SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR HOME NETWORK CONTENT PROTECTION AND COPY MANAGEMENT

• US 20070143782A1
• Filed: 03/01/2007
• Published: 06/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Pictures Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Pictures Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Singer, Mitch, Lakamp, Brian
• Granted Patent: US 7,784,100 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/25
• 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]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32

Abstract

A private home entertainment system including plural playback devices can receive discrete content that can be played by any appropriate publicly available devices. The home system can convert the discrete content to content that is bound to the private network using, e.g., cryptographic keys. The bound content can be freely copied and played among the devices in the private network but cannot be played outside the private network. Should the user elect to convert bound content back to discrete content to permit playing the content outside the network, all bound copies in the network are destroyed or otherwise rendered unusable.

Claims

1. A method for content protection in a private home entertainment network having plural playback devices, comprising:

receiving discrete content from a content source, the discrete content being characterized by being playable by any compliant playback devices including devices outside the private home entertainment network; and

binding the discrete content to the home entertainment network to render bound content characterized by being playable only by playback devices in the private home entertainment network.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

permitting a user of the private home entertainment network to convert the bound content back to discrete content, and

if the user so converts the bound content, rendering unusable all copies of the bound content.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the bound content is rendered unusable by deleting the content or a key or license associated therewith from the network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the content source is at least one of:

a broadcast content source, a broadband source, or a physical media source.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the discrete content is rendered into bound content by encrypting the discrete content using a least one key associated with the private home entertainment network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the content source is at least one removable memory device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the content source is a disk, and the disk is visually marked to indicate whether it holds discrete or bound content.

8-21. -21. (canceled)

22. A method for content protection in a network having at least one playback device, comprising:

receiving discrete content from a content source, the discrete content being characterized by being playable by any compliant playback devices including devices outside the private home entertainment network; and

binding the discrete content to the home entertainment network to render bound content characterized by being playable only by playback devices in the private home entertainment network.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

permitting a user of the private home entertainment network to convert the bound content back to discrete content, and if the user so converts the bound content, rendering unusable all copies of the bound content.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the bound content is rendered unusable by deleting the content or a key or license associated therewith from the network.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the content source is at least one of:

a broadcast content source, a broadband source, or a physical media source.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein the discrete content is rendered into bound content by encrypting the discrete content using at least one key associated with the private home entertainment network.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein the content source is at least one removable memory device.

28. The method of claim 22, wherein the content source is a disk, and the disk is visually marked to indicate whether it holds discrete or bound content.