Content authorization system over networks including the Internet and method for transmitting same

• US 7,428,591 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2004
• Issued: 09/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Recording Industry Association of America
• Original Assignee: Recording Industry Association of America
• Inventors: Stebbings, David W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jaroenchonwanit; Bunjob
• Assistant Examiner(s): DOAN, DUYEN MY
• Application Number:
  US10/876,676
• Publication Number:
  US 20040243708A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,548 Days
• Field of Search: 709217-219, 709/203, 709/225, 705/52, 705/54, 705/44
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/16 Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0245 Filtering by information in the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles

Abstract

An Internet or other content authorization system consists of an Internet authorization notice in the form of a flag. This flag can be embedded in each original recording at the time of manufacture, such that a primary feature of the flagging system is to prevent Internet access and unauthorized use of any original recording that does not contain an Internet authorization flag. The Internet authorization flag can be recorded on a media, such as digital audio tapes (DATs), compact discs (CDs), digital video/versatile discs (DVDs), and personal computers (PCs), or subjected to a transmission channel or network, including satellite, cable, the Internet or intranets. The Internet authorization flagging system also allows control of different kinds of authorized Internet uses that may be made, and is capable of identifying the existence and location of unauthorized Internet use.

Claims

1. In an Internet authorization system for at least one of preventing Internet access and unauthorized use of proprietary data over the Internet, a method including steps of:

(a) encoding an Internet authorization flag, indicating authorized Internet access to proprietary data stored on a media comprising playing access, copying access, and downloading access of the proprietary data, with at least one of a continuously and periodically encoded sequence, and compressing the encoded Internet authorization flag;

(b) storing, in a media, the proprietary data and the encoded Internet authorization flag;

(c) distributing said media to at least one of an Internet service provider, a site provider, a network provider, and an authorized broker of said media;

(d) searching data, at least one of contained on and transported via at least one of the Internet, intranet and network, for existence of said Internet authorization flag when a user accesses a web site on at least one of said Internet, intranet and network; and

(e) providing control of at least one of access to and use of the proprietary data stored on said media responsive to the Internet authorization flag indicating authorized Internet access to the proprietary data, and searching the proprietary data for determining and reporting unauthorized use of the proprietary data and initiating a specific action responsive thereto.

2. The method according to claim 1, further including step of:

(f) printing a report indicating a location of each unauthorized Internet use of said media not containing an Internet authorization flag.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said Internet authorization flag includes values corresponding to differing authorization levels, which dictate specified Internet uses of said media.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein said Internet authorization flag includes a payment mechanism for controlling the authorization levels of Internet authorization a user may purchase.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said Internet authorization flag authorizes permissible Internet uses to further include distributing, listening, recording, and viewing.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein control of said level of Internet authorization corresponding to specified Internet uses of a media, is accomplished by verifying a number of permitted Internet uses, by verifying whether payment has been made for said permitted Internet uses, and by preventing unauthorized Internet uses for which payment has not been made.

7. The method according to claim 1, and further including, on said media, in addition to said Internet authorization flag, a copyright authorization flag for indicating a proprietary status of information stored in said media for non-Internet related uses.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein said encoding occurs at the time of manufacture of said media.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of searching by at least one of a user and a system associated with at least one of the Internet Service Provider (ISP), the network provider, and the authorized broker of said media.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein said proprietary data and said encoded Internet authorization flag are layered on said media.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the Internet authorization flag further is capable of identifying a source of an unauthorized use of proprietary data over the Internet.

12. In a network authorization system for at least one of preventing network access and unauthorized use of proprietary data over the network, a method including steps of:

(a) encoding a network flag, indicating authorized network access to proprietary data stored on a media comprising playing access, copying access, and downloading access of the proprietary data, with at least one of a continuously and periodically encoded sequence, and compressing the encoded network authorization flag;

(b) storing, in a media, the proprietary data and said encoded network authorization flag;

(c) distributing said media to at least one of a network service provider, a site provider, an Internet service provider and an authorized broker of said media;

(d) searching data, at least one of contained on and transported via at least one of the Internet, intranet and network, for existence of said Internet authorization flag when a user accesses a web site on at least one of said Internet, intranet and network; and

(e) providing control of at least one of access to and use of the proprietary data stored on said media responsive to said network authorization flag indicating authorized network access to the proprietary data, and searching the proprietary data for determining and reporting unauthorized use of the proprietary data and initiating a specific action responsive thereto.

13. The method according to claim 12, further including step of:

(f) printing a report indicating a location of each unauthorized Internet use of said media not containing an Internet authorization flag.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein said network authorization flag includes values corresponding to differing authorization levels, which dictate specified network uses of said media.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein said network authorization flag includes a payment mechanism for controlling the authorization levels of network authorization a user may purchase.

16. The method according to claim 12, wherein said network authorization flag authorizes permissible network uses to further include distributing, listening, recording, and viewing.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein control of said level of network authorization corresponding to specified network uses of a media, is accomplished by verifying a number of permitted network uses, by verifying whether payment has been made for said permitted network uses, and by preventing unauthorized network uses for which payment has not been made.

18. The method according to claim 12, and further including, on said media, in addition to said network authorization flag, a copyright authorization flag for indicating a proprietary status of information stored in said media for non-network related uses.

19. The method according to claim 12, wherein said encoding occurs at the time of manufacture of said media.

20. The method according to claim 12, further comprising the step of searching by at least one of a user and a system associated with at least one of the Internet Service Provider (ISP), the network provider, and the authorized broker of said media.

21. The method according to claim 12, wherein said proprietary data and said encoded network authorization flag are layered on said media.

22. The method according to claim 12, wherein the network flag further is capable of identifying a source of an unauthorized use of proprietary data over the network.

23. In a content authorization system for at least one of preventing electronic access and unauthorized use of proprietary data from a first destination to a second destination, a method including steps of:

(a) encoding a content authorization flag, indicating authorized electronic access to proprietary data stored on a media, with at least one of a continuously and periodically encoded sequence, and compressing the content authorization flag;

(b) storing, in a media, the proprietary data and said encoded content authorization flag;

(c) distributing said media to at least one of an Internet service provider, a network service provider, a site provider, and an authorized broker of said media;

(d) searching data, at least one of contained on and transported via at least one of the Internet, intranet and network, for existence of said Internet authorization flag when a user accesses a web site on at least one of said Internet, intranet and network; and

(e) providing control of at least one of access to and use of the proprietary data stored on said media responsive to the content authorization flag indicating authorized electronic access to the proprietary data, and searching the proprietary data for determining and reporting unauthorized use of the proprietary data and initiating a specific action responsive thereto.

24. The method according to claim 23, further including step of:

(f) printing a report indicating a location of each unauthorized Internet use of said media not containing an Internet authorization flag.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein said content authorization flag includes values corresponding to differing authorization levels, which dictate specified Internet uses of said media.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein said content authorization flag includes a payment mechanism for controlling the authorization levels of content authorization a user may purchase.

27. The method according to claim 23, wherein said content authorization flag authorizes permissible content uses to further include distributing, listening, recording, and viewing.

28. The method according to claim 26, wherein control of said levels of content authorization corresponding to specified content uses of media, is accomplished by verifying a number of permitted content uses, by verifying whether payment has been made for said permitted content uses, for which payment has not been made.

29. The method according to claim 23, and further including, on said media, in addition to said content authorization flag, a copyright authorization flag for indicating a proprietary status of information stored in said media for non-content related uses.

30. The method according to claim 23, wherein said encoding occurs at the time of manufacture of said media.

31. The method according to claim 23, further comprising the step of searching by at least one of a user and a system associated with at least one of the Internet Service Provider (ISP), the network provider, and the authorized broker of said media.

32. The method according to claim 23, wherein said proprietary data and said encoded content authorization flag are layered on said media.

33. The method according to claim 23, wherein the content authorization flag further is capable of identifying a source of an unauthorized use of proprietary data.

34. An Internet authorization system for at least one of preventing Internet access and unauthorized use of proprietary data over the Internet, said system comprising:

a plurality of interconnected general purpose computers that are networked together in at least one of an intranet and Internet arrangement;

encoding means for encoding an Internet authorization flag, indicating authorized Internet access to proprietary data stored on a media, with at least one of a continuously and periodically encoded sequence, and compressing the encoded Internet authorization flag;

media storage means for storing, in a media, proprietary data and the encoded Internet authorization flag; and

a network system means for distributing said media to at least one of an Internet service provider, a network provider, a site provider and an authorized broker of said media, searching means for searching data, at least one of contained on and transported via at least one of the Internet, intranet and network, for existence of said Internet authorization flag when a user accesses a web site on at least one of said Internet, intranet and network, and for searching the proprietary data for determining and reporting unauthorized use of the proprietary data and initiating a specific action responsive thereto;

wherein the system provides control of at least one of access to and use of the proprietary data.

35. The Internet authorization system according to claim 34 further including printing means for printing a report indicating a location of each authorized Internet use of said media not containing the Internet authorization flag.

36. The Internet authorization system according to claim 35, wherein specified Internet uses of said media is determined by differing Internet authorization flag values, which correspond to differing authorization levels.

37. The Internet authorization system according to claim 36, wherein control of each level of Internet authorization a user may purchase is determined by a payment mechanism included in said Internet authorization flag.

38. The Internet authorization system according to claim 34, wherein said Internet authorization flag determines and authorizes permissible Internet uses to include distributing, listening, recording, copying, viewing and downloading.

39. The Internet authorization system according to claim 37, wherein control of said level of Internet authorization corresponding to specified network uses of media, is accomplished by verifying a number of permitted network uses, by verifying whether payment has been made for said permitted Internet uses, and by preventing unauthorized Internet uses for which payment has not been made.

40. The Internet authorization system according to claim 34, and further including, on said media, in addition to said Internet authorization flag, a copyright authorization flag means for indicating a proprietary status of information stored in said media for non-Internet related uses.

41. The Internet authorization system according to claim 34, wherein said encoding occurs at the time of manufacture of said media.

42. The Internet authorization system according to claim 34, further comprising the step of searching by at least one of a user and a system associated with at least one of the Internet Service Provider (ISP), the network provider, and the authorized broker of said media.

43. The Internet authorization system according to claim 34, wherein said proprietary data and said encoded Internet authorization flag are layered on said media.

44. The Internet authorization system according to claim 34, wherein the Internet authorization flag further is capable of identifying a source of an unauthorized use of proprietary data.

45. A content authorization system for at least one of preventing content access and unauthorized use of proprietary data over at least one of a global network, local network and the Internet, said system comprising:

a plurality of workstations and computers, each including a first storage device for storing first data therein;

a network connectable to said plurality of at least one of workstations and computers, said network including a second storage device for storing second data thereon, said network managed by or interconnectable with at least one of an Internet service provider, a network provider, a site provider, and an authorized broker or distributor of the proprietary data, said network storing the proprietary data including at least one authorization data flag indicating at least one authorization level indicative of authorized usage of the proprietary data for at least one of said network and said plurality of workstations and computers, searching means for searching data, at least one of contained on and transported via at least one of the Internet, intranet and network, for existence of said Internet authorization flag when a user accesses a web site on at least one of said Internet, intranet and network, and at least one of managing and coordinating the searching of the proprietary data for determining and reporting unauthorized use of the proprietary data and initiating a specific action responsive thereto;

wherein the system provides control of at least one of access to and use of the proprietary data.

46. The content authorization system according to claim 45, wherein said at least one authorization data flag includes a plurality of authorization data flags providing the capability of different authorization levels for usage of the proprietary data for said plurality of at least one of workstations and computers, and the at least one of the Internet service provider, the network provider, the site provider and the authorized broker or distributor.

47. The content authorization system according to claim 45, further comprising the step of searching by at least one of a user and a system associated with at least one of the Internet Service Provider (ISP), the network provider, and the authorized broker of said media.

48. The content authorization system according to claim 45, wherein said proprietary data and said at least one authorization data flag are layered.

49. The content authorization system according to claim 45, wherein the authorization data flag further is capable of identifying a source of an unauthorized use of proprietary data.