Protecting content on medium from unfettered distribution

• US 7,281,273 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2002
• Issued: 10/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Strom, Clifford P., Sahasrabudhe, Sandeep, Parks, M. Jay, Paddleford, John
• Primary Examiner(s): REVAK, CHRISTOPHER A
• Application Number:
  US10/186,003
• Publication Number:
  US 20040003274A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,929 Days
• Field of Search: 713/156, 713/175, 713/193, 726 32- 33, 380200-202
• US Class Current: 726/27
• 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: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0021 involving encryption or decryption of contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0055 wherein license data is encrypted
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00659 involving a control step which is implemented as an executable file stored on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00695 said measures preventing that data are read from the recording medium
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00847 wherein the usage restriction is defined by a licence file

Abstract

Digital content is encrypted according to a content key (CK) to form (CK(content)) and such (CK(content)), a license generator, a start-up file, and license-generating information are placed on a digital storage medium. The license generator is for generating a digital license corresponding to the placed content, where the generated license has the content key (CK) therein. The start-up file is read and executed when the medium is mounted to a computing device, and the executed start-up file executes the license generator The license generating information includes the content key (CK) and any terms, conditions, rules, and/or requirements to be built into the license.

Claims

1. A method for packaging digital content on a digital storage medium, the method comprising:

placing the content on the medium, the content being encrypted according to a content key (CK) to form (CK(content));

placing a license generator on the medium, the license generator for generating for a particular entity a digital license corresponding to the placed content, the generated license from the license generator including the content key (CK) therein encrypted in a form decryptable by the particular entity, the generated license from the license generator also including rules that the particular entity must follow in order to decrypt the encrypted content key (CK) and apply the decrypted content key (CK) to (CK(content)) so as to reveal the content, the license generator having embedded therein a private key for signing the digital license;

placing a start-up file on the medium, the start-up file being read and executed when the medium is mounted to a computing device, the executed start-up file executing the license generator; and

placing license-generating information on the medium, the license generating information including the content key (CK) and the rules to be included in the license.

2. The method of claim 1 comprising storing the content on the medium in a Yellow Book format.

3. The method of claim 1 comprising placing the content on the medium in a pre-determined format and further comprising placing the content on the medium in another pre-determined format.

4. The method of claim 3 comprising placing the content on the medium in a Yellow Book format and in a Red Book format.

5. The method of claim 3 further comprising protecting the content on the medium in the another format such that the computing device cannot render same.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising individualizing the license generator with respect to the placed-on medium.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising placing an integrity checker on the medium, the integrity checker on the medium when executed for determining whether the medium is an original or a copy of an original.

8. The method of claim 7 comprising placing the start-up file on the medium, the executed start-up file executing the integrity checker.

9. The method of claim 1 comprising placing audio content on the medium.

10. The method of claim 9 comprising placing the audio content on a compact disc (CD).

11. The method of claim 1 comprising placing each item in an image file and writing the image file to the medium.

12. A digital storage medium having stored thereon:

a piece of digital content encrypted according to a content key (CK) to form (CK(content));

a license generator for generating for a particular entity a digital license corresponding to the content, the generated license from the license generator including the content key (CK) therein encrypted in a form decryptable by the particular entity, the generated license from the license generator also including rules that the particular entity must follow in order to decrypt the encrypted content key (CK) and apply the decrypted content key to CK content)) so as to reveal the content, the license generator having embedded therein a private key for signing the digital license;

a start-up file read and executed when the medium is mounted to a computing device, the executed start-up file executing the license generator; and

license generating information including the content key (CK) and the rules to be included in the license.

13. The medium of claim 12 having stored thereon the content stored in a Yellow Book format.

14. The medium of claim 12 having stored thereon the content stored in a pre-determined format and further comprising the content stored in another pre-determined format.

15. The medium of claim 14 having stored thereon the content stored in a Yellow Book format and in a Red Book format.

16. The medium of claim 14 having stored thereon the content stored in the another format such that the computing device cannot render same.

17. The medium of claim 12 having stored thereon the license generator individualized with respect to the medium.

18. The medium of claim 12 further having stored thereon an integrity checker which when executed determines whether the medium is an original or a copy of an original.

19. The medium of claim 18 having stored thereon the start-up file which when executed executes the integrity checker.

20. The medium of claim 12 having stored thereon audio content.

21. The medium of claim 20 comprising a compact disc (CD).

22. A method for generating a license for a computing device for a piece of digital content stored on a digital storage medium, the content being encrypted according to a content key (CK) to form (CK(content)), the method comprising:

mounting the medium to the computing device;

performing, by the computing device, an initial scan to detect a start-up file on the medium;

executing, by the computing device, the detected start-up file;

executing, by the start-up file, a license generator on the medium;

obtaining, by the license generator, license-generating information on the medium including the content key (CK) and rules for rendering the content, the license generator having embedded therein a private key for signing a digital license;

generating, by the license generator, for the computing device, a digital license corresponding to the content on the medium, the generated license from the license generator including having the content key (CK) encrypted in a form decryptable by the computing device and the rules for rendering the content as specified by the obtained license-generating information; and

placing the generated license on the computing device, whereby the content may be rendered by retrieving the license, determining based on the rules in the license whether rendering is permitted, and if rendering is in fact permitted retrieving the encrypted (CK) from the license and decrypting same, obtaining (CK(content)), applying (CK) to (CK(content)) to result in the content in a decrypted form, and rendering the decrypted content.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising copying (CK(content)) from the medium to the computing device.

24. The method of claim 23 comprising copying (CK(content)) from a Yellow Book portion of the medium to the computing device.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein the medium also has stored thereon the content in an unencrypted form, the method further comprising preventing copying of the unencrypted content from the medium.

26. The method of claim 25 comprising preventing copying of the unencrypted content from a Red Book portion of the medium.

27. The method of claim 22 wherein the medium further has stored thereon an integrity checker, the method further comprising executing, by the executed start-up file, the integrity checker, determining, by the integrity checker, whether the medium is an original or a copy of an original, and halting processing if the medium is a copy.

28. The method of claim 22 wherein generating the digital license comprises:

signing the license based on a private key of the license generator (PR-LG) to produce a signature (S (PR-LG)), a public key (PU-LG) corresponding to (PR-LG) being derivable by way of a chain of certificates from a root signing key;

appending (S (PR-LG)) to the license; and

appending the chain of certificates to the license, whereby the content may be rendered by deriving (PU-LG) from the chain of certificates and knowledge of the root signing key, obtaining (S (PR-LG)) from the license and verifying same based on the derived (PU-LG), and proceeding if in fact (S (PR-LG)) verifies.

29. The method of claim 22 wherein generating the digital license comprises:

obtaining a binding key (BK) of the computing device from a trusted component thereof;

obtaining the content key (CK) from the obtained license-generating information;

encrypting (CK) with (BK) to form (BK(CK)) and placing same in the license, whereby the content may be rendered by retrieving (BK(CK)) from the license, obtaining a decrypting key corresponding to (BK), applying the decrypting key to (BK(CK)) to result in (CK), retrieving (CK(content)), and applying (CK) to (CK(content)) to result in the content in a decrypted form.

30. The method of claim 29 comprising obtaining a binding key (BK) comprising a public key of the computing device (PU-PC), whereby the decrypting key is a private key of the computing device (PR-PC) corresponding to (PU-PC).

31. A method for packaging digital content on a digital storage medium, the method comprising:

placing the content on the medium in a Yellow Book format, the Yellow Book content being encrypted according to a content key (CK) to form (CK(content)), the Yellow Book content once decrypted being renderable by a computing device;

placing the content on the medium in a Red Book format, the Red Book content being protected such that the Red Book content is non-renderable by the computing device;

placing a license generator on the medium, the license generator for generating for a particular entity a digital license corresponding to the placed Yellow Book content, the generated license from the license generator including the content key (CK) therein encrypted in a form decryptable by the particular entity, the generated license from the license generator also including rules that the particular entity must follow in order to decrypt the encrypted content key (CK) and apply the decrypted content key (CK) to (CK(content)) so as to reveal the content, the license generator having embedded therein a private key for signing the digital license;

placing a start-up file on the medium, the start-up file being read and executed when the medium is mounted to the computing device, the executed start-up file executing the license generator; and

placing license-generating information on the medium, the license generating information including the content key (CK) and the rules to be included in the license.

32. The method of claim 31 further comprising placing an integrity checker on the medium, the integrity checker on the medium when executed for determining whether the medium is an original or a copy of an original.

33. The method of claim 32 comprising placing the start-up file on the medium, the executed start-up file executing the integrity checker.

34. The method of claim 31 comprising placing audio content on the medium.

35. The method of claim 34 comprising placing the audio content on a compact disc (CD).

36. The method of claim 31 comprising placing each item in an image file and writing the image file to the medium.

37. A digital storage medium having stored thereon:

a piece of digital content encrypted according to a content key (CK) to form (CK(content)) and placed on the medium in a Yellow Book format, the Yellow Book content once decrypted being renderable by a computing device;

the piece of digital content placed on the medium in a Red Book format, the Red Book content being protected such that the Red Book content is non-renderable by the computing device;

a license generator for generating for a particular entity a digital license corresponding to the Yellow Book content, the generated license from the license generator including the content key (CK) therein encrypted in a form decryptable by the particular entity, the generated license from the license generator also including rules that the particular entity must follow in order to decrypt the encrypted content key (CK) and apply the decrypted content key (CK) to (CK(content)) so as to reveal the content, the license generator having embedded therein a private key for signing the digital license;

a start-up file read and executed when the medium is mounted to a computing device, the executed start-up file executing the license generator; and

license generating information including the content key (CK) and the rules to be included in the license.

38. The medium of claim 37 further having stored thereon an integrity checker which when executed determines whether the medium is an original or a copy of an original.

39. The medium of claim 38 having stored thereon the start-up file which when executed executes the integrity checker.

40. The medium of claim 37 having stored thereon audio content.

41. The medium of claim 40 comprising a compact disc (CD).