DYNAMIC MEDIA ZONES SYSTEMS AND METHODS

• US 20090031431A1
• Filed: 07/23/2008
• Published: 01/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intertrust Technologies Corporation (Fidelio Acquisition Co LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intertrust Technologies Corporation (Fidelio Acquisition Co LLC)
• Inventors: Boccon-Gibod, Gilles
• Granted Patent: US 8,793,808 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/30
• 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 21/105 Arrangements for software license management or administration, e.g. for managing licenses at corporate level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/121 Restricting unauthorised execution of programs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00739 wherein the usage restriction is associated with a specific geographical region
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/72 Signcrypting, i.e. digital signing and encrypting simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures

Abstract

Systems and methods are described for applying digital rights management techniques to manage zones in electronic content. In one embodiment, zones are defined in a piece of electronic content, and a license is associated with the electronic content that indicates how the zones are to be accessed or otherwise used. A digital rights management engine governs access to or other use of the zoned content in accordance with the license.

Claims

1. A method of packaging a first piece of electronic content, the method comprising:

creating a first zone map defining a plurality of zones in the first piece of electronic content; and

associating an electronic license with the first piece of electronic content, the license comprising at least one control program, the license defining one or more conditions associated with access to or other use of at least part of the first piece of electronic content, the control program being operable, when executed, to determine whether a first predefined condition associated with a first zone defined in the first zone map is met, and, if the first predefined condition is met, to impose a first obligation on access to or other use of the first zone.

2. The method of claim 1, in which the license includes code for removing the first obligation if a second predefined condition is met.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising digitally signing the zone map using a first key operable to decrypt at least part of the first piece of electronic content.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising digitally signing the zone map using a first key derived from a second key operable to decrypt at least part of the first piece of electronic content.

5. The method of claim 1, in which the zone map further comprises a reference to at least one external zone, the external zone comprising a second piece of electronic content, the second piece of electronic content being separate from the first piece of electronic content, the second piece of electronic content having a second zone map associated therewith, the second zone map defining at least one zone in the second piece of electronic content.

6. The method of claim 5, in which the second zone map is signed with a first key derived, using a one-way function, from a second key for decrypting at least part of the first piece of electronic content.

7. The method of claim 1, in which the first obligation includes a requirement that the first zone be played prior to playing at least a first part of the first piece of electronic content.

8. The method of claim 1, in which the first obligation includes a requirement that at least a first part of the first piece of electronic content cannot be skipped.

9. The method of claim 1, in which the first obligation includes a requirement that a user cannot fast-forward through at least a first part of the first piece of electronic content.

10. A method comprising:

receiving a first piece of electronic content;

receiving a first zone map, the first zone map defining at least a first zone in the first piece of electronic content;

receiving a license, the license specifying one or more constraints on access to or other use of at least part of the first piece of electronic content;

receiving a request to play the first piece of electronic content;

evaluating the license to determine whether to grant the request; and

granting the request in accordance with the license, including imposing at least one zone-related obligation on playback of the first piece of electronic content.

11. The method of claim 10, in which the license comprises at least one control program.

12. The method of claim 11, in which evaluating the license comprises executing the control program.

13. The method of claim 10, in which the first zone map and the first piece of electronic content are received together in a first file.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a second piece of electronic content, the second piece of electronic content having a second zone map associated therewith, the second zone map including a first identifier; and

receiving a third piece of electronic content, the third piece of electronic content having a third zone map associated therewith, the third zone map including the first identifier.

15. The method of claim 14, in which the first zone map includes a reference to the first identifier, the method further comprising:

selecting between the second piece of electronic content and the third piece of electronic content; and

playing the selected one of the second piece of electronic content and the third piece of electronic content in connection with playing the first piece of electronic content.

16. A method comprising:

receiving a first piece of electronic content and a first zone map, the first zone map defining at least a first zone in the first piece of electronic content;

receiving a license associated with the first piece of electronic content, the license comprising at least one control program operable to conditionally impose an obligation in connection with rendering at least the first zone;

executing the control program; and

rendering at least the first zone in accordance with the license.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

recording at least some data relating to the rendering step.

18. The method of claim 16, in which the obligation comprises one or more requirements that must be met in order to render the first zone, and in which the rendering step comprises ensuring that the one or more requirements are met.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

not imposing the obligation if at least a first condition is satisfied.

26. The method of claim 16, in which the control program is operable to impose the obligation if the control program determines that a first node is not reachable from a second node.