Retail transactions involving distributed and super-distributed digital content in a digital rights management (DRM) system

• US 7,149,722 B1
• Filed: 09/28/2000
• Issued: 12/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Abburi, Rajasekhar
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): Greene, Daniel L.
• Application Number:
  US09/671,643
• Time in Patent Office: 2,266 Days
• Field of Search: 705/59, 705/1, 705/50, 705/51, 705/54, 713/200, 713/201, 380/200, 380/201, 380/2
• 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: G06F 2221/2135 Metering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/603 Digital right managament [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/08 Key distribution or management, e.g. generation, sharing or updating, of cryptographic keys or passwords network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting key management in a packet data network H04L63/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures

Abstract

To distribute digital content from a retailer to a customer, the content as issued by a content provider is retrieved. The as issued content has license acquisition information for acquiring a corresponding license attached thereto, where the license acquisition information includes a site identifier identifying a site at which the customer may obtain a digital license corresponding to the content. The site identifier includes an additional information field attached thereto. The additional information field is modified to include retailer information identifying the retailer, and the content is delivered with the modified additional information field to the customer. Thus, a license request sent from the customer is addressed to the site identified by the site identifier in the license acquisition information and includes the modified additional information field attached thereto. The corresponding digital license is issued to the customer after receiving the license request at the site identified by the site identifier, and after payment is received at such site from the customer in connection with the license request. The retailer information from the license request is retrieved and the retailer is identified therefrom, and such identified retailer is credited for a portion of the payment received.

Claims

1. A method of issuing digital licenses from a licensor for a corresponding piece of digital content, the content originally having been issued by a retailer, the method comprising performing a plurality of transactions, each transaction comprising:

the licensor receiving a first license request for a first license from a first customer in connection with the content and issuing a first license in response thereto, the first customer having received a copy of the content from the retailer, the first request including retailer information associated with the corresponding piece of digital content and identifying the retailer;

the licensor receiving a payment from the first customer in connection with the first license request;

the licensor retrieving the retailer information from the first license request and identifying the retailer therefrom;

the licensor crediting the identified retailer for a portion of the payment received in connection with the first license request;

the licensor receiving a second license request for a second license from a second customer in connection with the content and issuing a second license in response thereto, the second customer having received a copy of the content from the first customer, the second request including first customer information associated with the corresponding piece of digital content and identifying the first customer;

the licensor receiving a payment from the second customer in connection with the second license request;

the licensor retrieving the first customer information from the license request and identifying the first customer therefrom; and

the licensor crediting the first customer for a portion of the payment received in connection with the second license request,

wherein crediting the first customer comprises recording the first customer information in a database for accounting purposes, the database including an entry for each first customer information, each entry including a count for counting the number of times a license has been issued for the specific first customer information combination, such recording comprising;

finding the first customer information entry in the database corresponding to the first customer information of the second request, or creating such sub-entry if none is present; and

incrementing the count in such entry,

whereby over the plurality of transactions the count in the entry is accumulated,

the method further comprising providing the portions of the payments to the first customer based on the accumulated count.

2. The method of claim 1 comprising:

receiving the second license request for the license from the second customer, the second request including first customer information associated with the corresponding piece of digital content and identifying the first customer, and a content identification identifying the content, the method further comprising;

retrieving the content identification from the second license request and identifying the content therefrom;

the method comprising crediting the identified first customer according to the identified content.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising recording the first customer information and content identification in a database for accounting purposes, the database including an entry for each content identification, each content identification entry including a sub-entry for each first customer information related to such content identification, each sub-entry including a count for counting the number of times a license has been issued for the specific content identification—

first customer information combination, such recording comprising;

finding the content identification entry in the database corresponding to the content identification of the second request, or creating such entry if none is present;

finding, under such content identification entry, the first customer information sub-entry in the database corresponding to the first customer information of the request, or creating such sub-entry if none is present; and

incrementing the count in such sub-entry.

4. The method of claim 2 comprising:

receiving the license request for the license from the second customer, the second request including first customer information associated with the corresponding piece of digital content and identifying the first customer, a content identification identifying the content, and content distribution information associated with the corresponding piece of digital content and uniquely identifying the content as distributed by the first customer, the method further comprising;

retrieving the content distribution information from the license request and identifying the content as distributed by the first customer therefrom;

the method comprising crediting the identified first customer according to the identified content and identified content as distributed by the first customer.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising recording the first customer information, content identification, and content distribution information in a database for accounting purposes, the database including an entry for each content identification, each content identification entry including a sub-entry for each customer distribution information and first customer information combination related to such content identification, each sub-entry including a count for counting the number of times a license has been issued for the specific content identification—

customer distribution information—

first customer information combination, such recording comprising;

finding the content identification entry in the database corresponding to the content identification of the second request, or creating such entry if none is present;

finding, under such content identification entry, the customer distribution information—

first customer information sub-entry in the database corresponding to the customer distribution information—

first customer information of the second request, or creating such sub-entry if none is present; and

incrementing the count in such sub-entry.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein receiving the second license request comprises receiving the second license request as addressed to a site identified by a site identifier, the site identifier including the content distribution information attached thereto, and wherein retrieving the content distribution information comprises retrieving the content distribution information as attached to the site identifier.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising issuing the license to the second customer.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving the license request comprises receiving the second license request as addressed to a site identified by a site identifier, the site identifier including the first customer information attached thereto, and wherein retrieving the first customer information comprises retrieving the first customer information as attached to the site identifier.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the payment comprises a non-monetary payment.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the payment is selected from a group consisting of earned credits, barter chits, a promise to perform a function, and combinations thereof.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the second customer is not the first customer.

11. A method of issuing digital licenses from a licensor for a corresponding piece of digital content, the content originally having been issued by a retailer, the method comprising performing a plurality of transactions, each transaction comprising:

the licensor receiving a first license request for a first license from a customer in connection with the content and issuing a first license in response thereto, the customer having received a copy of the content from the retailer, the first request including retailer information associated with the corresponding piece of digital content and identifying the retailer;

the licensor receiving a payment from the customer in connection with the first license request;

the licensor retrieving the retailer information from the first license request and identifying the retailer therefrom;

the licensor crediting the identified retailer for a portion of the payment received in connection with the first license request;

the licensor receiving a second license request for a second license from the customer in connection with the content and issuing a second license in response thereto, the second request including customer information associated with the corresponding piece of digital content and identifying the customer;

the licensor receiving a payment from the customer in connection with the second license request;

the licensor retrieving the customer information from the license request and identifying the customer therefrom; and

the licensor crediting the customer for a portion of the payment received in connection with the second license request,

wherein crediting the first customer comprises recording the first customer information in a database for accounting purposes, the database including an entry for each first customer information, each entry including a count for counting the number of times a license has been issued for the specific first customer information combination, such recording comprising;

finding the first customer information entry in the database corresponding to the first customer information of the second request, or creating such sub-entry if none is present; and

incrementing the count in such entry,

whereby over the plurality of transactions the count in the entry is accumulated,

the method further comprising providing the portions of the payments to the first customer based on the accumulated count.