Digital literary work protection system and digital literary work protection method

• US 20070008568A1
• Filed: 09/02/2004
• Published: 01/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Senoh, Takanori
• Granted Patent: US 7,865,960 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.140
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/603 Digital right managament [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/321 involving a third party or a trusted authority
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3273 for mutual authentication network architectures or network communication protocols for achieving mutual authentication in a packet data network H04L63/0869
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00127 Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32101 Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25816 involving client authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8352 involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3276 of a customised additional information profile, e.g. a profile specific to a user ID

Abstract

In a digital content protection system for legally transmitting encrypted digital content from a transmitting device (20) to a receiving device (30), unique device identifiers for devices are registered to a specific server (40) in advance. The server (40) also stores in advance information relating to an authentication method usable by each device, associating the information relating to an authentication method with the unique device identifiers. The transmitting device (20) determines whether an identifier unique to the second device is stored on the server (40). If stored, the transmitting device (20) determines that the receiving device (30) is legal and determines from the server (40) the appropriate authentication procedure. If the transmitting device (20) has the determined procedure, the transmitting device (20) uses this procedure to verify the authenticity of the receiving device (30). If the transmitting device (20) does not have the determined procedure, the transmitting device acquires the authentication procedure from an external and then uses the acquired procedure to validate the receiving device (30).

Claims

1. A digital content protection system for legally transmitting and receiving encrypted digital content, comprising:

a first device operable to transmit encrypted digital content;

a second device operable to receive digital content from the first device; and

a specific server which stores device identifiers for several devices, each device identifier being unique to each device, and further storing information relating to an authentication procedure usable by each device, with the information relating to an authentication procedure being linked to the unique device identifier,

wherein the first device determines whether an identifier unique to the second device is stored on the specific server,

if the unique identifier is stored on the server, the first device determines that the second device is a legal device, and also determines, from the server, the appropriate authentication procedure for the second device based on the identifier,

if the first device has the determined authentication procedure, the first device uses the determined procedure to verify the authenticity of the second device, or if the first device does not have the determined authentication procedure, the first device acquires the authentication procedure from an external and then uses the acquired procedure to validate the second device.

2. The digital content protection system according to claim 1, wherein the first device acquires the key unique to the second device through the verification process, uses the unique key to encrypt a key for decryption of the digital content and use conditions of the digital content, and then transmits the encrypted decryption key and use conditions to the second device.

3. A receiving device which legally receives encrypted digital content transmitted from a transmitting device, comprising:

a private key that cannot be externally read;

a unique identifier that is paired with the private key; and

an encryption/decryption unit for downloading an algorithm from an external,

wherein the receiving device transmits information about the unique identifier to the transmitting device to prove the authenticity of the receiving device,

when the receiving device is authenticated, the receiving device receives encrypted digital content from the transmitting device, and decrypts the received content using the private key and the encryption/decryption unit according to the algorithm specified by the transmitting device.

4. A transmitting device which legally transmits encrypted digital content to a receiving device, wherein

the transmitting device is connected over a network to a specific server, the specific server storing identifiers unique to several devices to prove the authenticity of the devices, and also storing information about authentication procedures that can be used by the individual devices with each authentication procedure linked to each unique identifier,

the transmitting device determines whether the identifier unique to the receiving device is stored in the specific server,

if the unique identifier is stored, the transmitting device determines that the receiving device is legal, and determines the authentication procedure to be used from the specific server based on the unique identifier, and

if the transmitting device has the determined authentication procedure, the transmitting device verifies the authenticity of the receiving device using the determined authentication procedure, or

if the transmitting device does not have the determined authentication procedure, the transmitting device acquires the authentication procedure from an external and then verifies the receiving device using the acquired authentication procedure.

5. The transmitting device according to claim 4, wherein the transmitting device acquires the key unique to the receiving device through the verification process, uses the unique key to encrypt a key for decryption of the digital content and use conditions of the digital content, and then transmits the encrypted decryption key and use conditions to the receiving device.

6. The transmitting device according to claim 5, wherein the transmitting device transmits information indicating the decryption method for the encrypted digital content to the receiving device.

7. A method for legally transmitting encrypted digital content from a first device to a second device, comprising:

storing in advance, to a specific server, device identifiers for several devices, each device identifier unique to each device, and further storing in advance, to the specific server, information relating to an authentication procedure usable by each device with the information relating to the authentication procedure being linked to the unique device identifier;

determining whether an identifier unique to the second device is stored on the specific server;

if the unique identifier is stored on the server, determining that the second device is a legal device, and also determining, from the server, the authentication procedure for the second device based on the identifier; and

if the first device has the determined authentication procedure, using the determined procedure to verify the authenticity of the second device;

or if the first device does not have the determined authentication procedure, acquiring the authentication procedure from an external and then using the acquired procedure to validate the second device.

8. The digital content protection method according to claim 7, further comprising acquiring the key unique to the second device through the verification process, using the acquired unique key to encrypt a key for decryption of the digital content and use conditions, and then transmitting the encrypted decryption key and use conditions to the second device.

9. A method for legally receiving at a receiving device encrypted digital content transmitted from a transmitting device, wherein

the receiving device including a private key that cannot be externally read, a unique identifier that is paired with the private key, and an encryption/decryption unit operable to download an algorithm from an external, and

the method comprises:

transmitting information about the unique identifier to the transmitting device to prove the authenticity of the receiving device,

when the receiving device is authenticated, receiving encrypted digital content from the transmitting device, and decrypting the received content using the private key and the encryption/decryption unit according to the algorithm specified by the transmitting device.

10. A method for legally transmitting encrypted digital content to a receiving device, comprising:

connecting over a network to a specific server, the specific server storing identifiers unique to each of several devices to prove the authenticity of the devices and storing information about the authentication procedures that can be used by the individual receiving devices, with the authentication procedures being linked to the unique identifiers,

determining whether the identifier unique to a receiving device is stored in the specific server,

if the unique identifier is stored, verifying that the receiving device is legal, and determining the authentication procedure to be used, from the specific server, based on the unique identifier, and

if having the determined authentication procedure, verifying the authenticity of the receiving device using the determined authentication procedure, or

if does not having the determined authentication procedure, acquiring the authentication procedure from an external and then verifying the receiving device using the acquired authentication procedure.

11. The transmitting method according to claim 10, further comprising acquiring the key unique to the receiving device through the verification process, using the unique key to encrypt a key for decryption of the digital content and use conditions of the digital content, and then transmitting the encrypted decryption key and use conditions to the receiving device.

12. The transmitting method according to claim 11, further comprising transmitting information indicating the decryption method for the encrypted digital content to the receiving device.