SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND PROGRAM APPLICATIONS FOR SELECTIVELY RESTRICTING THE PLACESHIFTING OF COPY PROTECTED DIGITAL MEDIA CONTENT

• US 20100071076A1
• Filed: 11/23/2009
• Published: 03/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Network Technologies India Private Limited (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sling Media Incorporated (Echostar Corporation), Sling Media Pvt Ltd. (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Gangotri, Arun L., Gurzhi, Alexander
• Granted Patent: US 8,381,310 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/32
• 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 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: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources

Abstract

Systems, methods, and program products are provided for selectively restricting the transmission of copy protected digital media content from a computer system, over a network, and to a remote display. In one embodiment, a method includes the steps of capturing digital media content rendered on the local display by a media player application executed by the computer system; determining whether the media player application is accessing copy protected digital media content; and, if the media player application is not accessing copy protected digital media content, converting the captured digital media content to a media stream and transmitting the media stream over a network for presentation on a remote display.

Claims

1. A method executable by a computer system coupled to a local display, the method comprising:

capturing digital media content rendered on the local display by a media player application executed by the computer system;

determining whether the media player application is accessing copy protected digital media content; and

if the media player application is not accessing copy protected digital media content, converting the captured digital media content to a media stream and transmitting the media stream over a network for presentation on a remote display.

2. A method according to claim 1 further comprising transmitting a visual copy protection alert over the network for presentation on the remote display if the media player application is accessing copy protected digital media content.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein the transmitting a visual copy protection alert comprises transmitting an image of a text message over the network for presentation on the remote display.

4. A method according to claim 1 further comprising:

compiling a wide list of processes currently executed by the computer system; and

narrowing the wide list to yield a narrow list of processes currently executed by the computer system and potentially comprising media player applications.

5. A method according to claim 4 wherein the determining comprises determining whether each process in the narrow list comprises a media player application accessing copy protected digital media content.

6. A method according to claim 5 wherein the narrowing comprises eliminating from the wide list any known non-player process capable of accessing digital media files.

7. A method according to claim 5 wherein the narrowing comprises determining which processes to select from the wide list based at least in part upon which, if any, process file names include a predetermined alphanumeric grouping.

8. A method according to claim 7 wherein the narrowing comprises determining which processes to select from the wide list based at least in part upon which, if any, process file names include the letter grouping “

DVD”

.

9. A method according to claim 5 wherein the narrowing comprises determining which processes to select from the wide list based at least in part upon which, if any, processes are currently utilizing a module supportive of digital media playback.

10. A method according to claim 9 wherein the narrowing comprises determining which processes to select from the wide list based at least in part upon which, if any, processes are currently utilizing at least one type of shared library.

11. A method according to claim 1 wherein the determining comprises:

establishing if the media player application is accessing a predetermined file type supported by the media player application and containing digital rights management (DRM) protected content; and

blocking transmission of the media stream if the media player application is accessing a predetermined file type supported by the media player application and containing DRM-protected content.

12. A method according to claim 11 wherein the media player application has an application programming interface associated therewith, and wherein the establishing comprises querying the application programming interface to determine if the media player application is accessing a digital media file containing DRM-protected content.

13. A method according to claim 1 wherein the determining comprises:

verifying the location of a DVD file structure;

analyzing the DVD file structure to determine if the DVD file structure includes copy protected digital media content; and

blocking transmission of the media stream if the DVD file structure includes copy protected digital media content.

14. A method according to claim 13 wherein the analyzing comprises analyzing at least a portion of the DVD file structure to determine if the DVD file structure includes instructions to activate analog copy protection.

15. A method according to claim 13 wherein the analyzing comprises:

selecting at least one title in the DVD file structure; and

evaluating at least a portion of the data within a predetermined number of chapters in the selected title to determine if the selected title contains copy protected digital media content.

16. A method according to claim 15 wherein the selecting comprises:

parsing the DVD file structure to find information regarding the titles contained within the DVD file structure; and

selecting at least one title to check for copy protected digital media content based at least in part upon title duration.

17. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon that are executable by a computer system to transmit digital media content over a network to a remote display, wherein the instructions comprise a placeshifting program application adapted to perform steps comprising:

capturing digital media content rendered on a local display associated with the computer system by a media player application executed by the computer system;

converting the captured digital media content to a media stream in a network-transmittable format;

transmitting the media stream over the network for presentation on the remote display;

determining whether the media player application is accessing a copy protected digital media file; and

blocking transmission of the media stream if the media player application is accessing a copy protected digital media file.

18. A placeshifting program application according to claim 17 wherein the placeshifting program application is further adapted to block transmission of the media stream if the digital media content currently accessed by media player application comprises at least one of the group consisting of:

(i) a digital media file supported by the media player application and containing digital media rights protected content, and (ii) a digital versatile disc file structure containing copy protected content.

19. A computer system for placeshifting digital media content in conjunction with a digital network and a remote display, the computer system comprising:

a first interface to the digital network;

a second interface to a local display; and

a processor operatively coupled to the first interface and to the second interface, the processor configured to selectively execute at least one media player application to render digital media content on the local display, the processor further configured to;

(i) capture at least a portion of the digital media content rendered on the local display, (ii) convert the captured digital media content to a media stream in a network-transmittable format, (iii) transmit the media stream over the network for presentation on the remote display, (iv) determine whether the media player application is accessing a copy protected digital media file, and (v) block transmission of the media stream if the media player application is accessing copy protected digital media content.

20. A computer system according to claim 19 wherein the processor is configured to block transmission of the media stream if the digital media content currently accessed by media player application comprises at least one of the group consisting of:

(i) a digital media file supported by the media player application and containing digital media rights protected content, and (ii) a digital versatile disc file structure containing copy protected content.