Retail transactions involving digital content in a digital rights management (DRM) system

• US 7,039,615 B1
• Filed: 09/28/2000
• Issued: 05/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Gajjala, Vijay K., Ganesan, Krishnamurthy, McKune, Jeffrey R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Reagan, James A
• Application Number:
  US09/671,055
• Time in Patent Office: 2,042 Days
• Field of Search: 705/59, 705/1, 705/10, 705/14, 705/26, 705 51- 57, 713/176, 713/193, 713/168, 380/30, 380/201, 709/217, 709/229, 709/219, 235/380
• US Class Current: 705/59
• 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: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0621 Item configuration or customization

Abstract

A retailer facilitates issuance of a digital license from a licensor to a customer for a corresponding piece of digital content. The retailer receives payment for the license from the customer, where the payment is to be shared with the licensor in a pre-determined manner. The retailer also receives customer-based information from the customer. The retailer then composes an actual license request including the obtained customer-based information, and including retailer-based information identifying the retailer to the licensor and acknowledging to the licensor that the retailer owes a portion of the received payment to the licensor. Thereafter, the retailer forwards the actual license request to the licensor. The licensor notes based on the retailer-based information in the actual license request that the retailer identified thereby owes the licensor at least a portion of the forwarded payment. If an individual sends a license request directly to the licensor and thus fails to forward payment for the license to a retailer, the actual license request as composed by the individual fails to include the retailer-based information. Accordingly, the licensor refuses to issue a license as requested based on the lack of retailer-based information.

Claims

1. A method for a retailer to facilitate issuance of a digital license from a licensor to a customer for a corresponding piece of digital content, the method comprising:

receiving, by the retailer from the customer, payment for the license, the payment to be shared with the licensor in a pre-determined manner;

obtaining, by the retailer from the customer, customer-based information;

composing, by the retailer, an actual license request including the obtained customer-based information, and including retailer-based information identifying the retailer to the licensor and acknowledging to the licensor that the retailer owes a portion of the received payment to the licensor;

forwarding, by the retailer to the licensor, the actual license request, and issuing the digital license to the customer;

wherein the customer has a digital rights management (DRM) system to ensure that the content is rendered in accordance with the license

wherein obtaining the customer-based information comprises;

delivering, by the retailer to the customer, a dummy package having license acquisition information containing a site identifier for an interposing site controlled by the retailer, the dummy package absent any functional portion of the corresponding piece of digital content;

delivering, by the retailer to the customer, a controller that can control the DRM system of the customer, wherein such controller directs such DRM system to send a dummy license request to the site identifier for the interposing site controlled by the retailer according to the license acquisition information in the dummy package; and

receiving, by the retailer at the interposing site from the customer, the dummy license request including customer-based information, and

wherein composing the actual license request comprises modifying, by the retailer, the dummy license request to add the retailer-based information;

wherein the customer has a digital rights management (DRM) system to ensure that the content is rendered in accordance with the license, the method comprising obtaining the customer-based information by a request directed to the DRM system of the customer; and

obtaining the customer-based information by delivering a controller to the customer that directs the DRM system of the customer to send the customer-based information to the retailer.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the dummy license request contains a content ID identifying the dummy package, the method comprising modifying the dummy license request to change the content ID to a content ID identifying an actual package having actual content corresponding to the to-be-issued license.

3. The method of claim 1 comprising receiving the dummy license request including customer information comprising a customer secret.

4. The method of claim 1 comprising delivering a controller that directs the DRM system to send a license request for the dummy package by commanding that the dummy package be played.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein delivering the controller comprises downloading such controller to the customer.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein delivering the controller comprises downloading such controller to the customer as part of a page such as an HTML web page.

7. The method of claim 1 comprising delivering, to the customer, a dummy package having no corresponding license, wherein the sending of the dummy license request results at least in part from the lack of a corresponding license.

8. The method of claim 1 comprising forwarding the actual license request to a license server.

9. The method of claim 1 comprising composing the actual license request to include retailer-based information comprising a retailer ID identifying the retailer.

10. The method of claim 1 comprising composing the actual license request to include retailer-based information comprising a secret that proves to the licensor that the retailer actually authorized issuance of a license by such licensor.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving, from the customer, a selection of the content.

12. A computer having computer-executable instructions thereon for allowing a retailer to facilitate issuance of a digital license from a licensor to a customer for a corresponding piece of digital content, the instructions comprising modules including:

a first module receiving, by the retailer from the customer, payment for the license, the payment to be shared with the licensor in a pre-determined manner;

a second module obtaining, by the retailer from the customer, customer-based information;

a third module composing, by the retailer, an actual license request including the obtained customer-based information, and including retailer-based information identifying the retailer to the licensor and acknowledging to the licensor that the retailer owes a portion of the received payment to the licensor; and

a fourth module forwarding, by the retailer to the licensor, the actual license request,

wherein the customer has a digital rights management (DRM) system to ensure that the content is rendered in accordance with the license, the second module obtaining the customer-based information comprising;

a first sub-module delivering, by the retailer to the customer, a dummy package having license acquisition information containing a site identifier for an interposing site controlled by the retailer, the dummy package absent any functional portion of the corresponding piece of digital content;

a second sub-module delivering, by the retailer to the customer, a controller that can control the DRM system of the customer, wherein such controller directs such DRM system to send a dummy license request to the site identifier for the interposing site controlled by the retailer according to the license acquisition information in the dummy package; and

a third sub-module receiving, by the retailer at the interposing site from the customer, the dummy license request including customer-based information, and

the third module composing the actual license request by modifying, by the retailer, the dummy license request to add the retailer-based information;

wherein the customer has a digital rights management (DRM) system to ensure that the content is rendered in accordance with the license, the second module obtaining the customer-based information by a request directed to the DRM system of the customer; and

wherein the second module obtains the customer-based information by delivering a controller to the customer that directs the DRM system of the customer to send the customer-based information to the retailer.

13. The computer of claim 12 wherein the dummy license request contains a content ID identifying the dummy package, the third module modifying the dummy license request to change the content ID to a content ID identifying an actual package having actual content corresponding to the to-be-issued license.

14. The computer of claim 12 wherein the first module receives the dummy license request including customer information comprising a customer secret.

15. The computer of claim 12 wherein the second sub-module delivers a controller that directs the DRM system to send a license request for the dummy package by commanding that the dummy package be played.

16. The computer of claim 12 wherein the second sub-module delivers the controller by downloading such controller to the customer.

17. The computer of claim 16 wherein the second sub-module delivers the controller by downloading such controller to the customer as part of a page such as an HTML web page.

18. The computer of claim 12 wherein the second sub-module delivers, to the customer, a dummy package having no corresponding license, wherein the sending of the dummy license request results at least in part from the lack of a corresponding license.

19. The computer of claim 12 wherein the fourth module forwards the actual license request to a license server.

20. The computer of claim 12 wherein the third module composes the actual license request to include retailer-based information comprising a retailer ID identifying the retailer.

21. The computer of claim 12 wherein the third module composes the actual license request to include retailer-based information comprising a secret that proves to the licensor that the retailer actually authorized issuance of a license by such licensor.

22. The computer of claim 12 further comprising a fifth module receiving, from the customer, a selection of the content.

23. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions thereon for allowing a retailer to facilitate issuance of a digital license from a licensor to a customer for a corresponding piece of digital content, the instructions comprising modules including:

a first module for receiving, by the retailer from the customer, payment for the license, the payment to be shared with the licensor in a predetermined manner;

a second module for obtaining by the retailer from the customer, customer-based information;

a third module for composing, by the retailer, an actual license request including the

obtained customer-based information, and including retailer-based information identifying the retailer to the licensor and acknowledging to the licensor that the retailer owes a portion of the received payment to the licensor; and

a fourth module for forwarding, by the retailer to the licensor, the actual license request by which the licensor issues the digital license to the customer, wherein the customer has a digital rights management (DRM) system to ensure that the content is rendered in accordance with the license, the second module obtaining the customer-based information comprising;

a first sub-module for delivering, by the retailer to the customer, a dummy package having license acquisition information containing a site identifier for an interposing site controlled by the retailer, the dummy package absent any functional portion of the corresponding piece of digital content;

a second sub-module for delivering, by the retailer to the customer, a controller that can control the DRM system of the customer, wherein such controller directs such DRM system to send a dummy license request to the site identifier for the interposing site controlled by the retailer according to the license acquisition information in the dummy

package; and

a third sub-module for receiving, by the retailer at the interposing site from the customer, the dummy license request including customer-based information, and

the third module composing the actual license request by modifying, by the retailer,

the dummy license request to add the retailer-based information;

wherein the customer has a digital rights management (DRM) system to ensure that the content is rendered in accordance with the license, the second module obtaining the customer-based information by a request directed to the DRM system of the customer; and

wherein the second module obtains the customer-based information by delivering a controller to the customer that directs the DRM system of the customer to send the customer-based information to the retailer.

24. The medium of claim 23 wherein the dummy license request contains a content ID identifying the dummy package, the third module modifying the dummy license request to change the content ID to a content ID identifying an actual package having actual content corresponding to the to-be-issued license.

25. The medium of claim 23 wherein the first module receives the dummy license request including customer information comprising a customer secret.

26. The medium of claim 23 wherein the second sub-module delivers a controller that directs the DRM system to send a license request for the dummy package by commanding that the dummy package be played.

27. The medium of claim 23 wherein the second sub-module delivers the controller by downloading such controller to the customer.

28. The medium of claim 27 wherein the second sub-module delivers the controller by downloading such controller to the customer as part of a page such as an HTML web page.

29. The medium of claim 23 wherein the second sub-module delivers, to the customer, a dummy package having no corresponding license, wherein the sending of the dummy license request results at least in part from the lack of a corresponding license.

30. The medium of claim 23 wherein the fourth module forwards the actual license request to a license server.

31. The medium of claim 23 wherein the third module composes the actual license request to include retailer-based information comprising a retailer ID identifying the retailer.

32. The medium of claim 23 wherein the third module composes the actual license request to include retailer-based information comprising a secret that proves to the licensor that the retailer actually authorized issuance of a license by such licensor.

33. The medium of claim 23 further comprising a fifth module for receiving, from the customer, a selection of the content.