Copyright management apparatus, copyrighted-work distribution apparatus, and copyrighted-work distribution and receiving system

• US 6,980,971 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2005
• Issued: 12/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yamanaka, Yasuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Abdi, Kambiz
• Application Number:
  US11/082,624
• Publication Number:
  US 20050165685A1
• Time in Patent Office: 285 Days
• Field of Search: 705 51- 59, 380/262, 380/277, 713/200, 713/201, 709/201, 725/2
• US Class Current: 705/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1235 with control of digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/127 Shopping or accessing services according to a time-limitation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/305 for record players
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/74 of satellite networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/81 combined with telephone network over which the broadcast is continuously available
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/21 Billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/22 per use
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/23 using cryptography, e.g. encryption, authentication, key distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/31 Arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/94 Telephonic networks for accessing the Internet H04H60/84
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/95 for local area
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2368 Multiplexing of audio and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25435 involving characteristics of content or additional data, e.g. video resolution or the amount of advertising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47211 for requesting pay-per-view content payment schemes payment architectures or payment protocols G06Q20/00, G07F
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8106 involving special audio data, e.g. different tracks for different languages
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8355 involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 : Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73

Abstract

A TV music broadcasting program is distributed from a distribution apparatus through a ground station and a satellite, and a musical-piece program is also distributed through a plurality of audio channels. A subscriber looks for the desired musical piece from a musical-piece list displayed on the screen of a TV receiver and downloads it into a storage device. A pay-per-view method is employed in which accounting is performed in units of musical pieces. At downloading, a purchase record is stored in an IC card placed in a receiving apparatus and it is periodically sent to a customer management center. The customer management center calculates the viewing fee and issues a bill to the subscriber. A copyright management apparatus in the distribution apparatus obtains the purchase record of a musical piece from the customer management center to calculate a copyright fee to be paid to the copyright holder.

Claims

1. A system for distributing copyrighted works and managing payments owed as a result of the distributing to the owners of the copyrights in the copyrighted works, said system comprising:

a server located at a distribution facility adapted to distribute said copyrighted works through a first transmission system, the copyrighted works being enciphered, comprising musical pieces and being distributed as first digital data packets multiplexed with a broadcasted television program related to the copyrighted works comprising second digital data packets;

a receiving facility in communication with the transmission system adapted to receive from the server the first and second digital data packets, the receiving facility comprising a packet selector in communication with a first memory and a monitor, the packet selector receiving the first and second digital data packets and selecting the first digital data packets for transmission to the first memory for storage and selecting the second digital data packets for transmission to the monitor for displaying the television program;

a communication interface at said distribution facility adapted to receive through a second transmission system a purchasing record identifying selected copyrighted works distributed from the distribution facility and selected by the receiving facility for downloading at the receiving facility and storing in the first memory, said purchasing record being stored in a second memory at the time of said downloading and transmitted to said communication interface after said downloading, said second memory being associated with said receiving facility and also storing, in advance of said selecting of said selected copyrighted works by said receiving facility, authorization data for authorizing the downloading of said selected copyrighted works;

a third memory associated with said server adapted to store copyright information corresponding to each of said distributed copyrighted works, said copyright information providing the identity of the distributed copyrighted works, the identity of the owners of the copyrights for the distributed copyrighted works, data relating to the costs for downloading the distributed copyrighted works by said receiving facility and the identity of the broadcasted television program;

a processor associated with said server, in communication with said third memory, adapted to calculate, based upon said purchasing record and said copyright information, a copyright payment due each owner of the copyrights for the selected copyrighted works.