Method for selling, protecting, and redistributing digital goods

• US 7,209,901 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2001
• Issued: 04/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: St Patent Holdings LLC, SL Patent Holdings LLC (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SL Patent Holdings LLC (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Inventors: Schull, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Backer; Firmin
• Application Number:
  US09/942,232
• Publication Number:
  US 20020004785A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,064 Days
• Field of Search: 705/50, 705/51, 705/58, 705/59, 713/172, 713/198, 713/201
• US Class Current: 705/58
• 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 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3676 Balancing accounts

Abstract

This is a method for limiting access to selected features of a freely distributed multimedia file, by disabling selected features of the file (using encryption, compression, or other access denial), distributing the file with some enabled features as an inducement to new users, and offering to enable more features when a new user attempts to use a disabled feature. A licensing system then receives a request from the user'"'"'s system, identifying a specific operating context and one or more features desired by the corresponding user. Accounting is done and an authorization is sent to the user or the user'"'"'s system to enable the features. However, the authorization is uniquely associated with the measured operating context of the user and the features remain enabled only for said operating context, thus limiting full operation to authorized users, while permitting new users access to limited operations.

Claims

1. A method for limiting access to selected features of a multimedia file, comprising the steps of:

disabling selected features of said multimedia file;

distributing said multimedia file with at least some enabled features;

offering to enable one or more specific disabled features when a user attempts to use at least one of said specific disabled features;

receiving a request from a user or user'"'"'s system, said request identifying an operating context and identifying said one or more disabled features; and

transmitting an authorization to said user or user'"'"'s system to enable said one or more disabled features, where said authorization is uniquely associated with said operating context;

whereby said selected features remain enabled only for said operating context.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

identifying an operating context and a licensor from information in said request and arranging to send an authorization according to an agreement between said user and said licensor.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

providing a user environment in which pre-defined actions by said user are interpreted as a request for access to at least some of said disabled features;

creating an identifier for said operating context, wherein said identifier is created according to at least one measurable factor of said user'"'"'s user environment; and

using said operating context identifier to associate said authorization with said user'"'"'s operating context;

whereby said authorization will not enable said disabled features when said at least one measurable factor has changed beyond a pre-configured limit.

4. The method of claim 1 in which said at least one measurable factor is selected from the set of:

machine-readable user identifier serial number of user processor or product, machine-readable features of the user'"'"'s system, user'"'"'s voice pattern, spoken or typed password, processor time-stamp, nearly unique tattoo, telephone number, network address, user'"'"'s visual appearance, and biological tissue samples.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

ensuring that an authorization received for one or more selected features for said unique user cannot be used for access by another user or on another system; and

permitting use of said at least some enabled features in a different operating context;

whereby users can obtain authorization to test or demonstrate said selected features on one system and provide additional copies of the multimedia file to others who must then request their own authorizations.

6. A method for limiting access to selected features of a data object, comprising the steps of:

compressing or encrypting portions of said data object;

distributing said data object with at least some operable features;

offering to decompress or decrypt one or more portions of said data object when a user of one of said operable features attempts to use features of at least one of said compressed or encrypted portions;

receiving a request from a user or user'"'"'s system, said request identifying an operating context and said one or more compressed or encrypted portions;

transmitting an authorization to said user or user'"'"'s system to decompress or decrypt at least one compressed or encrypted portion, where said authorization is uniquely associated with said unique user;

whereby said selected portion is decompressed or decrypted only for said identified operating context.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising the steps of:

providing a user environment in which pre-defined actions by said user are interpreted as a request for access to at least some of said compressed or encrypted features;

creating a unique identifier for identifying said operating context according to at least one measurable factor of said user'"'"'s user environment; and

using said unique identifier to associate said authorization with said user'"'"'s user environment;

whereby said authorization will not enable decompression or decryption of said compressed or encrypted portion when said at least one measurable factor has changed beyond a pre-configured limit.

8. A method for limiting access to selected data features of copyable encoded information accessed by a user on a user'"'"'s system, and for restricting access to said selected data features to a particular operating context, comprising the steps of:

locking said selected data feature, having a feature identifier, with a corresponding key;

receiving an unlock request, from the user or user'"'"'s system, said request having a operating context identifier and a feature identifier;

transforming said key using at least said unique operating context identifier to form an authorization;

transmitting said authorization to said user or user'"'"'s system;

reverse transforming said authorization using said unique operating context identifier to obtain the key corresponding to said feature identifier; and

using said key to temporarily unlock said selected data feature;

whereby said authorization can only be used to access the selected data feature in the presence of said operating context identifier.

9. The method of claim 8 in which said operating context identifier is generated according to a pre-determined combination of values selected from the set of:

measurable parameters of a user'"'"'s system, measurable physical information about the user, and information supplied by the user.

10. The method of claim 8 in which said operating context identifier is generated for each unlock request according to the present state of a pre-determined combination of values collected by a user'"'"'s system.

11. The method of claim 8 in which said feature identifier is generated using unique identification information about said selected data feature in combination with said operating context identifier.

12. The method of claim 8 in which said transforming step uses encryption.

13. The method of claim 8 further comprising the steps of:

retrieving an authorization that has been previously stored for said selected data feature;

reverse transforming said retrieved authorization to obtain a valid key; and

unlocking said feature with said valid key;

whereby a selected data feature once unlocked remains unlockable in the presence of said previously stored authorization and said operating context under pre-determined conditions.

14. The method of claim 8 further comprising the steps of:

storing at least some of said authorizations received by said user or user'"'"'s system;

selecting a candidate authorization previously stored for said selected data feature;

validating said selected candidate authorization with a reverse transform using said unique operating context identifier; and

either unlocking said selected data feature, if said selected candidate authorization is successfully validated, or else signaling the user or user'"'"'s system to obtain a valid authorization.

15. The method of claim 8 wherein:

said transforming step is based upon a prime factorization of an N-digit number using said operating context identifier as a randomization key, where N is chosen to be within the factorization capabilities of a licensing computer but beyond the capabilities of the user or the user '"'"'s system, and

said reverse transforming step comprises generating the N-digit number in said user'"'"'s system, and confirming that said N-digit number is the product of the factorization contained in said authorization.

16. The method of claim 8 in which

said transforming step is based upon use of the operating context identifier as the seed for a complex pseudo-random number generator, and said reverse transforming step confirms that the authorization generated in the user'"'"'s system corresponds to the authorization received, based upon a transform of the operating context identifier and feature identifier.

17. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of:

storing at least some of said authorizations received by said user or user'"'"'s system;

determining whether a valid authorization is stored corresponding to a selected data feature desired by said user using said operating context identifier; and

advertising information to said user regarding purchase of a new authorization for said selected data feature when said user'"'"'s system determines that a corresponding authorization has not been stored or cannot be validated in the present operating context.

18. The method of claim 17 in which said advertising information includes information selected from the set of:

description of the selected data feature, advantages of the selected data feature, cost or other requirements for access to the selected data feature, source identification for obtaining an authorization, identification of an owner or licensor of rights in the selected data feature, and method of obtaining a valid authorization for access to said selected data feature.

19. The method of claim 8 further comprising the steps of:

permitting a user or user'"'"'s system to operate or access at least some unprotected features of said encoded information;

assisting said user in selection of a selected data feature by disclosing information to said user regarding data features for which no valid authorization is present; and

connecting said user'"'"'s system to a licensing processor for transmission of said unlock request and for reception of said authorization.

20. The method of claim 8 further comprising the steps of:

said user indicating a desire for a selected data feature beyond any features already operable or already unlocked;

informing the user that the feature is locked, where said feature is locked unless a valid authorization has been stored for said user-ID and said authorization is still valid;

offering said user information about possible benefits of obtaining access to said locked feature;

offering to said user to provide said user with access to said feature upon agreement with predetermined conditions; and

forming an unlock request for a user who indicates agreement with said at least some of said predetermined conditions.

21. The method of claim 8 in which said selected data feature is selected from the following abilities:

to decompress encoded information, to access a text file, to execute a software or hardware program, to access a further distribution channel, to decrypt digital data, to enable a high-quality output, to enable storage of processing results, to access a digitized multimedia file, to enable predetermined hardware or software features of the user'"'"'s system, and to access an analog playback process for an audio, video or multimedia recording.

22. The method of claim 8 in which said selected data features are locked by a transform of either encryption or compression, or both, for which a key is required to reverse each transform;

and

a password or authorization provides access to said key;

wherein access to each selected data feature requires a password or authorization which is adequately unique to prevent different users or user'"'"'s systems from sharing passwords.

23. The method of claim 8 in which at least some of said steps of locking, unlocking, transforming and reverse transforming are carried out in firmware in the user'"'"'s system.

24. A method for sharing limited access to selected data features of copyable encoded information stored on a server, and for permitting only uniquely identified workstations to unlock said selected data features, comprising the steps of:

locking said selected data feature, having a feature-identifier, with a corresponding key;

receiving an unlock request having a unique workstation-identifier and a feature identifier from the workstation;

transforming said key using at least said unique workstation identifier to form an authorization;

transmitting said authorization to said workstation;

reverse transforming said authorization using said unique workstation identifier to obtain the key corresponding to said feature-identifier; and

using said key to unlock said selected data feature;

whereby said key can only be used to access the selected data feature from a unique workstation-identifier.

25. The method of claim 24 in which authorizations formed for a given workstation are then stored on the server in workstation-specific locations.

26. The method of claim 24 in which said unique workstation identifiers are constructed such that any workstation identified as being on the same network can use the same authorization for the selected data feature of the encoded information.