METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR SELLING RIGHTS IN FILES ON A NETWORK

• US 20070208670A1
• Filed: 12/26/2006
• Published: 09/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Oath Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Quoc, Michael
• Application Number:
  US11/616,155
• Publication Number:
  US 20070208670A1
• 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]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

Systems and methods have been developed for selling rights in files on a network. The systems and methods may provide the ability for a user to purchase a right in a file about which the user may know little or nothing. The systems and methods may provide a publisher of a file to review the uses and users of the file on a network and the ability for a publisher to negotiate and sell rights in the file. The systems and methods may provide the ability to a user to research who owns a file and whether rights in the file are for sale.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving an unknown content file from a user;

matching the unknown content file to a known content file; and

selling a right in the known content file to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the unknown content file is performed over a publicly accessible network;

wherein the unknown content file is a digital file;

wherein the matching is performed by a computer, including a central processing unit and a memory;

wherein the computer is in communication with the publicly accessible network; and

wherein the known content file is a digital file accessible by the computer.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying an owner of the right in the known content file.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

interpreting the receipt of the unknown content file as a request from the user to identify the owner of the right in the known content file.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request from the user to purchase the right in the known content file.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the right in the known content file is a nonexclusive copyright license to use the known content file.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein matching the unknown content file to the known content file comprises:

creating a first bit print from the unknown content file; and

matching the first bit print to a known bit print, the known bit print representing the known content file.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving a term for sale of the right in the known content file.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving the term for sale of the right in the known content file from the owner of the right in the known content file.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein selling the right in the known content file to the user comprises:

collecting a fee according to the term.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein collecting the fee is performed from an advertiser.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein collecting the fee is performed from the user.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein selling the right in the known content file to the user comprises:

distributing a portion of the fee to the owner of the right in the known content file.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

updating a rights database to indicate that the user owns the right in the known content file.

15. A method comprising:

detecting a use of a first content file, the use requiring a right in the first content file;

matching the first content file with a known content file; and

determining a price of the right in the known content file.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein matching the first content file with the known content file comprises:

retrieving the first content file;

creating a first bit print from the first content file; and

matching the first bit print to a known bit print, the known bit print representing the known content file.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein detecting the use includes receiving an indication of the use from a third party.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the indication of the use is received over a publicly accessible network.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the use occurs on the publicly accessible network.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein determining the price comprises:

modifying a master price based on the first content file;

wherein the master price is for the right in the known content file.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

receiving the master price from an owner of the right in the known content file.

22. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining a user associated with the use.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the user is registered with a community server.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

deducting the price from an account associated with the user.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the account is managed by the community server.

26. A system comprising:

an identification engine which receives an unknown content file from a user and matches it to a known content file; and

a brokering engine which sells a right in the known content file to the user.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the identification engine is a part of a computer, including a central processing unit and a memory;

wherein the computer is in communication with a publicly accessible network;

wherein the identification engine receives the unknown content file from the publicly accessible network;

wherein the unknown content file is a digital file; and

wherein the known content file is a digital file accessible by the computer.

28. The system of claim 26, further comprising:

a file locating engine which locates the unknown content file on the publicly accessible network and retrieves information from the publicly accessible network about a use of the unknown content file;

wherein the brokering engine determines a price of the use based on the known content file.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the file locating engine passes the unknown content file to the identification engine.

30. The system of claim 26, further comprising:

an accounting engine which collects a fee from the user.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the accounting engine stores an indication that the user has purchased the right.