Embedded Licenses for Content

• US 20090271319A1
• Filed: 04/29/2008
• Published: 10/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Chhabra, Shalendra, Kinneman, Angelika J., Chilton, David L., Sethi, Pankaj, Strom, Clifford P., Barde, Sumedh N., Burns, Quintin S., Bromley, Dennis N.
• Application Number:
  US12/111,199
• Publication Number:
  US 20090271319A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/59
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00282 the key being stored in the content area, e.g. program area, data area or user area key stored in a management area G11B20/00297
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00492 wherein content or user data is encrypted
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00847 wherein the usage restriction is defined by a licence file
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4117 for generating hard copies of the content, e.g. printer, electronic paper interfaces to printers G06F3/12; printing data G06K15/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4405 involving video stream decryption
• 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

In accordance with one or more aspects, a license for content is retrieved, the license having been previously embedded in the content. A requested action is allowed to be performed with the content only if a standalone license, or both a leaf license and a root license, indicate that the action with the content is permissible. Leaf licenses and/or standalone licenses can be embedded by a source of the content and/or by a target device that receives the content. Additionally, licenses can include one or more rules indicating where a target device that receives the content is to store the licenses.

Claims

1. One or more computer storage media having stored thereon multiple instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the one or more processors to:

receive a request to perform an action with content;

retrieve a license for the content, the license having been previously embedded in the content, and the license being for a domain that includes one or more devices including the device; and

allow the action to be performed with the content if the license indicates that the action with the content is permissible, and otherwise prevent the action from being performed with the content.

2. One or more computer storage media as recited in claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to acquire a new license for the content and embed the license in an embedded license portion of a file including the content.

3. One or more computer storage media as recited in claim 2, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to overwrite another license in the embedded license portion with the new license if there is insufficient space in the embedded license portion for the new license.

4. One or more computer storage media as recited in claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to obtain a new license for the content and access a rule identified in the new license, the rule indicating whether to embed the new license in one or both of an embedded license portion of a file including the content and a license store of the device.

5. One or more computer storage media as recited in claim 1, wherein the license includes a policy identifying when it is permissible to decrypt the content, and a cryptographic key to be used to decrypt the content.

6. One or more computer storage media as recited in claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to obtain one or more rules from the license and store the license based at least in part on the one or more rules.

7. One or more computer storage media as recited in claim 1, wherein the license comprises a leaf license, and wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

identify, based at least in part on the leaf license, a root license for the content;

retrieve the root license for the content from a license store; and

wherein to allow the action to be performed is to allow the action to be performed with the content only if both the leaf license and the root license indicate that the action with the content is permissible.

8. One or more computer storage media as recited in claim 7, wherein to retrieve the root license is to retrieve the root license from a license store on the device.

9. One or more computer storage media having stored thereon multiple instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the one or more processors to:

access content to be sent to a second device;

check whether the content already has an embedded license for a domain of which the second device is a part;

if the content already has the embedded license for the domain, then send the content with the embedded license to the second device; and

if the content does not already have the embedded license for the domain, then;

embed a license for the domain in the content; and

send the content with the embedded license to the second device.

10. One or more computer storage media as recited in claim 9, the embedded license comprising a leaf license that identifies a root license in a license store of the second device.

11. One or more computer storage media as recited in claim 10, the root license including a root key encrypted with a public key for the domain, wherein the root key can be used to decrypt a cryptographic key in the leaf license, and wherein the cryptographic key can be used to decrypt the content.

12. One or more computer storage media as recited in claim 9, the embedded license including a rule indicating where the second device is to store the embedded license.

13. One or more computer storage media as recited in claim 9, the embedded license including a policy identifying when it is permissible for the second device to decrypt the content, and a cryptographic key to be used by the second device to decrypt the content.

14. A method comprising:

receiving, from a device, a request for a license to access content; and

sending the requested license to the device, the requested license including one or more rules indicating where the device is to store the license.

15. A method as recited in claim 14, the one or more rules including an ignore rule indicating that the license is not to be embedded in the content but can be stored in a license store of the device.

16. A method as recited in claim 14, the one or more rules including a copy rule indicating that the license is to be embedded in the content and also stored in a license store of the device.

17. A method as recited in claim 14, the one or more rules including a move rule indicating that the license is to be stored in a license store of the device and subsequently embedded in the content when the content becomes available.

18. A method as recited in claim 14, the license including a policy identifying one or more actions that can be taken with the content, and a cryptographic key to be used by the device to decrypt the content.

19. A method as recited in claim 14, further comprising the device receiving the requested license and storing the requested license based at least in part on the one or more rules.

20. A method as recited in claim 14, the sending comprising sending the requested license embedded in the content.