Systems and methods for secure transaction management and electronic rights protection

• US 20080034231A1
• Filed: 08/20/2007
• Published: 02/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/1995
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intertrust Technologies Corporation (Fidelio Acquisition Co LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intertrust Technologies Corporation (Fidelio Acquisition Co LLC)
• Inventors: Van Wie, David, Ginter, Karl, Spahn, Francis, Sibert, W., Shear, Victor
• Granted Patent: US 8,055,913 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/194
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1078 Logging; Metering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1082 Backup or restore
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/109 by using specially-adapted hardware at the client
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/16 Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/42 using separate channels for security data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/51 at application loading time, e.g. accepting, rejecting, starting or inhibiting executable software based on integrity or source reliability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/57 Certifying or maintaining trusted computer platforms, e.g. secure boots or power-downs, version controls, system software checks, secure updates or assessing vulnerabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/572 Secure firmware programming, e.g. of basic input output system [BIOS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/608 Secure printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/71 to assure secure computing or processing of information
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/725 operating on a secure reference time value
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/73 by creating or determining hardware identification, e.g. serial numbers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/74 operating in dual or compartmented mode, i.e. at least one secure mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/78 to assure secure storage of data address-based protection against unauthorised use of memory G06F12/14; record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings G06K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/86 Secure or tamper-resistant housings
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/87 by means of encapsulation, e.g. for integrated circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/034 Test or assess a computer or a system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2105 Dual mode as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2135 Metering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2137 : Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 : Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2143 : Clearing memory, e.g. to prevent the data from being stolen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2147 : Locking files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 : Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2151 : Time stamp
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 : Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 : involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/06 : Private payment circuits, e.g. involving electronic currency used among participants of a common payment scheme
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 : specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1235 : with control of digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/24 : Credit schemes, i.e. "pay after"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 : insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 : Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 : for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 : applying security measures for digital rights management data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for commerce, e.g. marketing, shopping, billing, auctions or e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/102 : applying security measure for e-commerce data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/00 : Network architectures or network communication protocols for network security cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00; network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00; security arrangements for protecting computers or computer systems against unauthorised activity G06F21/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 : for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• 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: H04N 21/2347 : involving video stream encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 : Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26613 : for generating or managing keys in general key distribution for secret or secure communication involving central third party, e.g. key distribution center [KDC] or trusted third party [TTP] H04L9/083; network support of key management H04L63/06; key management for network security in communication control or processing H04W12/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4405 : involving video stream decryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4623 : Processing of entitlement messages, e.g. ECM [Entitlement Control Message] or EMM [Entitlement Management Message] arrangements for conditional access to broadcast information or to broadcast-related services H04H60/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 : Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8355 : involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed

Abstract

The present invention provides systems and methods for electronic commerce including secure transaction management and electronic rights protection. Electronic appliances such as computers employed in accordance with the present invention help to ensure that information is accessed and used only in authorized ways, and maintain the integrity, availability, and/or confidentiality of the information. Secure subsystems used with such electronic appliances provide a distributed virtual distribution environment (VDE) that may enforce a secure chain of handling and control, for example, to control and/or meter or otherwise monitor use of electronically stored or disseminated information. Such a virtual distribution environment may be used to protect rights of various participants in electronic commerce and other electronic or electronic-facilitated transactions. Secure distributed and other operating system environments and architectures, employing, for example, secure semiconductor processing arrangements that may establish secure, protected environments at each node. These techniques may be used to support an end-to-end electronic information distribution capability that may be used, for example, utilizing the “electronic highway.”

Claims

1. A method performed by an electronic appliance, the method comprising:

performing an online registration process with a remote registry to obtain a shared secret for use in customizing content for use on the electronic appliance;

receiving a piece of electronic content;

receiving one or more electronic rules specifying one or more permitted uses of the piece of electronic content;

customizing the piece of electronic content using the shared secret; and

executing tamper-resistant software to control use, by one or more users of the electronic appliance, of the piece of electronic content in accordance with the one or more rules;

wherein the tamper-resistant software is resistant to tampering, by users of the electronic appliance, with at least the step of executing the tamper-resistant software to control use of the piece of electronic content.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

interacting with a remote server to perform integrity checks to detect compromise to the tamper-resistant software.

3. The method of claim 1, in which the tamper-resistant software is customized at installation such that it is unique to the electronic appliance.

4. The method of claim 3, in which the tamper-resistant software includes an embedded machine signature that establishes a correspondence between the tamper-resistant software and the electronic appliance.

5. The method of claim 4, in which the machine signature comprises a unique value based, at least in part, on a combination of one or more of the following:

a hash of ROM BIOS, a hash of a disk defect map, a network adapter address, information written to an unused disk sector, and/or hardware configuration data.

6. The method of claim 4, in which the machine signature comprises a unique value based, at least in part, on a combination of one or more of the following:

information stored in a nonvolatile CMOS RAM, information stored in non-volatile memory, and/or hidden unique information placed into a root directory of a disk drive.

7. The method of claim 1, in which at least a first part of the tamper-resistant software is stored on a computer-readable medium of the electronic appliance in encrypted form.

8. The method of claim 7, in which at least a second part of the tamper-resistant software is stored on the computer-readable medium in unencrypted form, and in which the second part of the tamper-resistant software is configured to decrypt the first part of the tamper-resistant software.

9. The method of claim 1, in which the tamper-resistant software includes embedded data for differentiating the tamper-resistant software from other instances of tamper-resistant software installed on other electronic appliances.

10. The method of claim 1, in which the tamper-resistant software includes one or more embedded cryptographic keys.

11. The method of claim 10, in which the one or more embedded cryptographic keys are embedded at a location that is different from a location at which one or more cryptographic keys are embedded in another piece of tamper-resistant software installed on another electronic appliance.

12. An electronic appliance comprising:

a computer-readable medium storing tamper-resistant software for controlling use, by one or more users of the electronic appliance, of one or more electronic content items in accordance with one or more electronic permissions, the tamper-resistant software being operable to perform an online registration process with a remote registry to obtain a shared secret for use in customizing content for use on the electronic appliance;

wherein the tamper-resistant software is resistant to tampering by the one or more users.

13. The electronic appliance of claim 12, in which the tamper-resistant software is further operable to interact with a remote server to perform integrity checks to detect compromise to the tamper-resistant software.

14. The electronic appliance of claim 12, in which the tamper-resistant software is customized at installation such that it is unique to the electronic appliance.

15. The electronic appliance of claim 14, in which the tamper-resistant software includes an embedded machine signature that establishes a correspondence between the tamper-resistant software and the electronic appliance.

16. The electronic appliance of claim 15, in which the machine signature comprises a unique value based, at least in part, on a combination of one or more of the following:

a hash of ROM BIOS, a hash of a disk defect map, a network adapter address, information written to an unused disk sector, and/or hardware configuration data.

17. The electronic appliance of claim 15, in which the machine signature comprises a unique value based, at least in part, on a combination of one or more of the following:

information stored in a nonvolatile CMOS RAM, information stored in non-volatile memory, and/or hidden unique information placed into a root directory of a disk drive.

18. The electronic appliance of claim 12, in which at least a first part of the tamper-resistant software is stored on the computer-readable medium in encrypted form.

19. The electronic appliance of claim 18, in which at least a second part of the tamper-resistant software is stored on the computer-readable medium in unencrypted form, and in which the second part of the tamper-resistant software is configured to decrypt the first part of the tamper-resistant software.

20. The electronic appliance of claim 12, in which the tamper-resistant software includes embedded data for differentiating the tamper-resistant software from other instances of tamper-resistant software installed on other electronic appliances.

21. The electronic appliance of claim 12, in which the tamper-resistant software includes one or more embedded cryptographic keys.

22. The electronic appliance of claim 21, in which the one or more embedded cryptographic keys are embedded at a location that is different from a location at which one or more cryptographic keys are embedded in another piece of tamper-resistant software installed on another electronic appliance.