System and method for controlling the use and duplication of digital content distributed on removable media

• US 6,748,537 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2002
• Issued: 06/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Music Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Music Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hughes, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Hua, Ly V.
• Application Number:
  US10/295,807
• Publication Number:
  US 20030120943A1
• Time in Patent Office: 571 Days
• Field of Search: 705/50, 705/51, 705/57, 713/200, 713/193, 380/200, 380/201, 380/202, 380/203, 380/30
• US Class Current: 713/193
• 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: G06F 21/12 Protecting executable software
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/64 Protecting data integrity, e.g. using checksums, certificates or signatures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2129 Authenticate client device independently of the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2135 Metering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2143 Clearing memory, e.g. to prevent the data from being stolen
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/367 involving electronic purses or money safes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• 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 20/00188 involving measures which result in a restriction to authorised devices recording or reproducing contents to/from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00195 using a device identifier associated with the player or recorder, e.g. serial numbers of playback apparatuses or MAC addresses
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0021 involving encryption or decryption of contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00224 wherein the key is obtained from a remote server
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00246 wherein the key is obtained from a local device, e.g. device key initially stored by the player or by the recorder
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00347 wherein the medium identifier is used as a key
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00528 wherein each title is encrypted with a separate encryption key for each title, e.g. title key for movie, song or data file
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00659 involving a control step which is implemented as an executable file stored on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00666 involving a step of erasing or nullifying data, e.g. data being overwritten with a random string
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00688 said measures preventing that a usable copy of recorded data can be made on another medium
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00746 wherein the usage restriction can be expressed as a specific number
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00753 : wherein the usage restriction limits the number of copies that can be made, e.g. CGMS, SCMS, or CCI flags
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00768 : wherein copy control information is used, e.g. for indicating whether a content may be copied freely, no more, once, or never, by setting CGMS, SCMS, or CCI flags
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00789 : wherein the usage restriction limits the number of functional copies, which can be accessed at a time, e.g. electronic bookshelf concept, virtual library, video rentals or check-in/check out
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/0037 : with discs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91357 : by modifying the video signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/913 : for scrambling ; for copy protection

Abstract

Systems and methods for controlling the use and duplication of digital content distributed on removable media are described. In accordance with embodiments of the present invention digital content is protected by allowing a particular number of protected (e.g., encrypted) copies of the digital content to be made. Typically, these copies may only be used on and moved between authorized devices. In one embodiment, if copies are desired, the maximum number of allowable copies of the protected digital content are made and stored on a computer'"'"'s hard drive when the storage medium (e.g., a CD) containing the content is inserted into the computer. Each copy can then be moved but not copied to other devices (e.g., portable solid state devices). In an alternative embodiment, the storage medium containing the digital content is writable (e.g., a CD-R). When the storage medium is inserted into the computer, the computer writes information to the storage medium which regulates future copying and playing of the digital content on the storage medium.

Claims

1. A digital storage medium having stored thereon digital data comprising:

a plurality of segments of digital content data stored on the storage medium and adapted to be unreadable on a computer system;

a protected version of the plurality of segments of digital content data stored on the storage medium and readable on the computer system; and

a plurality of instructions stored on the storage medium and adapted to be executed by the computer system, the instructions which, when executed, define a series of steps to be used to control the use of the protected version of the plurality of segments of digital content data, said steps comprising;

automatically producing at least one copy, but no more than a predetermined maximum number of copies, of the protected version of the plurality of segments of digital content data;

automatically storing said at least one copy on a storage device connected to the computer system; and

controlling access to said at least one copy.

2. The digital storage medium of claim 1 wherein the plurality of segments of digital content data are Redbook audio tracks.

3. The digital storage medium of claim 2 wherein the Redbook audio tracks are adapted to be readable only on stereo equipment.

4. The digital storage medium of claim 2 wherein the protected version of the plurality of segments of digital content data are encrypted, compressed copies of the Redbook audio tracks.

5. The digital storage medium of claim 1 wherein said access is controlled by preventing copying of the at least one copy.

6. The digital storage medium of claim 5 wherein a transferred copy is marked to indicate that it may not be further transferred.

7. The digital storage medium of claim 1 wherein said access is controlled by only allowing the at least one copy to be transferred to an authenticated device.

8. The digital storage medium of claim 7 wherein said authenticated device is another computer system.

9. The digital storage medium of claim 7 wherein said authenticated device is a portable audio device.

10. A The digital storage medium of claim 1, said steps further comprising:

writing information to said digital storage medium regarding the production of the at least one copy.

11. The digital storage medium of claim 10, said steps further comprising:

determining the predetermined maximum number of copies to be produced based on information previously written to the digital storage medium.

12. The digital storage medium of claim 11 wherein said information written to the digital storage medium includes information identifying the computer system.

13. The digital storage medium of claim 12 wherein said information identifying the computer system includes information about the computer system'"'"'s hardware configuration.

14. The digital storage medium of claim 11 wherein said information written to the digital storage medium includes information identifying the number of copies made.

15. A method for controlling the use of protected digital content distributed on a removable medium, comprising:

reading the removable medium with a computer system;

automatically producing a plurality of protected copies of the digital content;

limiting the plurality of protected copies automatically produced of the digital content to a predetermined maximum determined by a provider of the digital content;

automatically storing said protected copies on a storage device connected to the computer; and

moving at least one of said protected copies to another device.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the predetermined maximum is determined based on information stored on the removable medium.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the information stored on the removable medium includes information identifying a computer system on which copies were previously made.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said identifying information includes information about the hardware components in the computer system.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the information stored on the removable medium includes information about how many copies have been previously made.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein moving at least one of said protected copies to another device comprises:

copying said at least one of said protected copies to another device; and

deleting said at least one of said protected copies from the computer system.

21. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

authenticating said another device before moving said at least one of said protected copies.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein authenticating said another device includes determining whether said another device is authorized to receive protected copies of the digital content.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein said another device is another computer system.

24. The method of claim 22 wherein said another device is a portable device.

25. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

executing software stored on the removable medium to perform the steps of producing and storing said plurality of protected copies.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising authenticating the integrity of the software stored on the removable medium.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

installing, on the computer system, the software stored on the removable medium.

28. A method for controlling the use of protected digital content distributed on a removable medium, comprising:

reading the removable medium with a computer system;

automatically producing at least one protected copy, but no more than a predetermined maximum number of protected copies, of the digital content;

automatically storing said at least one protected copy on a storage device connected to the computer system;

controlling access to said at least one protected copy based on control information stored on the removable medium.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the control information includes information identifying a computer system on which copies were previously made.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein said identifying information includes information about the hardware components in the computer system.

31. The method of claim 28 wherein the control information includes information about how many copies have been previously made.

32. The method of claim 28 further comprising:

transferring at least one of said at least one protected copy to an authenticated device.

33. The method of claim 28 further comprising:

including identification information in each of said at least one protected copy identifying the particular removable medium from which it was copied.

34. The method of claim 33 further comprising:

including identification information in each of said at least one protected copy identifying the computer system on which it was made.

35. The method of claim 28 further comprising:

including identification information in each of said at least one protected copy identifying the computer system on which it was made.

36. A digital storage medium having stored thereon digital data comprising:

a plurality of segments of digital content data adapted to be unreadable on a computer system;

a protected version of the plurality of segments of digital content data readable on the computer system; and

a plurality of instructions stored on the storage medium and adapted to be executed by the computer system, the instructions which, when executed, define a series of steps to be used to control access to said protected version of the plurality of segments of digital content data, said steps comprising;

automatically producing a predetermined number of copies of said protected version of the plurality of segments of digital content data; and

allowing the predetermined number of copies to be transferred to authenticated devices so long as no additional copies are produced.

37. A method for controlling the use of protected digital content distributed on a removable medium, comprising:

when the removable medium is inserted into a computer system, automatically executing a set of instructions;

according to the instructions, automatically producing a predetermined number of copies of the protected digital content;

according to the instructions, storing the predetermined number of copies of the protected digital content in the computer system; and

according to the instructions, allowing no more than the predetermined number of copies of the protected digital content to be stored in the computer system at any given time.

38. The method of claim 37 wherein if copies of the protected digital content already exist on the computer system, those copies are overwritten.

39. The method of claim 37 wherein the set of instructions is stored on the removable medium.

40. The method of claim 37 wherein the predetermined number of copies of the protected digital content are stored on the hard drive of the computer system.

41. A method for controlling the use of protected digital content distributed on a removable medium, comprising:

receiving, by a computer system, the removable medium;

upon receiving the removable medium, and without user input, automatically producing a plurality of copies of the protected digital content; and

storing the plurality of copies of the protected digital content in the computer system.

42. The method of claim 41 further comprising:

allowing no more than a predetermined number of copies of the protected digital content to be stored in the computer system at any given time.

43. The method of claim 41 further comprising:

allowing the user to move at least one of the copies of the protected digital content to another device; and

automatically deleting the at least one of the copies of the protected digital content from the computer system when the user moves the at least one of the copies of the protected digital content to another device.

44. The method of claim 41 wherein the plurality of copies of the protected digital content are stored on the hard drive of the computer system.