Retail transactions involving digital content in a digital rights management (DRM) system
First Claim
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 licensewherein 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, andwherein 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 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
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.
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Citations
33 Claims
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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:
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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. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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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:
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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. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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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:
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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. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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Specification