METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MANAGING RIGHTS FOR DIGITAL MUSIC

• US 20090043412A1
• Filed: 10/16/2008
• Published: 02/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Catch Media, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Catch Media, Inc.
• Inventors: Ben-Yaacov, Yaacov, Ben-Yaacov, Boaz
• Application Number:
  US12/252,926
• Publication Number:
  US 20090043412A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/94
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/433 using audio data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/634 Query by example, e.g. query by humming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/64 Browsing; Visualisation therefor generation of a list or set of audio data G06F16/638
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/68 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• 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: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/28 by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording G11B27/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 31/006 with video camera or receiver
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 31/02 with automatic musical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/025 Portable cases
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• 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 21/8113 comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8355 involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02

Abstract

A method is described for managing rights for digital music, including registering music players, from among a plurality of music players, with digital archives that store songs, from among a plurality of digital archives, wherein songs can be copied from digital archives to music players, and from music players to digital archives, permitting a music player to copy a song from a digital archive for which it is registered, permitting a digital archive to copy a song from a music player that is registered with the digital archive, restricting a music player from copying a song from a digital archive for which it is not registered, and restricting a digital archive from copying a song from a music player that is not registered with the digital archive. A system and a computer-readable storage medium are also described.

Claims

1. A method for managing rights for digital music, comprising:

registering music players, from among a plurality of music players, with digital archives that store songs, from among a plurality of digital archives, wherein songs can be copied from digital archives to music players, and from music players to digital archives;

permitting a music player to copy a song from a digital archive for which it is registered;

permitting a digital archive to copy a song from a music player that is registered with the digital archive;

restricting a music player from copying a song from a digital archive for which it is not registered; and

restricting a digital archive from copying a song from a music player that is not registered with the digital archive.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein a music player is registered with at most one digital archive.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said restricting a music player comprises enabling the music player to purchase the song.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said restricting a music player comprises permitting the music player to copy a promotional version of the song.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

maintaining, by a digital archive for a song stored in the digital archive, a maximum number of permitted copies for the song;

tracking within the digital archive a count of music players registered with the digital archive that copied the song from the digital archive; and

preventing a music player registered with the digital archive from copying the song from the digital archive if the count for the song has reached the number of permitted copies for the song.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

instructing a music player to erase the song; and

reducing the count for the song within the digital archive.

7. A computer-readable storage medium storing program code for causing a device to perform a method comprising:

registering music players, from among a plurality of music players, with digital archives that store songs, from among a plurality of digital archives, wherein songs can be copied from digital archives to music players, and from music players to digital archives;

permitting a music player to copy a song from a digital archive for which it is registered;

permitting a digital archive to copy a song from a music player that is registered with the digital archive;

restricting a music player from copying a song from a digital archive for which it is not registered; and

restricting a digital archive from copying a song from a music player that is not registered with the digital archive.

8. A system for managing rights for digital music, comprising:

a plurality of digital archives that store songs;

a plurality of music players at least some of which are registered with digital archives, wherein songs can be copied from digital archives to music players, and from music players to digital archives; and

a rights manager housed within a digital archive permitting a music player to copy a song from the digital archive if the music player is registered with the digital archive, permitting the digital archive to copy a song from a music player if the music player is registered with the digital archive, restricting a music player from copying a song from the digital archive if the music player is not registered with the digital archive, and restricting the digital archive from copying a song from a music player if the music player is not registered with the digital archive.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein a music player is registered with at most one digital archive.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein said rights manager enables a music player to purchase the song when the music player is not registered with the digital archive.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein said rights manager permits a music player to copy a promotional version of the song when the music player is not registered with the digital archive.

12. The system of claim 8 further comprising a database manager within a digital archive for maintaining a maximum number of permitted copies for a song stored within the digital archive, and for tracking a count of music players that copied the song from the digital archive, and wherein said rights manager prevents a music player from copying the song from the digital archive if the count for the song has reached the number of permitted copies for the song.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the digital archive instructs the music player to erase the song from the music player, and wherein said database manager reduces the count for the song.