METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PORTABLY BINDING LICENSE RIGHTS TO CONTENT STORED ON OPTICAL MEDIA

• US 20160314283A1
• Filed: 11/05/2014
• Published: 10/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Fox Broadcasting Company (Fox Corporation)
• Inventors: Basse, Hanno, Harvey, Ian E.
• Granted Patent: US 10,460,081 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1011 to devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2107 File encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for commerce, e.g. marketing, shopping, billing, auctions or e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/062 for key distribution, e.g. centrally by trusted party cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving a central third party H04L9/0819
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263

Abstract

A method and system for portably binding license rights to content stored on an optical media is disclosed. Media player controllers include a secret that is used in conjunction with indelible media identifiers and digital certificates provided via a key issuance center to permit decryption of content initially distributed and freely copyable in encrypted form.

Claims

1. A method of conditionally enabling a playback of content stored in read-only memory removable from a playback module, comprising:

accepting a read-only memory (ROM) having the content encrypted so as to be decryptable according to one or more content keys, wherein the ROM includes globally unique ROM identifier (ROM ID);

reading the ROM identifier by a ROM controller, the ROM controller having an unalterable ROM controller identifier (ROM controller ID);

transmitting a ROM playback license request from the ROM controller to a license server, the ROM playback license request comprising the ROM controller ID, the ROM ID and a request for a license to play back the content from the ROM using the ROM controller;

receiving a content license enabling one or more rights to the content including a right for the playback of the encrypted content from the ROM using the ROM controller, the content license including the one or more content keys and being encrypted to be decryptable according to a ROM controller secret associated with the ROM controller ID;

decrypting the content license in the ROM controller to recover the one or more content keys; and

providing the encrypted content from the ROM and the one or more content keys to the playback module for use in decrypting the encrypted content.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the ROM controller secret is unchangeably and securely stored in a memory accessible to the ROM controller.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the ROM controller secret is stored in the ROM controller.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more content keys are provided to from the ROM controller to the playback module via a secure communications link.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

provisioning a ROM controller digital certificate for the ROM controller and a playback module digital certificate for the playback module, the ROM controller digital certificate and the playback module digital certificate for establishing the secure communications link between the ROM controller and the playback module.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more content keys are impersistently stored the ROM controller and playback module, the impersistent storage being only of a duration to permit playback of the content according to the license to play back the content from the ROM using the ROM controller.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the content license specifies the duration of the impersistent storage of the one or more content keys in the ROM controller and playback module.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the ROM playback license request is transmitted via secure communications link.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein:

the method further comprises determining whether to grant the content license based at least in part upon the ROM ID; and

receiving the content license is performed if the content license content license is granted.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining whether to grant the content license is further based at least in part upon the ROM controller ID.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the ROM playback license request further comprises a content ID that identifies the content to be played back; and

determining whether to grant the content license is further based on the content ID.

12. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

accepting a command to copy the encrypted content from the ROM to a random access memory (RAM), the RAM written to and read from under the control of a RAM controller having an unalterable RAM controller ID;

copying the encrypted content from the ROM to the RAM; and

copying the ROM ID to a memory accessible to the RAM controller.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the ROM ID is copied to the RAM controller.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the ROM ID is copied to the RAM.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

accepting a command to playback the copied encrypted content from the RAM;

transmitting a RAM playback license request from the RAM controller to the license server, the RAM playback license request comprising the RAM controller ID, the ROM ID and a request for a license to playback the copied encrypted content from the RAM using the RAM controller;

receiving a RAM playback license enabling one or more rights to the content including a right for the playback of the encrypted content from the RAM, the content license including the one or more content keys and being encrypted so as to be decryptable according to a RAM controller secret associated with the RAM controller ID;

decrypting the second content license in the RAM controller to recover the one or more content keys; and

reading the encrypted content from the RAM and providing the one or more content keys to a second playback module for use in decrypting the encrypted content.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the RAM controller secret is unchangeably and securely stored in a memory accessible to the RAM controller.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the RAM controller secret is stored in the ROM controller.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the one or more content keys are provided to from the RAM controller to the playback module via a secure communications link.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

provisioning a RAM controller digital certificate for the RAM controller and a playback module digital certificate for the playback module, the RAM controller digital certificate and the playback module digital certificate for establishing a secure communications channel between the RAM controller and the playback module.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the one or more content keys are impersistently stored the RAM controller and playback module, the impersistent storage being only of a duration to permit playback of the content according to the license to play back the content from the RAM using the RAM controller.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the content license specifies the duration of the impersistent storage of the one or more content keys in the RAM controller and playback module.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the RAM playback license request is transmitted via secure communications link.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein:

the method further comprises determining whether to grant the content license based at least in part upon the RAM controller ID; and

receiving the content license is performed if the content license content license is granted.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein determining whether to grant the content license is further based at least in part upon the RAM controller ID.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

disabling the first content license.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein:

the RAM playback license request further comprises a content ID that identifies the content to be played back; and

determining whether to grant the content license is further based on the content ID.

27. An apparatus for conditionally enabling a playback of content stored in read-only memory removable from a playback module, comprising:

a processor for performing instructions stored in a memory communicatively coupled to the processor, the instructions comprising instructions for;

accepting a read-only memory (ROM) having the content encrypted so as to be decryptable according to one or more content keys, wherein the ROM includes globally unique ROM identifier (ROM ID);

reading the ROM identifier by a ROM controller, the ROM controller having an unalterable ROM controller identifier (ROM controller ID);

transmitting a ROM playback license request from the ROM controller to a license server, the ROM playback license request comprising the ROM controller ID, the ROM ID and a request for a license to play back the content from the ROM using the ROM controller;

receiving a content license enabling one or more rights to the content including a right for the playback of the encrypted content from the ROM using the ROM controller, the content license including the one or more content keys and being encrypted to be decryptable according to a ROM controller secret associated with the ROM controller ID;

decrypting the content license in the ROM controller to recover the one or more content keys; and

providing the encrypted content from the ROM and the one or more content keys to the playback module for use in decrypting the encrypted content.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions for:

provisioning a ROM controller digital certificate for the ROM controller and a playback module digital certificate for the playback module, the ROM controller digital certificate and the playback module digital certificate for establishing a secure communications link between the ROM controller and the playback module.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions for:

accepting a command to copy the encrypted content from the ROM to a random access memory (RAM), the RAM written to and read from under the control of a RAM controller having an unalterable RAM controller ID;

copying the encrypted content from the ROM to the RAM; and

copying the ROM ID to a memory accessible to the RAM controller.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the ROM ID is copied to the RAM controller.

31. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the ROM ID is copied to the RAM.

32. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions for:

accepting a command to playback the copied encrypted content from the RAM;

transmitting a RAM playback license request from the RAM controller to the license server, the RAM playback license request comprising the RAM controller ID, the ROM ID and a request for a license to playback the copied encrypted content from the RAM using the RAM controller;

receiving a RAM playback license enabling one or more rights to the content including a right for the playback of the encrypted content from the RAM, the content license including the one or more content keys and being encrypted so as to be decryptable according to a RAM controller secret associated with the RAM controller ID;

decrypting the second content license in the RAM controller to recover the one or more content keys; and

reading the encrypted content from the RAM and providing the one or more content keys to a second playback module for use in decrypting the encrypted content.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the RAM controller secret is unchangeably and securely stored in a memory accessible to the RAM controller.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the one or more content keys are provided to from the RAM controller to the playback module via a secure communications link.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions for:

provisioning a RAM controller digital certificate for the RAM controller and a playback module digital certificate for the playback module, the RAM controller digital certificate and the playback module digital certificate for establishing a secure communications channel between the RAM controller and the playback module.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the one or more content keys are impersistently stored the RAM controller and playback module, the impersistent storage being only of a duration to permit playback of the content according to the license to play back the content from the RAM using the RAM controller.

37. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the content license specifies the duration of the impersistent storage of the one or more content keys in the RAM controller and playback module.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein:

wherein the instructions further comprise instructions for determining whether to grant the content license based at least in part upon the RAM controller ID; and

the instructions for receiving the content license are performed if the content license is granted.

39. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the instructions for determining whether to grant the content license is further based at least in part upon the RAM controller ID.

40. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the instructions further comprise disabling the first content license.

41. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein:

the RAM playback license request further comprises a content ID that identifies the content to be played back; and

the instructions for determining whether to grant the content license are further based on the content ID.

42. A system of conditionally enabling a playback of content stored in read-only memory removable from a playback module, comprising:

means for accepting a read-only memory (ROM) having the content encrypted so as to be decryptable according to one or more content keys, wherein the ROM includes globally unique ROM identifier (ROM ID);

means for reading the ROM identifier by a ROM controller, the ROM controller having an unalterable ROM controller identifier (ROM controller ID);

means for transmitting a ROM playback license request from the ROM controller to a license server, the ROM playback license request comprising the ROM controller ID, the ROM ID and a request for a license to play back the content from the ROM using the ROM controller;

means for receiving a content license enabling one or more rights to the content including a right for the playback of the encrypted content from the ROM using the ROM controller, the content license including the one or more content keys and being encrypted to be decryptable according to a ROM controller secret associated with the ROM controller ID;

means for decrypting the content license in the ROM controller to recover the one or more content keys; and

means for providing the encrypted content from the ROM and the one or more content keys to the playback module for use in decrypting the encrypted content.