Policy For Digital Rights Management

• US 20110167499A1
• Filed: 01/05/2010
• Published: 07/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Strom, Clifford P., Paley, Mark E., DiAcetis, Stephen P.
• Granted Patent: US 9,589,114 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/121 Restricting unauthorised execution of programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/145 Payments according to the detected use or quantity

Abstract

This document describes policies for digital rights management that enable distribution of full-function versions of applications that, while fully functional, have functions limited by an associated policy. A policy may be replaced or updated, thereby enabling use of previously limited functions without distribution of another version of the application.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

limiting use of a function of an application based on a first policy of a first digital rights management (DRM) license, the first policy indicating that the function is limited; and

ceasing to limit use of the function of the application based on a second policy of a second DRM license, the second policy indicating that the function is permitted.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the second policy is associated with the application and a device or group of devices.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the application is a gaming application and the function is an ability to continue play past a game level or an amount of game time.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, further comprising pausing the application when the amount of game time is reached or the game level is complete until instructions are received indicating that the function is permitted, and wherein the ceasing to limit permits the application to continue play past the game level or the amount of time.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the application is a gaming application and the function is an in-game ability.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising receiving the second policy while the application is executed and during the act of limiting the use, and wherein the act of ceasing to limit use is responsive to receiving the second policy.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of limiting and the act of ceasing to limit are performed by the application.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of limiting and the act of ceasing to limit are performed by an application platform or application loader of the application.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of ceasing to limit the function of the application ceases to limit the function of the application and not an updated or new version of the application.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first DRM license and the second DRM license are different licenses and the first policy and the second policy are different policies.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the second policy supplements the first policy.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the application comprises media content and the function permits skipping over one or more advertisements in the media content.

13. A method comprising:

providing an application to a computing device, the application governed by a digital rights management (DRM) license containing a first policy, the first policy limiting use of a function of the application;

receiving a request from the computing device to use the function of the application; and

providing a second policy to the computing device effective to enable the application to use the function.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein providing the second policy is responsive to receiving payment.

15. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the first policy is a trial policy limiting the function and other functions of the application and the second policy is a full-use policy permitting the function and the other functions.

16. A method comprising:

receiving an application having a function limited by a first policy of a first DRM license;

executing the application with the function limited;

receiving a second policy of a second DRM license, the second policy indicating that use of the function is permitted; and

executing the application with the function not limited.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, further comprising, prior to the act of executing the application with the function limited, evaluating the first policy to determine the function limited.

18. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the method does not receive updates to or a new version of the application following receiving the application and prior to executing the application with the function not limited.

19. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the application comprises media content and the function permits skipping over advertisements in the media content.

20. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the application is a gaming application, the function is an ability to continue play to a game level or an amount of time, the first act of executing and the second act of executing are a same execution, and further comprising pausing the application until the second policy is received.