Contents distribution system for handling secondary products utilizing raw material contents

• US 7,346,584 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2006
• Issued: 03/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Hamada, Shinichiro, Seki, Toshibumi
• Primary Examiner(s): CHEUNG, MARY DA ZHI WANG
• Application Number:
  US11/358,075
• Publication Number:
  US 20060143128A1
• Time in Patent Office: 755 Days
• Field of Search: 705/22, 705 26- 27, 705 39- 40, 705 50- 59, 705/77, 380200-203, 380231-233, 713165-169, 713/193, 707100-104
• US Class Current: 705/51
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for commerce, e.g. marketing, shopping, billing, auctions or e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/068 using time-dependent keys, e.g. periodically changing keys cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for controlling usage of secret information H04L9/088

Abstract

A contents distribution system uses a copyright rental use scheme in which the economical burden on the users at a time of utilizing contents can be reduced to a reasonable level, and appropriate fees can be collected for the copyrights of the contents created and provided at each stage by the raw material creators and the secondary product creators. In this system, the secondary product creator can create the secondary product contents by incorporating the raw material contents for free, and sell the secondary product contents. The end-user pays respective utilization fees to the secondary product creator and each raw material provider at a time of the purchasing the secondary product contents.

Claims

1. A contents distribution system for enabling utilization of a secondary product contents containing one or more raw material contents which are encrypted by using an encryption key and to which an information for a contract procedure to enable utilization of the raw material contents is attached, the contents distribution system comprising:

a server device configured to maintain the encryption key of the raw material contents; and

a client device configured to acquire the encryption key of the raw material contents from the server device, decrypt the raw material contents by using the encryption key and enable the utilization of the secondary product contents, by executing the contract procedure according to the information for the contract procedure attached to the raw material contents when the utilization of the secondary product contents is specified;

wherein the client device dynamically determines a price of each raw material contents constituting the secondary product contents according to prices of other raw material contents constituting the secondary product contents.

2. The contents distribution system of claim 1, wherein the client device executes the contract procedure for each raw material contents specified from the secondary product contents, according to the information for the contract procedure attached to each raw material contents.

3. The contents distribution system of claim 1, wherein the client device executes the contract procedure between an end-user of the secondary product contents and a raw material contents provider of each raw material contents.

4. The contents distribution system of claim 1, further comprising an editor device configured to encrypt the secondary product contents by using a prescribed encryption key, register the prescribed encryption key in the server device, and attaches a prescribed information for a prescribed contract procedure to enable the utilization of the secondary product contents to the secondary product contents.

5. The contents distribution system of claim 4, wherein the client device also executes the prescribed contract procedure for the secondary product contents, according to the prescribed information for the prescribed contract procedure attached to the secondary product contents, when the utilization of the secondary product contents is specified.

6. The contents distribution system of claim 1, wherein the client device enables the utilization of the secondary product contents created by a secondary product creator without paying any raw material fees to raw material providers of the raw material contents, when an end-user of the secondary product contents pays a raw material fee to each raw material provider of each raw material contents upon executing the contract procedure for each raw material contents at the client device.

7. The contents distribution system of claim 1, wherein the information for the contract procedure contains a first optional information for indicating presence/absence of a license of a user, a second information for specifying arrangement/configuration that can reproduce the secondary product contents, and a third optional information for describing conditions regarding a contract;

and

the client device enables the utilization of the secondary product contents to the user indicated by the first optional information by a utilization method according to the second information, if the license of the user is present when the first optional information is contained and if the conditions regarding the contract are satisfied when the third optional information is contained.

8. The contents distribution system of claim 7, wherein the third optional information indicates a charging method.

9. The contents distribution system of claim 8, wherein the first optional information also indicates a limitation on a valid period.

10. The contents distribution system of claim 8, wherein the first optional information also indicates a limitation on a number of times for reproduction.

16. The information processing device of claim 7, wherein the processing unit enables the utilization of the secondary product contents created by a secondary product creator without paying any raw material fees to raw material providers of the raw material contents, when an end-user of the secondary product contents pays a raw material fee to each raw material provider of each raw material contents upon executing the contract procedure for each raw material contents by the execution unit.

11. An information processing device for enabling utilization of a secondary product contents containing one or more raw material contents which are encrypted by using an encryption key and to which an information for a contract procedure to enable utilization of the raw material contents is attached, the information processing device comprising:

an execution unit configured to execute the contract procedure according to the information for the contract procedure attached to the raw material contents when the utilization of the secondary product contents is specified; and

a processing unit configured to acquire the encryption key of the raw material contents from a server that maintains the encryption key of the raw material contents, decrypt the raw material contents by using the encryption key and enable the utilization of the secondary product contents when the contract procedure is executed by the execution unit;

wherein the execution unit dynamically determines a price of each raw material contents constituting the secondary product contents according to prices of other raw material contents constituting the secondary product contents.

12. The information processing device of claim 11, wherein the execution unit executes the contract procedure for each raw material contents specified from the secondary product contents, according to the information for the contract procedure attached to each raw material contents.

13. The information processing device of claim 11, wherein the execution unit executes the contract procedure between an end-user of the secondary product contents and a raw material contents provider of each raw material contents.

14. The information processing device of claim 11, wherein the processing unit enables the utilization of the secondary product contents which is encrypted by using a prescribed encryption key, the prescribed encryption key being registered in the server device, and a prescribed information for a prescribed contract procedure to enable the utilization of the secondary product contents being attached to the secondary product contents.

15. The information processing device of claim 14, wherein the execution unit also executes the prescribed contract procedure for the secondary product contents, according to the prescribed information for the prescribed contract procedure attached to the secondary product contents, when the utilization of the secondary product contents is specified.

17. A contents distribution method for enabling utilization of a secondary product contents containing one or more raw material contents which are encrypted by using an encryption key and to which an information for a contract procedure to enable utilization of the raw material contents is attached, the contents distribution method comprising:

(a) maintaining the encryption key of the raw material contents at a server device; and

(b) acquiring the encryption key of the raw material contents from the server device, decrypting the raw material contents by using the encryption key and enabling the utilization of the secondary product contents, by executing the contract procedure according to the information for the contract procedure attached to the raw material contents at a client device when the utilization of the secondary product contents is specified;

wherein the step (b) dynamically determines a price of each raw material contents constituting the secondary product contents according to prices of other raw material contents constituting the secondary product contents.

18. The contents distribution method of claim 17, wherein at the step (b), the client device executes the contract procedure for each raw material contents specified from the secondary product contents, according to the information for the contract procedure attached to each raw material contents.

19. The contents distribution method of claim 17, wherein at the step (b), the client device executes the contract procedure between an end-user of the secondary product contents and a raw material contents provider of each raw material contents.

20. The contents distribution method of claim 17, wherein at the step (b), the client device enables the secondary product contents which is encrypted by using a prescribed encryption key, the prescribed encryption key being registered in the server device, and a prescribed information for a prescribed contract procedure to enable the utilization of the secondary product contents being attached to the secondary product contents.

21. The contents distribution method of claim 20, wherein at the step (b), the client device also executes the prescribed contract procedure for the secondary product contents, according to the prescribed information for the prescribed contract procedure attached to the secondary product contents, when the utilization of the secondary product contents is specified.

22. The contents distribution method of claim 17, wherein at the step (b), the client device enables the utilization of the secondary product contents created by a secondary product creator without paying any raw material fees to raw material providers of the raw material contents, when an end-user of the secondary product contents pays a raw material fee to each raw material provider of each raw material contents upon executing the contract procedure for each raw material contents.

23. A computer program product embodied on a computer readable media for causing a computer to function as an information processing device for enabling utilization of a secondary product contents containing one or more raw material contents which are encrypted by using an encryption key and to which an information for a contract procedure to enable utilization of the raw material contents is attached, the computer program product comprising:

first computer program codes for causing the computer to execute the contract procedure according to the information for the contract procedure attached to the raw material contents when the utilization of the secondary product contents is specified; and

second computer program codes for causing the computer to acquire the encryption key of the raw material contents from a server that maintains the encryption key of the raw material contents, decrypt the raw material contents by using the encryption key and enable the utilization of the secondary product contents when the contract procedure is executed by the first computer program codes;

wherein the first computer program codes dynamically determine a price of each raw material contents constituting the second product contents according to prices of other raw material contents constituting the secondary product contents.

24. A method for providing a contents distribution service, comprising:

providing a secondary product contents containing one or more raw material contents which are encrypted by using an encryption key and to which an information for a contract procedure to enable utilization of the raw material contents is attached, the secondary product contents being created by a secondary product creator without paying any raw material fees to raw material providers of the raw material contents;

executing the contract procedure according to the information for the contract procedure attached to the raw material contents when the utilization of the secondary product contents is specified; and

acquiring the encryption key of the raw material contents from a server device that maintains the encryption key of the raw material contents at a server device, decrypting the raw material contents by using the encryption key and enabling the utilization of the secondary product contents, when an end-user of the secondary product contents pays a raw material fee to each raw material provider of each raw material contents upon executing the contract procedure for each raw material contents;

wherein the executing step dynamically determines a price of each raw material contents constituting the secondary product contents according to prices of other raw material contents constituting the secondary product contents.