Digital rights management in a distributed network

• US 20100211776A1
• Filed: 05/03/2010
• Published: 08/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Gunaseelan, Lakshminarayanan, Padinjareveetil, Abdul Salam Faisal
• Application Number:
  US12/772,404
• Publication Number:
  US 20100211776A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/165
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1084 via third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

The present invention is implemented within a distributed network operating environment (such as a CDN) in which content providers offload given content for delivery from servers (e.g., CDN edge servers) managed by a service provider (such as a CDN operator). It is assumed that the given content is secured using a digital rights management (DRM) scheme. According to the invention, a distributed set of license server processes are provided to manage the issuance of content licenses. Each of the license server processes is operative to generate licenses by which a given end user client obtains given rights for given content, typically the content served from the machine. A distributed set of license server processes operates in a de-centralized manner and without access to third party business logic (e.g., a payment mechanism) or authentication information associated with end users requesting the given content.

Claims

1. Apparatus operative in a distributed network in which content providers offload given content for delivery from servers managed by a content delivery network service provider, wherein the given content is secured by a digital rights management scheme, comprising:

a distributed set of license server processors that operate autonomously from one another to enable decryption keys to be generated and managed from individual license server processors in a de-centralized manner and without access to authentication information associated with end users requesting the given content;

wherein at least one license server processor comprises a processor, and computer memory associated with the processor and holding computer program instructions that when executed by the processor generates a license by which an end user client obtains rights for content.

2. The apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein one or more rights in the license are established by the license server processor dynamically on a per request basis.

3. Apparatus operative in a distributed network in which content providers offload given content for delivery from servers managed by a content delivery network service provider, wherein authorization to access the given content is obtained through business logic and the given content is secured by a rights management (DRM) scheme, comprising:

a distributed set of license server processors that operate autonomously from one another to enable DRM licenses to be generated and managed from individual license server processors in a de-centralized manner and without access to the business logic or any authentication information associated with end users requesting the given content;

wherein at least one license server processor comprises a processor, and computer memory associated with the processor and holding computer program instructions that when executed by the processor generates a license by which an end user client obtains rights for content.

4. The apparatus as described in claim 3 wherein the rights in the license are established by the license server processor based on data in a metadata file associated with the license server processor.

5. The apparatus as described in claim 3 wherein the rights in the license are established by the license server processor dynamically on a per request basis based on data in a token.

6. The apparatus as described in claim 5 wherein, following verification of the token, the license server processor generates the license by extracting one or more parameters from a request query, creating a key object, and creating a rights object.

7. The apparatus as described in claim 6 wherein the license server processor generates the license by creating a license object from the key object and the rights object.