Method and system for selling content

• US 7,206,749 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2001
• Issued: 04/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marvell Asia Pte Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Original Assignee: OKI Electric Industry Company Limited
• Inventors: Sato, Masaki, Taniguchi, Masayuki, Yamamoto, Hideki, Ikeno, Atsushi, Kondo, Norio
• Primary Examiner(s): Ouellette; Jonathan
• Application Number:
  US09/858,886
• Publication Number:
  US 20020019724A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,161 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/14, 717/168
• US Class Current: 705/1.1
• 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: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

This invention provides a method and a system for selling content capable of ensuring a fair profit of a copyrighter of a creation in content. More specifically, this invention provides a method and a system for selling content for judging whether an user terminal has purchase information of each creation in content including one or two creations or more or not and for calculating forwarding charge of the content based on whether the user terminal has purchase information of each creation in the content or not, in forwarding the content to the user terminal. The method and system for selling content enable to circulate the creation itself in the content as the object of dealing and to gain profit directly from the user of content. Therefore, the copyrighter can gain the fair profit without being influenced by the achievement of the content including the creation. This is also to encourage the creative urge of the creator and to improve the creative level of the creator. In addition, since the user of content can purchase the content including the creation having the purchase information with cheap price, consumption activity is to be vitalized effectively.

Claims

1. A system for selling software content including at least one creation, wherein each creation is a subset part of the whole content, the system comprising:

a user terminal including purchase-record information storing means for storing purchase-record information of the creations, purchase condition inquiry means for requesting a condition server to inquire about a relation in conditions between the software content and the purchase-record information, and execution means for the software content;

a copyrighter terminal forwarding the purchase-record information to the user terminal;

a software content creator terminal creating software content including at least one of the creations and forwarding the software content to a software content sales administration server;

a software content sales administration server including software content storing means storing the software content forwarded from the software content creator terminal and sales administration means forwarding information including details and price of the software content; and

a condition server including condition storing means storing the relation in conditions between the software content and the purchase-record information and calculating the price of software content based on the purchase-record information and searching means for searching the condition storing means.

2. A system for selling software content according to claim 1, wherein an authentication server for authenticating the validity of the user terminal, the copyrighter terminal, the software content creator terminal, the software content sales administration server and the condition server is included in the above system.

3. A system for selling software content according to claim 1, wherein the creation is copyrighted.

4. A system for selling software content according to claim 1, wherein the creation is individually copyrighted.

5. A system for selling software content including at least one creation, wherein each creation is a subset part of the whole content, the system comprising:

a user terminal including purchase condition inquiry means for requesting a condition server to inquire about a relation in conditions between the software content and the purchase-record information and execution means for the software content;

a copyrighter terminal forwarding the purchase-record information to the user terminal;

a software content creator terminal creating software content including at least one creations and forwarding the software content to a software content sales administration server;

a software content sales administration server including software content storing means storing the software content forwarded from the software content creator terminal and sales administration means forwarding information including details and price of the software content; and

a condition server including purchase-record information storing means for storing purchase-record information of the creations, condition storing means storing the relation in conditions between the software content and the purchase-record information and calculating the price of software content based on the purchase-record information and searching means for searching the condition storing means.

6. A system for selling software content according to claim 5, wherein an authentication server for authenticating the validity of the user terminal, the copyrighter terminal, the software content creator terminal, the software content sales administration server and the condition server is included in the above system.

7. A system for selling software content according to claim 5, wherein the creation is copyrighted.

8. A system for selling software content according to claim 5, wherein the creation is individually copyrighted.

9. A system for selling software content including at least one creation, wherein each creation is a subset part of the whole content, the system comprising:

a user terminal including execution means for the software content;

a copyrighter terminal forwarding purchase-record information to the user terminal;

a software content creator terminal creating software content including at least one creations and forwarding the software content to a software content sales administration server;

a software content sales administration server including software content storing means storing the software content forwarded from the software content creator terminal, purchase condition inquiry means for requesting a condition server to inquire about a relation in conditions between the software content and the purchase-record information, and sales administration means forwarding information including details and price of the software content; and

a condition server including purchase-record information storing means for storing purchase-record information of the creations, condition storing means storing the relation in conditions between the software content and the purchase-record information and calculating the price of software content based on the purchase-record information and searching means for searching the condition storing means.

10. A system for selling software content according to claim 9, wherein an authentication server for authenticating the validity of the user terminal, the copyrighter terminal, the software content creator terminal, the software content sales administration server and the condition server is included in the above system.

11. A system for selling software content according to claim 9, wherein the creation is copyrighted.

12. A system for selling software content according to claim 9, wherein the creation is individually copyrighted.