Redistribution of rights-managed content and technique for encouraging same

• US 7,370,017 B1
• Filed: 12/20/2002
• Issued: 05/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Lindeman, Thomas K., Hanan, Scott M., Beezer, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Hewitt, II; Calvin L.
• Application Number:
  US10/326,678
• Time in Patent Office: 1,964 Days
• Field of Search: 705 50- 54, 705/59
• US Class Current: 705/59
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1086 Superdistribution
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1235 with control of digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• 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

Abstract

Use of rights-managed content is enabled by a digital license that includes the identity of the licensee. The licensee redistributes the content by sending a package containing the content and the license to another party. That other party obtains a license to use the content by contacting a license server, and preferably pays a fee for this license. During the contact with the license server, the licensee'"'"'s identifying information is uploaded to the license server, which allows the license server to determine who distributed the content to the other party. The license server can use this information to reward the original licensee for having redistributed the content.

Claims

1. A method of licensing rights-managed content comprising:

distributing a piece of content from a distributor to a user;

receiving a request by a licensor from the user, wherein the request comprises a distributor'"'"'s license issued by the licensor and the piece of content, and the distributor'"'"'s license comprises distributor identity information and benefit information;

issuing a user license by the licensor to the user that permits the user to use the piece of content;

retrieving by the licensor the distributor'"'"'s license from the request;

identifying the distributor by the licensor using the identity information from the distributor'"'"'s license; and

providing a benefit to the distributor based on the benefit information from the distributor'"'"'s license.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a benefit to an initial owner or creator of the piece of content.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

collecting a fee for issuance of the user license; and

providing at least a portion of the fee to the distributor.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

providing at least a portion of the fee to an initial content owner or creator of the piece of content.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating the user license such that the user license includes the name or identifier of the distributor.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the license further includes the name of the user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of issuing a license comprises:

specifying that the user is to receive a benefit in the event that a subsequent licensee of the content receives the content either directly or indirectly from the user.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the act of issuing a license further comprises:

specifying that the distributor is to receive a benefit in the event that a subsequent licensee of the content has been referred by the user.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the benefit to be received by the distributor in the event that a subsequent licensee of the content has been referred by the user is less than the benefit provided to the distributor at said providing step.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said specifying act further comprises:

specifying a first percentage of a future licensing fee that is to be received by the user; and

specifying a second percentage of a future licensing fee that is to be received by the distributor.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein said specifying act further comprises:

specifying a percentage of a future licensing fee that is to be received by the user.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein said specifying act further comprises:

specifying a monetary amount of a future licensing fee that is to be received by the user.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the license request includes an indication that the distributor is to receive the benefit, and wherein the act of issuing a license comprises:

specifying that the distributor is to receive the benefit, or a reduced form of the benefit, in the event that a licensee redistributes the piece of content to a subsequent licensee of the piece of content.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the piece of content is bound to a rights label that specifies rights information for the content, and wherein the method further comprises:

directing that the rights label be modified to either;

include the identity of the user;

or

specify that the user receive a second benefit when a subsequent licensee licenses the content on referral from the user.

15. One or more computer-readable media encoded with computer-executable instructions to perform a method of licensing rights-managed content comprising:

distributing a piece of content from a distributor to a user;

receiving a request by a licensor from the user, wherein the request comprises a distributor'"'"'s license issued by the licensor and the piece of content, and the distributor'"'"'s license comprises distributor identity information and benefit information;

issuing a license by the licensor to the user that permits the user to use the piece of content;

retrieving by the licensor the distributor'"'"'s license from the request;

identifying the distributor by the licensor using the identity information from the distributor'"'"'s license; and

providing a benefit to the distributor based on the benefit information from the distributor'"'"'s license.

16. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises:

providing a benefit to an initial owner or creator of the piece of content.

17. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises:

collecting a fee for issuance of the user license; and

providing at least a portion of the fee to the distributor.

18. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises:

providing at least a portion of the fee to an initial content owner or creator of the piece of content.

19. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises:

creating the user license such that the user license includes the name or identifier of the distributor.

20. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 19, wherein the license further includes the name of the user.

21. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the act of issuing a license comprises:

specifying that the user is to receive a benefit in the event that a subsequent licensee of the content receives the content either directly or indirectly from the user.

22. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 21, wherein the act of issuing a license further comprises:

specifying that the distributor is to receive a benefit in the event that a subsequent licensee of the content has been referred by the user.

23. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 22, wherein the benefit to be received by the distributor in the event that a subsequent licensee of the content has been referred by the user is less than the benefit provided to the distributor at said providing step.

24. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 22, wherein said specifying act further comprises:

specifying a first percentage of a future licensing fee that is to be received by the user; and

specifying a second percentage of a future licensing fee that is to be received by the distributor.

25. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 21, wherein said specifying act further comprises:

specifying a percentage of a future licensing fee that is to be received by the user.

26. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 21, wherein said specifying act further comprises:

specifying a monetary amount of a future licensing fee that is to be received by the user.

27. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the license request includes an indication that the distributor is to receive the benefit, and wherein the act of issuing a license comprises:

specifying that the distributor is to receive the benefit, or a reduced form of the benefit, in the event that a licensee redistributes the piece of content to a subsequent licensee of the piece of content.

28. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the piece of content is bound to a rights label that specifies rights information for the content, and wherein the method further comprises:

directing that the rights label be modified to either;

include the identity of the user;

or

specify that the user receive a second benefit when a subsequent licensee licenses the content on referral from the user.