Enforcement architecture and method for digital rights management system for roaming a license to a plurality of user devices

• US 7,203,966 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2001
• Issued: 04/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Alkove, James M., McKune, Jeffrey R., Abburi, Rajasekhar, McNeill, William P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Moazzami; Nasser
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHIFERAW, ELENI A
• Application Number:
  US09/892,318
• Publication Number:
  US 20030084306A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,113 Days
• Field of Search: 713/201, 726/31, 726/32, 726/33, 726/29, 726/7, 380/201
• US Class Current: 726/29
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/109 by using specially-adapted hardware at the client

Abstract

An enforcement architecture and method for implementing roaming digital rights management are disclosed. A license distributed from a license server to a computing device of a user may be uploaded to a license synchronization server, and rebound to other devices registered with the service, thereby enabling access to the licensed content from other computing devices. A second digital license of a second computing device is set to expire prior to a first digital license of a first computing device. Reactivating a decayed first digital license, that is deactivated during transmission of the second digital license, to the second device to access content of the first computing device.

Claims

1. A method of enabling the use of a digital license on a plurality of devices, said digital license permitting the use of a content item and being bound to a first of said plurality of devices by a first public/private key pair associated with said first device, said method comprising:

receiving a first digital license from said first device, said first digital license associated with a first expiration date;

receiving a second public/private key pair associated with a second of said plurality of devices, said second key pair being different from said first key pair;

creating a second digital license bound to said second device using said second key pair, said second digital license being based on said first digital license, wherein said second digital license is set to expire prior to said first expiration date on a second expiration date;

disabling said first digital license;

transmitting said second digital license to said second device;

deactivating said second digital license past said second expiration date, wherein failure of said second device to contact a license synchronization server prior to said second expiration date results in removal of said second device from a registration store on said license synchronization server; and

reactivating said first digital license to said first device and accessing digital content through said first device using said reactivated first digital license.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said act of creating the second digital license includes adding the second expiration date to said second digital license, said second expiration date occurring earlier in time than said first expiration date.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said second expiration date comprises a specified offset from a date on which said act of transmitting said second digital license occurs.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating a third digital license bound to said first device; and

transmitting said third license to said first device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said third digital license includes a third expiration date.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said third expiration date comprises a specified offset from a date on which said act of transmitting said third license occurs.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the act of limiting the number of said plurality of devices.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said method further comprises the act of periodically refreshing said second digital license with one or more third digital licenses based on said first digital license, each of said third digital licenses including a third expiration date different from said first expiration date.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising revoking said second digital license.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising re-assigning said second digital license to a third of said plurality of devices after said revocation of said second digital license.

11. A computer-readable medium containing computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 1.

12. A method of enabling the use of a first digital license on a plurality of devices, said first digital license having a first expiration date and permitting the use of a content item and being bound to a first of said plurality of devices by a first public/private key pair associated with said first device, said method comprising:

sending, to a license synchronization server, a second public/private key pair associated with a second of said plurality of devices, said second key pair being different from said first key pair; and

receiving, from said license synchronization server, a second digital license bound to said second device by said second key pair, said second digital license being based on said first digital license, wherein said second digital license has a second expiration date is set to expire before said first digital license, and wherein failure of said second device to contact a license synchronization server prior to said second expiration date results in removal of said second device from a registration store on said license synchronization server;

disabling said first digital license;

decaying said second digital license into expiration; and

reactivating said first digital license to said first device and accessing said content item through said first device using said reactivated first digital license.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said second expiration date comprises a specified offset from a date on which said act of receiving said second digital license occurs.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein said second digital license has a set of license terms, and wherein said method further comprises periodically receiving a replacement of said second digital license, wherein each of the periodic replacements has said set of license terms and a second expiration date different from said first expiration date.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein said second digital license is revocable.

16. A computer-readable medium containing computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 12.

17. A system for roaming a digital license to a plurality of computing devices comprising:

a receiving module which receives over a computer network;

from a first of said plurality of computing devices, a first digital license which permits the use of a content item and is bound to said first of said plurality of computing devices by a first public/private key pair associated with said first of said plurality of computing devices; and

a second public/private key pair associated with a second of said plurality of computing devices different from said first of said plurality of computing devices, said second key pair being different from said first key pair;

a license-rewriting module which uses said second key pair to create a second digital license based on said first digital license, said second digital license being bound to said second device, said second digital license expiring before said first digital license;

a license synchronization server having a transmitting module for transmitting said second digital license to said second device, said server also disabling said first digital license in said first device, wherein failure of said second device to contact the license synchronization server prior to expiration of said second digital license results in removal of said second device from a registration store on said license synchronization server; and

a user interface wherein said first digital license is reactivated to said first device such that said content item is accessed through said first device using said reactivated first digital license.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

a transmitting module which periodically transmits a refreshed second license to said second device.

19. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

a module which limits the number of said plurality of devices.