Systems and methods for secure transaction management and electronic rights protection

• US 7,095,854 B1
• Filed: 10/03/2000
• Issued: 08/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intertrust Technologies Corporation (Fidelio Acquisition Co LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intertrust Technologies Corporation (Fidelio Acquisition Co LLC)
• Inventors: Ginter, Karl L., Spahn, Francis J., Shear, Victor H., Van Wie, David M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Darrow, Justin T.
• Application Number:
  US09/678,252
• Time in Patent Office: 2,149 Days
• Field of Search: 380/201, 380/203, 380/231, 380/233, 705/51, 705/52, 705/53, 705/54, 705/59, 713/164, 713/165, 713/193, 713/200, 725/1, 725/8
• US Class Current: 380/233
• 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 21/16 Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2115 Third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2117 User registration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2135 Metering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2137 Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0891 Revocation or update of secret information, e.g. encryption key update or rekeying
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25816 involving client authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25875 involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6334 for authorisation, e.g. by transmitting a key wireless communications network key management H04W12/04; wireless communications network access security H04W12/08

Abstract

The present invention provides systems and methods for secure transaction management and electronic rights protection. Electronic appliances such as computers equipped in accordance with the present invention help to ensure that information is accessed and used only in authorized ways, and maintain the integrity, availability, and/or confidentiality of the information. Such electronic appliances provide a distributed virtual distribution environment (VDE) that may enforce a secure chain of handling and control, for example, to control and/or meter or otherwise monitor use of electronically stored or disseminated information. Such a virtual distribution environment may be used to protect rights of various participants in electronic commerce and other electronic or electronic-facilitated transactions. Distributed and other operating systems, environments and architectures, such as, for example, those using tamper-resistant hardware-based processors, may establish security at each node. These techniques may be used to support an all-electronic information distribution, for example, utilizing the “electronic highway.”

Claims

1. A method for performing a commercial process including the following steps:

at a processing arrangement located at a first site, receiving a first communication including a first programming module and first authentication information, the first communication being directly or indirectly received from a second site located remotely from the first site;

at the processing arrangement, using the first authentication information to at least in part authenticate the first programming module;

at the processing arrangement, receiving a second communication including a second programming module and second authentication information, the second communication being directly or indirectly received from a third site located remotely from the first site and from the second site;

at the processing arrangement, using the second authentication information to at least in part authenticate the second programming module; and

at the processing arrangement, executing programming from the first programming module and programming from the second programming module, the execution contributing to the performance of a commercial process, the commercial process including the following steps;

(1) using a governed item; and

(2) storing audit-related information relating to the governed item use.

2. The method of claim 1, in which the governed item includes digitally-encoded audio, and the step of using the governed item further includes rendering at least a portion of the digitally-encoded audio through an output device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the audit-related information includes payment information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the audit-related information includes identification information.

5. The method of claim 1, further including the step of using the audit- related information in a financial transaction.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the audit-related information includes payment information.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the audit-related information includes identification information.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the audit-related information includes information pertaining to the identification of the first processing arrangement or of a user of the first processing arrangement.

9. The method of claim 1, further including the step of sending at least part of said audit-related information to a fourth site located remotely from the first site.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the audit-related information includes information pertaining to the identification of the first processing arrangement or of a user of the first processing arrangement.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the audit-related information includes information pertaining to the identification of the first processing arrangement or of a user of the first processing arrangement.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the audit-related information includes payment information.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the audit-related information includes payment information.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of storing the audit-related information includes sending the audit-related information to a fourth site located remotely from the first site.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the fourth site comprises the second site or the third site.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the stored audit-related information includes information relating to payment for the governed item use.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the audit-related information includes identification information.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the audit-related information includes information pertaining to the identification of the first processing arrangement or of a user of the first processing arrangement.

19. The method of claim 2, wherein the audit-related information includes payment information.

20. The method of claim 2, wherein the audit-related information includes identification information.

21. The method of claim 2, further including the step of using the audit- related information in a financial transaction.

22. The method of claim 2, further including the step of sending at least part of said audit-related information to a fourth site located remotely from the first site.

23. The method of claim 2, wherein the audit-related information includes information pertaining to the identification of the first processing arrangement or bf a user of the first processing arrangement.

24. The method of claim 2, wherein the stored audit-related information includes information relating to payment for the governed item use.

25. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of storing the audit-related information includes sending the audit-related information to a fourth site located remotely from the first site.

26. The method of claim 1, in which the governed item includes digitally- encoded video, and the step of using the governed item further includes rendering at least a portion of the digitally-encoded video through an output device.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the audit-related information includes payment information.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the audit-related information includes identification information.

29. The method of claim 26, further including the step of using the audit- related information in a financial transaction.

30. The method of claim 26, including the step of sending at least part of said audit-related information to a fourth site located remotely from the first site.

31. The method of claim 26, wherein the audit-related information includes information pertaining to the identification of the first processing arrangement or of a user of the first processing arrangement.

32. The method of claim 26, wherein the stored audit-related information includes information relating to payment for the governed item use.

33. The method of claim 26, wherein the step of storing the audit-related information includes sending the audit-related information to a fourth site located remotely from the first site.