Digital application operating according to aggregation of plurality of licenses

• US 20070016532A1
• Filed: 10/26/2005
• Published: 01/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Zhang, Ning, Hsu, Wen-Pin, Eizenhoefer, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 7,747,533 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/59
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1083 Partial license transfers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2145 Inheriting rights or properties, e.g., propagation of permissions or restrictions within a hierarchy

Abstract

A plurality of digital licenses correspond to a piece of content, including a base license and at least one add-on license. Each add-on license includes a reference to the base license, and each of the base license and each add-on license sets forth rules specifying how the content may be employed. Each add-on license is identified by way of the reference therein to the base license, and the rules in the base license and in each identified add-on license are aggregated into an aggregated set of rules that is evaluated to determine if such aggregated set of rules allows employing the content in a particular manner.

Claims

1. A method of employing a piece of digital content on a computing device in a particular manner, the method comprising:

obtaining a plurality of digital licenses corresponding to the content, the plurality of licenses including a base license and at least one add-on license, each add-on license including therein a reference to the base license, each of the base license and each add-on license setting forth rules specifying how the content may be employed;

identifying the base license;

identifying each add-on license by way of the reference therein to the base license;

aggregating the rules in the base license and in each identified add-on license into an aggregated set of rules;

evaluating the aggregated set of rules to determine if such aggregated set of rules allows employing the content in the particular manner; and

employing the content if the aggregated set of rules so allows.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the base license includes therein a family id attribute and each add-on license includes therein a parent attribute, the family id attribute of the base license identifying the base license within a hierarchy of the licenses and the parent attribute of each add-on license identifying the base license as the hierarchical parent thereof, the method comprising identifying each add-on license by way of determining a particular value of the family id attribute of the base license and locating each add-on license having the parent attribute thereof set to the particular value of the family id attribute of the base license.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the base license and each add-on license includes therein a family id attribute and a parent attribute, the family id attribute identifying the license and the parent attribute identifying any hierarchical parent of the license to define the place of the license within a hierarchy of the licenses, the method comprising identifying the base license by way of such base license having the parent attribute thereof set to a null value and identifying each add-on license by way of determining a particular value of the family id attribute of the base license and locating each add-on license having the parent attribute set to the particular value of the family id attribute of the base license.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein evaluating the aggregated set of rules to determine if such aggregated set of rules allows employing the content in the particular manner includes employing pre-determined conflict rules to negotiate any conflicts between rules from conflicting licenses, the conflict rules resolving each conflict at least in part based on respective positions of the conflicting licenses within a hierarchy of the licenses.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the content is encrypted and decryptable according to a decryption key (KD) contained within at least one of the licenses, the method comprising employing the content by retrieving (KD) from the license containing same and decrypting the content with (KD).

6. The method of claim 1 wherein each license includes a digital signature produced according to a public key that leads back to a common root authority, the method further comprising verifying that the signature of each license validates based on a chain of certificates extending from such common root authority.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein each add-on license is a first-level add-on license, the method comprising:

obtaining a plurality of digital licenses corresponding to the content, the plurality of licenses including a base license, at least one first-level add-on license, and at least one second-level add-on license, each first-level add-on license including therein a reference to the base license, each second-level add-on license including therein a reference to one of the first-level add-on licenses, each of the base license and each add-on license setting forth rules specifying how the content may be employed;

identifying the base license;

identifying each first-level add-on license by way of the reference therein to the base license;

identifying each second-level add-on license by way of the reference therein to one of the first-level add-on licenses;

aggregating the rules in the base license and in each identified add-on license into an aggregated set of rules;

evaluating the aggregated set of rules to determine if such aggregated set of rules allows employing the content in the particular manner; and

employing the content if the aggregated set of rules so allows.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein each of the base license and each add-on license includes therein a family id attribute and a parent attribute, the family id attribute identifying the license and the parent attribute identifying any hierarchical parent of the license to define the place of the license within a hierarchy of the licenses, the method comprising identifying the base license by way of such base license having the parent attribute thereof set to a null value, identifying each first-level add-on license by way of determining a particular value of the family id attribute of the base license and locating each add-on license having the parent attribute set to the particular value of the family id attribute of the base license, and identifying each second-level add-on license by way of determining a particular value of the family id attribute of each first-level add-on license and locating each add-on license having the parent attribute set to the particular value of the family id attribute of any of the first-level add-on licenses.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein evaluating the aggregated set of rules to determine if such aggregated set of rules allows employing the content in the particular manner includes employing pre-determined conflict rules to negotiate any conflicts between rules from conflicting licenses, the conflict rules resolving each conflict at least in part based on respective positions of the conflicting licenses within a hierarchy of the licenses.

10. A computer-readable medium having stored therein computer-executable instructions implementing a method of employing a piece of digital content on a computing device in a particular manner, the method comprising:

obtaining a plurality of digital licenses corresponding to the content, the plurality of licenses including a base license and at least one add-on license, each add-on license including therein a reference to the base license, each of the base license and each add-on license setting forth rules specifying how the content may be employed;

identifying the base license;

identifying each add-on license by way of the reference therein to the base license;

aggregating the rules in the base license and in each identified add-on license into an aggregated set of rules;

evaluating the aggregated set of rules to determine if such aggregated set of rules allows employing the content in the particular manner; and

employing the content if the aggregated set of rules so allows.

11. The medium of claim 10 wherein the base license includes therein a family id attribute and each add-on license includes therein a parent attribute, the family id attribute of the base license identifying the base license within a hierarchy of the licenses and the parent attribute of each add-on license identifying the base license as the hierarchical parent thereof, the method comprising identifying each add-on license by way of determining a particular value of the family id attribute of the base license and locating each add-on license having the parent attribute thereof set to the particular value of the family id attribute of the base license.

12. The medium of claim 10 wherein each of the base license and each add-on license includes therein a family id attribute and a parent attribute, the family id attribute identifying the license and the parent attribute identifying any hierarchical parent of the license to define the place of the license within a hierarchy of the licenses, the method comprising identifying the base license by way of such base license having the parent attribute thereof set to a null value and identifying each add-on license by way of determining a particular value of the family id attribute of the base license and locating each add-on license having the parent attribute set to the particular value of the family id attribute of the base license.

13. The medium of claim 10 wherein evaluating the aggregated set of rules to determine if such aggregated set of rules allows employing the content in the particular manner includes employing pre-determined conflict rules to negotiate any conflicts between rules from conflicting licenses, the conflict rules resolving each conflict at least in part based on respective positions of the conflicting licenses within a hierarchy of the licenses.

14. The medium of claim 10 wherein the content is encrypted and decryptable according to a decryption key (KD) contained within at least one of the licenses, the method comprising employing the content by retrieving (KD) from the license containing same and decrypting the content with (KD).

15. The medium of claim 10 wherein each license includes a digital signature produced according to a public key that leads back to a common root authority, the method further comprising verifying that the signature of each license validates based on a chain of certificates extending from such common root authority.

16. The medium of claim 10 wherein each add-on license is a first-level add-on license, the method comprising:

obtaining a plurality of digital licenses corresponding to the content, the plurality of licenses including a base license, at least one first-level add-on license, and at least one second-level add-on license, each first-level add-on license including therein a reference to the base license, each second-level add-on license including therein a reference to one of the first-level add-on licenses, each of the base license and each add-on license setting forth rules specifying how the content may be employed;

identifying the base license;

identifying each first-level add-on license by way of the reference therein to the base license;

identifying each second-level add-on license by way of the reference therein to one of the first-level add-on licenses;

aggregating the rules in the base license and in each identified add-on license into an aggregated set of rules;

evaluating the aggregated set of rules to determine if such aggregated set of rules allows employing the content in the particular manner; and

employing the content if the aggregated set of rules so allows.

17. The medium of claim 16 wherein each of the base license and each add-on license includes therein a family id attribute and a parent attribute, the family id attribute identifying the license and the parent attribute identifying any hierarchical parent of the license to define the place of the license within a hierarchy of the licenses, the method comprising identifying the base license by way of such base license having the parent attribute thereof set to a null value, identifying each first-level add-on license by way of determining a particular value of the family id attribute of the base license and locating each add-on license having the parent attribute set to the particular value of the family id attribute of the base license, and identifying each second-level add-on license by way of determining a particular value of the family id attribute of each first-level add-on license and locating each add-on license having the parent attribute set to the particular value of the family id attribute of any of the first-level add-on licenses.

18. The medium of claim 16 wherein evaluating the aggregated set of rules to determine if such aggregated set of rules allows employing the content in the particular manner includes employing pre-determined conflict rules to negotiate any conflicts between rules from conflicting licenses, the conflict rules resolving each conflict at least in part based on respective positions of the conflicting licenses within a hierarchy of the licenses.