Retention of information about digital-media rights in transformed digital media content

• US 7,558,463 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2005
• Issued: 07/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Jain, Amit, Strom, Clifford P., Evans, Brian P., Cutter, Benjamin Brooks
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Thai
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chowdhury; Nigar
• Application Number:
  US11/108,327
• Publication Number:
  US 20060232449A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,541 Days
• Field of Search: 386/1, 386/46, 386125-126
• US Class Current: 386/252
• 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 20/00224 wherein the key is obtained from a remote server
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0071 involving a purchase action
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00731 involving a digital rights management system for enforcing a usage restriction
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00797 wherein the usage restriction limits the number of times a content can be reproduced, e.g. using playback counters
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0084 wherein the usage restriction can be expressed as a specific time or date
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440218 by transcoding between formats or standards, e.g. from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 conversion of standards in analogue television systems H04N7/01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440263 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for displaying on a connected PDA
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8355 involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed

Abstract

Described herein are one or more implementations for transforming (e.g., transcoding) DRM-protected digital media content while retaining associated DRM-information (e.g., a user license its related information).

Claims

1. A method comprising:

facilitating selection of subject digital media content;

in response to a determination that the subject digital media content is configured for management by digital rights management technology (“

DRM-protected”

), performing;

decrypting the DRM-protected subject digital media content, the DRM-protected subject digital media content having associated digital rights management information (“

DRM-information”

);

transforming the decrypted subject digital media content into transformed digital media content, wherein the transforming is one of converting the subject digital media content from one format to another, down-sampling the subject digital media content to a lower bit rate, or adapting a screen size associated with the subject digital media content;

after the transforming, inserting the DRM-information or data that links or points to the DRM-information with the transformed digital media content; and

after the inserting, encrypting the transformed digital media content and the DRM-information or data.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the associated DRM-information comprises a digital rights management license (“

DRM-license”

) associated with the subject digital media content, the method further comprising performing the transforming and associating in response to a determination that the associated DRM-license for the subject digital media content is valid.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising transferring the transformed digital media content from a source device to a coupled target media-playback device.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the transforming comprises transcoding the subject digital media content into transformed digital media content.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the DRM-information is linked to by the transformed digital media content, effectively sharing the same DRM-information between the subject and transformed media contents even after the transforming and associating.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein DRM-information includes data selected from a group consisting of a DRM-license, a DRM-license type, and DRM-license status information.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the digital media content is selected from a group consisting of digital audio, digital still images, and digital video.

8. A method comprising:

decrypting DRM-protected subject digital media content, the DRM-protected subject digital media content being configured for management by digital rights management technology (“

DRM-protected”

) and having associated digital rights management information (“

DRM-information”

);

transforming the decrypted subject digital media content into transformed digital media content, wherein the transforming is one of converting the subject digital media content from one format to another, down-sampling the subject digital media content to a lower bit rate, or adapting a screen size associated with the subject digital media content;

after the transforming, inserting the DRM-information or data that links or points to the DRM-information with the transformed digital media content; and

after the inserting, encrypting the transformed digital media content and the DRM-information or data.

9. A method as recited in claim 8 further comprising facilitating selection of subject digital media content.

10. A method as recited in claim 8 further comprising performing the transforming and associating in response to a determination that the subject digital media content is DRM-protected.

11. A method as recited in claim 8 further comprising locating a digital rights management license (“

DRM-license”

) associated with the subject digital media content.

12. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the associated DRM-information comprises a DRM-license associated with the subject digital media content, the method further comprising performing the transforming and associating in response to a determination that the associated DRM-license for the subject digital media content is valid.

13. A method as recited in claim 8 further comprising transferring the transformed digital media content from a source device to a coupled target media-playback device.

14. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the transforming comprises transcoding the subject digital media content into transformed digital media content.

15. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the DRM-information is linked to by the transformed digital media content, effectively sharing the same DRM-information between the subject and transformed media contents even after the transforming and associating.

16. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein DRM-information includes data selected from a group consisting of a DRM-license, a DRM-license type, and DRM-license status information.

17. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the subject digital media content is selected from a group consisting of digital audio, digital still images, and digital video.