Method, apparatus and system for securely providing material to a licensee of the material

• US 7,299,209 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2002
• Issued: 11/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Marking Object Virtualization Intelligence, LLC
• Original Assignee: Macrovision Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Collier, David C
• Primary Examiner(s): Worjloh, Jalatee
• Application Number:
  US10/081,173
• Publication Number:
  US 20030078795A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,097 Days
• Field of Search: 705 51- 59, 726/30, 380201-203
• US Class Current: 705/59
• 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]

Abstract

A method, apparatus and system for securely providing material to a licensee of the material are described. In each, at least one license key is provided, preferably along with a license including usage rights for requested content or material to the licensee. The material requested and licensed by the licensee is provided to the licensee encrypted with at least one content key. To achieve a second-level of security, the at least one content key is provided to the licensee encrypted with the at least one license key so that both the at least one content key and the at least one license key are necessary for the licensee to decrypt and use the encrypted material.

Claims

1. A method for securely providing material to a licensee of the material, comprising:

providing a plurality of license keys to a licensee of material;

providing said material in at least one MPEG-4 bit stream encrypted by a plurality of content keys for corresponding time periods of said material; and

providing said plurality of content keys encrypted with said plurality of license keys, used one-at-a-time on a periodically rotating basis for encrypting and decrypting said plurality of content keys, to said licensee in an Intellectual Property Management and Protection (IPMP) stream provided along with said material.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising providing a license authorizing said licensee to use said material.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said license includes a plurality of usage rights for using said material.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein said plurality of license keys are provided along with said license to said licensee.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said providing said plurality of license keys to a licensee of material, comprises providing said plurality of license keys encrypted with a public key of said licensee to said licensee.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein said plurality of content keys encrypted with said plurality of license keys and said material encrypted with said plurality of content keys are provided by transmitting them over an authenticated secure channel to said licensee.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said providing said material encrypted with said plurality of content keys to said licensee, comprises encrypting said material in real-time with said plurality of content keys and providing said material encrypted with said plurality of content keys to said licensee by transmitting it as streaming media.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of content keys encrypted with said plurality of license keys is mapped to corresponding portions of said material included in said at least one MPEG-4 bit stream encrypted with said plurality of content keys, by IPMP descriptors associated with said corresponding portions.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of content keys are used one-at-a-time for encrypting and decrypting said corresponding time periods of said material.

10. An apparatus for securely providing material to a licensee of the material, comprising at least one server configured with at least one computer program for:

transmitting a plurality of license keys to a client device operable by a licensee of material;

transmitting said material in at least one MPEG-4 bit stream encrypted by a plurality of content keys for corresponding periods of time of said material; and

transmitting said plurality of content keys encrypted with said plurality of license keys, used one-at-a-time on a periodically rotating basis for encrypting and decrypting said plurality of content keys, to said client device in an Intellectual Property Management and Protection (IPMP) stream provided along with said material.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said at least computer program is further for transmitting a license authorizing said licensee to use said material.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said license includes a plurality of usage rights for using said material.

13. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said at least one computer program is further for establishing an authenticated secure channel with said client device and transmit said plurality of license keys along with said license to said client device over said secure channel.

14. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said at least one server comprises a license server configured with a licensing computer program for transmitting said plurality of license keys to said client device, and a data providing server configured with a data providing computer program for transmitting said material encrypted with said plurality of content keys and said plurality of content keys encrypted with said plurality of license keys, to said client device.

15. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said plurality of content keys encrypted with said plurality of license keys is mapped to corresponding portions of said material included in said at least one MPEG-4 bit stream encrypted with said plurality of content keys by IPMP descriptors associated with said corresponding portions.

16. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said plurality of content keys are used one-at-a-time for encrypting and decrypting said corresponding time periods of said material.

17. A system for securely providing material to a licensee of the material, comprising:

a client device operable by a licensee of material; and

at least one server configured to transmit a plurality of license keys, said material in at least one MPEG-4 bit stream encrypted by a plurality of content keys for corresponding time periods of said material, and said plurality of content keys encrypted with said plurality of license keys, used one-at-a-time on a periodically rotating basis for encrypting and decrypting said plurality of content keys, to said client device in an Intellectual Property Management and Protection (IPMP) stream provided along with said material.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein said at least one server is further configured to transmit a license authorizing said licensee to use said material to said client.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein said license includes a plurality of usage rights for using said material.

20. The system according to claim 18, wherein said at least one server is further configured to establish an authenticated secure channel with said client device and transmit said plurality of license keys along with said license to said client device over said secure channel.

21. The system according to claim 17, wherein said at least one server comprises a license server configured to transmit said plurality of license keys to said client device, and a data providing server configured to transmit said encrypted material and said encrypted plurality of content keys to said client device.

22. The system according to claim 17, wherein said plurality of content keys encrypted with said plurality of license keys is mapped to corresponding portions of said material included in said at least one MPEG-4 bit stream encrypted with said plurality of content keys by IPMP descriptors associated with said corresponding portions.

23. The system according to claim 17, wherein said plurality of content keys are used one-at-a-time for encrypting and decrypting said corresponding time periods of said material.

24. The system according to claim 17, wherein said client device is configured to:

decrypt said encrypted plurality of content keys using said plurality of license keys; and

decrypt said encrypted material using said decrypted plurality of content keys.

25. The system according to claim 24, wherein said client is further configured to receive said plurality of license keys along with a license authorizing said licensee to use said material from said at least one server.

26. The system according to claim 25, wherein said license includes a plurality of usage rights for using said material.

27. The system according to claim 26, wherein said client is further configured to use said material only in accordance with said plurality of usage rights of said license.

28. A method for securely receiving material from a licensor of the material, comprising:

receiving a license to use material;

receiving a plurality of license keys corresponding to said license;

receiving said material in at least one MPEG-4 bit stream encrypted by a plurality of content keys for corresponding time periods of said material;

receiving said plurality of content keys encrypted with said plurality of license keys, used one-at-a-time on a periodically rotating basis for encrypting and decrypting said plurality of content keys, in an Intellectual Property Management and Protection (IPMP) stream provided along with said material;

decrypting said encrypted plurality of content keys using said plurality of license keys; and

decrypting said encrypted material using said decrypted plurality of content keys for corresponding time periods of said material.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein said license includes a plurality of usage rights for using said material.

30. The method according to claim 28, wherein said encrypted plurality of content keys is received with said encrypted material.

31. The method according to claim 28, wherein said license, said plurality of license keys, said encrypted material, and said encrypted plurality of content keys are received electronically.