System and method for controlling access to protected information

• US 7,089,212 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2004
• Issued: 08/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SL Patent Holdings LLC (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SL Patent Holdings LLC (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Inventors: Schull, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Cangialosi, Salvatore
• Application Number:
  US10/851,606
• Publication Number:
  US 20040215571A1
• Time in Patent Office: 809 Days
• Field of Search: 705/54, 705/56, 705/59, 705/53, 713/184, 713/186, 713/164, 713/201, 704/250
• US Class Current: 705/59
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 13/02 Viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2213/025 Sightline detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/109 by using specially-adapted hardware at the client
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/16 Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2211/007 Encryption, En-/decode, En-/decipher, En-/decypher, Scramble, (De-)compress
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2117 User registration
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/401 Transaction verification

Abstract

A method and apparatus of encouraging distribution, registration, and purchase of free copyable software and other digital information which is accessed on a User'"'"'s System via a Programmer'"'"'s Program. Software tools which can be incorporated into a Programmer'"'"'s Program allow the User to access Advanced Features of the Programmer'"'"'s Program only in the presence of a valid Password which is unique to a particular Target ID generated on an ID-Target such as the User'"'"'s System. Advanced features will thus re-lock if the Password is copied to another ID-target. If a valid Password is not present, the User is invited to obtain one, and provided with the means of doing so, and of installing that Password in a place accessible to the User'"'"'s System on subsequent occasions. The present invention also provides Programmers with means to invoke business operations as well as computational operations with their programs, and thus to automatically obtain payment from Users who elect to obtain passwords.

Claims

1. A method performed by a licensing server, communicating over a communications network with a program residing on a remotely located device, to provide access to one or more items of protected information, the method comprising:

receiving an identifier from the program, the identifier being based at least in part on a characteristic of an entity to which access to the one or more items of protected information is linked, different such characteristics being usable to provide access to different ones of the one or more items of protected information;

generating license data for providing access to the one or more items of protected information, using at least the identifier, and a technique which does not use any additional characteristic of the entity; and

transmitting the license data over a communications network to a location accessible to the program.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising the program using the license data to control access to the one or more items of protected information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier is based on one or more characteristics of a device accessible to the program.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the identifier is based on one or more characteristics of a device on which the program resides.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the identifier is based on a characteristic of hardware in the device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier is based at least in part on a characteristic of a user of the program.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier is based at least in part on one or more adequately unique characteristics of the entity.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising generating the identifier on a device on which the program resides.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the device is located remotely from a second device on which the license data is generated.

10. The method of claim 1, comprising generating the license data using the identifier as a seed to a number generator.

11. The method of claim 1, comprising storing the license data on a device on which the program resides.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the license data comprises a password.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more items of protected information comprise advanced features.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more items of protected information comprise different files.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more items of protected information comprise different software programs.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more items of protected information comprise different video data.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more items of protected information comprise different audio data.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more items of protected information comprise different multimedia data.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more items of protected information comprise copies of a single file.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more items of protected information comprise files of distinct multimedia types.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the program and the one or more items of protected information comprise one executable file.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the program resides in media player software operable on but separate from the one or more items of protected information.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the program resides separate from media player software but is interoperable with said media player software to access the one or more items of protected information.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier comprises at least a characteristic of a given item of protected information.

25. The method of claim 1, comprising transmitting the one or more items of protected information through the communications network.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the license data comprises terms for the use of the one or more items of protected information.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein the license data includes instructions for accessing other ones of the one or more items of protected information.

28. The method of claim 1, comprising receiving the one or more items of protected information from a source other than the source of the license data.

29. A method for licensing access over a communications network to one or more items of protected information, the method comprising:

a program, residing on a device remotely located from a licensing server, generating an identifier based at least in part on a characteristic of an entity to which access to one or more items of protected information is linked, different such characteristics being usable to provide access to different ones of the one or more items of protected information;

receiving, at the licensing server, the identifier from the program;

generating, at the licensing server, license data for providing access to the one or more items of protected information, using at least the identifier and a technique which does not use any additional characteristic of the entity; and

transmitting, from the licensing server, the license data over a communications network to a location accessible to the program.

30. A method for licensing access to protected information performed by a licensing server, communicating over a communications network with a program residing on remotely located devices, to provide access to protected information stored on said devices, the method comprising:

receiving identifier data, the identifier data being based at least in part on one or more characteristics of an entity to which access to protected information is linked, different such characteristics corresponding to different levels of access to the protected information;

generating license data for providing access to the protected information, using at least the identifier data and based on specific ones of the one or more characteristics corresponding to a specific level of access to the protected information, but not using any characteristic of the entity obtained from a source other than the entity; and

transmitting the license data over a communications network to a location accessible to a program residing on a remotely located device.