of the application that may be employed. A base copy of the application is obtained from a distributor and is actuated. A use license corresponding to the product license is acquired from a licensor by way of the actuated application sending the product license to the licensor along with an identification of at least one of a user, the computing device, and a trusted component operating on the computing device, where the use license includes feature policy granting rights to employ each feature defined in the product license.

Claims

1. A method of obtaining a use license for using an application on a computing device, the application including a plurality of features, the method comprising:

engaging in a transaction with a retailer to obtain a product license corresponding to the application from such retailer, the product license defining at least one feature of the application that may be employed based on such product license;

obtaining a base copy of the application from a distributor and actuating such application; and

acquiring a use license corresponding to the product license from a licensor by way of the actuated application sending the product license to the licensor along with an identification of at least one of a user, the computing device, and a trusted component operating on the computing device, the use license including feature policy granting rights to employ each feature defined in the product license.

2. The method of claim 1 comprising engaging in a transaction with a retailer to obtain a product license defining at least one feature of the application as offered by the retailer and representing an available edition of the application.

3. The method of claim 1 comprising engaging in a transaction with a retailer to obtain a product license defining at least one feature of the application as selected by an obtainer of such product license.

4. The method of claim 1 comprising engaging in a transaction with a retailer to obtain a product license packaged with referral information including a particular distributor from which the base copy of the application is obtained.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the application is encrypted and decryptable according to a key (KD), the method comprising acquiring a use license including a cryptographic key from the identification encrypting the key (KD), whereby the trusted component may retrieve such key (KD) and employ same to decrypt the at least a portion of the application.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the computing device includes a hardware ID (HWID) corresponding to the computing device 34, the method comprising acquiring a use license including the HWID, whereby the trusted component may retrieve such HWID and employ same to determine that the license is intended to be employed on the computing device having such HWID.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of each feature of the application is encrypted and decryptable according to a key (KD), the method comprising acquiring a use license including a cryptographic key from the identification encrypting the key (KD), the method further comprising:

receiving a request to use a particular feature of the application;

locating the acquired use license;

determining that the feature policy in the located use license permits the requested use of the particular feature;

retrieving the encrypted key (KD) from the located use license;

decrypting the encrypted key (KD) and employing same to decrypt the at least a portion of the particular feature of the application; and

using the particular feature of the application.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising validating the located use license.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising after having acquired the use license returning same to reverse the transaction by which the product license was obtained, returning such use license including:

sending a return request to the retailer including the corresponding product license as provided thereby;

receiving from the retailer one of an executable and a command which deletes the use license from the computing device in a trusted manner;

executing the executable/command to delete the use license and send a message to the retailer that the deletion of the use license was successful;

whereby the retailer informs the licensor that the product license is invalid and the licensor notes same in a database thereof such that any future request for a use license based on the product license is not honored.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the acquired use license is tied to the computing device, the method further comprising after having acquired the use license returning same to acquire another use license tied to another computing device, returning such use license including:

sending a transfer request to the licensor including the corresponding product license as provided by the retailer;

receiving from the licensor one of an executable and a command which deletes the use license from the computing device in a trusted manner;

executing the executable/command to delete the use license and send a message to the licensor that the deletion of the use license was successful;

whereby the product license remains valid and the licensor notes that the product license can again be employed to obtain the another use license tied to the another computing device.

11. An application for being used on a computing device and a use license for using the application, the application having a plurality of features and comprising:

an instantiation portion for instantiating such application on the comporting device, the instantiation portion being encrypted and decryptable according to a key (KD); and

a plurality of feature portions, each feature portion corresponding to a feature,

the use license comprising;

instantiation policy for determining whether the instantiation portion may be employed to instantiate the application;

feature policy for determining whether each feature of the application may be employed; and

the key (KD) encrypted and decryptable according to a key available to a trusted component of the computing device,

whereby the trusted component retrieves such key (KD) from the use license if the instantiation policy of the use license determines that the instantiation portion may in fact be employed to instantiate the application and employs the retrieved (KD) to decrypt the instantiation portion, the decrypted instantiation portion being employed to instantiate the application, and

whereby each feature portion requires as a condition precedent to the use thereof that the trusted component determine that the feature policy of the use license allows such use of such feature portion.

12. The application and use license of claim 11 wherein the computing device includes a hardware ID (HWID) corresponding to the computing device 34 and the use license includes the HWID, whereby the trusted component may retrieve such HWID and employ same to determine that the license is intended to be employed on the computing device having such HWID.