System and method for enhanced piracy protection in a wireless personal communication device

• US 7,257,844 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2001
• Issued: 08/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marvell Asia Pte Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Original Assignee: Marvell International Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Inventors: Woodward, Ernest E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Moise; Emmanuel L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PYZOCHA, MICHAEL J
• Application Number:
  US09/919,518
• Publication Number:
  US 20030026432A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,205 Days
• Field of Search: 380/278, 380/231, 707/10, 705/57, 726/31
• US Class Current: 726/31
• 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 9/085 Secret sharing or secret splitting, e.g. threshold schemes

Abstract

A key-sharing scheme is used to control distribution and use of video and audio content in personal digital assistants (PDAs) and other wireless devices. A private key is split into key-shares using a Blakley-Shamir key splitting technique and the key-shares are distributed to various network entities including a finance server and security server. Key-shares are also stored in a user'"'"'s subscriber identity module (SIM) and a security processor of the PDA. The key-shares from the network entities are provided to the PDA after the user requests specific video or audio content and a credit verification is performed. The PDA'"'"'s security processor combines the key-shares to form the decryption key for use in playing the content by the PDA'"'"'s communications processor. When a service limit is reached, the PDA'"'"'s security processor purges the key-shares to prevent further use of the content.

Claims

1. A multiprocessor wireless communication device comprising:

a security processor to combine a plurality of key-shares, including at least a first key-share, a second key-share, and a device-dependent key-share, to generate a decryption key to decrypt content for the processing system, the security processor to monitor usage of the content and to purge at least one of the key-shares when the usage exceeds a measurment parameter;

a communications processor to play decrypted content recieved from the security processor; and

a radio-frequency (RF) interface to receive the first and second of the key-shares and encrypted content over a wireless communication link in response to a request to access the content and verification of a user'"'"'s credit,

wherein the wireless communication device has the device-dependant key-share pre-stored in a processor area,

wherein the security processor authenticates the measurment parameters with an authentication code to help prevent tampering with the measurment parameters, and

wherein the measurement parameters are secured by the authentication code and provided by a security server over the wirelss link along with the encrytped content or when the authentication code fails to authenticate.

2. The wireless communication device of claim 1 wherein the security processor portion purges at least one of the key-shares when usage of the content exceeds a service limit indicated by the measurment parameters.

3. The wireless communication device of claim 2, wherein the security processor retrieves a user-dependant key-share from a subscriber identity module (SIM) inserted into the wirelss communication device, and receives the second key-share from a finance server when the user'"'"'s credit is verified for accessing the content.

4. The wireless communication device of claim 3 wherein the measurment parameters comprise at least one of a date-limit, a run-time limit, and an iteration limit.

5. The wireless communication device of claim 4 further comprising an applications processor located within the processor area to process applications running on the wireless communication device, and

wherein the security processor, the communications processor and the applications processor are fabricated within an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

6. The wireless communication device of claim 5 further comprising a module recieving area to recieve the subscriber identity module (SIM), the SIM having the user-dependant key-share pre-stored therin.

7. The wireless communication device of claim 1 wherein the storage of the decrypted content is prohibited.