System and Method for Digital Rights Management of Digital Media

• US 20070250911A1
• Filed: 01/23/2007
• Published: 10/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Upload Technologies S.A.
• Original Assignee: VueLive Incorporated
• Inventors: Nimon, Kimmy, Espenlaub, David, Nimon, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 8,429,752 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/4
• 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: G06F 2221/2135 Metering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/16 Obfuscation or hiding, e.g. involving white box
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/30 Compression, e.g. Merkle-Damgard construction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• 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 9/32 including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system or for message authentication, e.g. authorization, entity authentication, data integrity or data verification, non-repudiation, key authentication or verification of credentials
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8193 dedicated tools, e.g. video decoder software or IPMP tool
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/835 Generation of protective data, e.g. certificates protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

A system and accompanying method for Digital Rights Management (DRM) are disclosed that permit arbitrary forms of digital media to be vended in a networked environment. Special purpose renderers are distributed with each particular instance of digital media. Each renderer may include a tailored set of controls allowing the owner of the digital media to restrict the use thereof.

Claims

1. A system for digital rights management operating in a networked environment, the system comprising:

a first instance of encumbered digital media;

a first renderer for unencumbering and rendering the first instance of encumbered digital media;

a second instance of encumbered digital media; and

a second renderer for unencumbering and rendering the second instance of encumbered digital media;

wherein the second instance of encumbered digital media is a product of the first renderer operating on the first instance of encumbered digital media in order to create a copy of the first instance of encumbered digital media, which is the second instance of encumbered digital media.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the first renderer comprises a special purpose application specific to the first instance of encumbered digital media and the second renderer comprises a special purpose application specific to the second instance of encumbered digital media.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the second renderer is a product of the first renderer operating on the first instance of encumbered digital media.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the first instance of encumbered digital media is encumbered by at least one technique selected from the group consisting of obfuscation and compression.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the first renderer is inoperable to render the second instance of encumbered digital media.

6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the second renderer is inoperable to render the first instance of encumbered digital media.

7. A method for vending digital media via a computer network to a consumer, the method comprising:

selecting a title at a server for consumption via the computer network;

dynamically generating an instance of encumbered digital media at the server, the encumbered digital media corresponding to the selected title;

dynamically generating at the server a renderer for the instance of encumbered digital media, the renderer being specific to the instance of encumbered digital media; and

vending the instance of encumbered digital media and the renderer from the server to a consumer via the computer network.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein dynamically generating the instance of encumbered digital media and dynamically generating the renderer occur substantially simultaneously.

9. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein dynamically generating the instance of encumbered digital media and dynamically generating the renderer occur as part of the same operation.

10. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein dynamically generating an instance of encumbered digital media further comprises utilizing a technique selected from the group consisting of obfuscation and compression.

11. At least one computer-readable medium comprising instructions and data written thereon, the instructions and data containing information for the practice of the method as recited in claim 7.

12. Electromagnetic signals traveling over the computer network, the electromagnetic signals comprising information for the practice of the method as recited in claim 7.

13. A system for vending digital media via a computer network to a consumer, the method comprising:

means for selecting a title at a server for consumption via the computer network;

means for dynamically generating an instance of encumbered digital media at the server, the encumbered digital media corresponding to the selected title;

means for dynamically generating at the server a renderer for the instance of encumbered digital media, the renderer being specific to the instance of encumbered digital media; and

means for vending the instance of encumbered digital media and the renderer from the server to a consumer via the computer network.

14. The system as recited in claim 13, wherein the means for dynamically generating the instance of encumbered digital media and the means for dynamically generating the renderer operate substantially simultaneously.

15. The system as recited in claim 13, wherein the means for dynamically generating the instance of encumbered digital media and the means for dynamically generating the renderer are at least partially integrated.

16. The system as recited in claim 13, wherein the means for dynamically generating an instance of encumbered digital media further comprises means for utilizing a technique selected from the group consisting of obfuscation and compression.

17. A system for controlling digital media, the system comprising:

an instance of encumbered digital media;

a special purpose renderer that is specific to the encumbered digital media, the special purpose renderer for unencumbering and rendering the instance of encumbered digital media; and

a set of digital rights management controls integrated into the special purpose renderer, the set of digital rights management controls enforcing pre-designed policies controlling access to the encumbered digital media.

18. The system as recited in claim 17, wherein the encumbered digital media is encumbered by at least one technique selected from the group consisting of obfuscation and compression.

19. The system as recited in claim 17, wherein the set of digital rights management controls enforce policies relating to an action selected from the group consisting of recording, playing, copying, and transmitting.

20. The system as recited in claim 17, further comprising a copy of the instance of encumbered digital media, the copy being a product of the special purpose renderer operating on the instance of encumbered digital media consistent with the set of digital rights management controls.

21. A method for copying digital media, the method comprising:

selecting a title associated with a computer for consumption;

dynamically generating an instance of encumbered digital media at the computer, the encumbered digital media corresponding to the selected title;

dynamically generating at the computer a special purpose renderer that is specific to the encumbered digital media, the special purpose renderer for unencumbering and rendering the instance of encumbered digital media;

integrating a set of digital rights management controls into the special purpose renderer, the set of digital rights management controls enforcing pre-designed policies controlling access to the encumbered digital media; and

transferring the instance of encumbered digital media and the special purpose renderer from the computer to a computer-readable medium.

22. The method as recited in claim 21, wherein dynamically generating the instance of encumbered digital media, dynamically generating the renderer, and integrating the set of digital rights management controls occur substantially simultaneously.

23. The method as recited in claim 21, wherein dynamically generating the instance of encumbered digital media, dynamically generating the renderer, and integrating the set of digital rights management controls occur as part of the same operation.

24. The method as recited in claim 21, wherein dynamically generating an instance of encumbered digital media further comprises utilizing a technique selected from the group consisting of obfuscation and compression.

25. The method as recited in claim 21, wherein transferring the instance of encumbered digital media further comprises transferring the instance of encumbered digital media and the special purpose renderer from the computer to a computer-readable medium via a computer network.

26. A system for copying digital media, the method comprising:

means for selecting a title at a computer for consumption;

means for dynamically generating an instance of encumbered digital media at the computer, the encumbered digital media corresponding to the selected title;

means for dynamically generating at the computer a special purpose renderer that is specific to the encumbered digital media, the special purpose renderer for unencumbering and rendering the instance of encumbered digital media;

means for integrating a set of digital rights management controls into the special purpose renderer, the set of digital rights management controls enforcing pre-designed policies controlling access to the encumbered digital media; and

means for transferring the instance of encumbered digital media and the special purpose renderer from the computer to a computer-readable medium.

27. The system as recited in claim 26, wherein the means for dynamically generating the instance of encumbered digital media, the means for dynamically generating the renderer, and the means for integrating the set of digital rights management controls operate substantially simultaneously.

28. The system as recited in claim 26, wherein the means for dynamically generating the instance of encumbered digital media, the means for dynamically generating the renderer, and the means for integrating the set of digital rights management controls are at least partially integrated.

29. The system as recited in claim 26, wherein the means for dynamically generating an instance of encumbered digital media utilizes a technique selected from the group consisting of obfuscation and compression.

30. The system as recited in claim 26, wherein the means for transferring the instance of encumbered digital media further utilizes a computer network to complete the transfer.