Rights offering and granting

• US 7,774,279 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2002
• Issued: 08/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ContentGuard Holdings, Inc. (Pendrell Corporation)
• Original Assignee: ContentGuard Holdings, Inc. (Pendrell Corporation)
• Inventors: Wang, Xin, Tadayon, Bijan
• Primary Examiner(s): Augustin; Evens J
• Application Number:
  US10/162,212
• Publication Number:
  US 20030009423A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,988 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/51, 705/54, 705/75
• US Class Current: 705/51
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/123 Shopping for digital content
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1235 with control of digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/401 Transaction verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/16 for devices exhibiting advertisements, announcements, pictures or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/18 using different networks or channels, e.g. using out of band channels cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving distinctive intermediate devices or communication paths H04L9/0827; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for authentication using a plurality of channels H04L9/3215

Abstract

Processes and systems for offering and granting digital rights that govern distribution and usage of content, services and resources. The processes and systems provide a basis for flexible business models and negotiation transactions between content providers and users. The concept of meta-rights, which permit digital rights to be derived, permits upstream parties in a content distribution chain to dictate rights granted and received by downstream parties. Therefore, each transaction can be considered as a two party transaction between a rights supplier and a rights consumer.

Claims

1. A method for transferring usage rights adapted to be associated with items within a digital rights management system, said method comprising:

generating, by a supplier, at least one first offer including usage rights and meta-rights for the items, said usage rights defining a manner of use for the items, said meta-rights specifying rights to derive usage rights or other meta-rights for the items;

presenting, by the supplier, said offer to a first consumer in said system,

wherein the offer expresses what rights the consumer can acquire for the items;

receiving, by the supplier, a selection from the first consumer indicating desired usage rights and meta-rights; and

generating, by the supplier, a first license granting to the first consumer the usage rights and meta-rights for the items,

wherein the first license grants the usage rights and meta-rights that are selected by the first consumer during the receiving step.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said license specifies one or more conditions which must be satisfied in order for said usage right to be exercised and one or more conditions which must be satisfied in order for said meta-rights to be exercised.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving a request for a license from the first consumer.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request generated by a second consumer for a license including at least one of usage rights and meta-rights for the items;

generating, by a second supplier, a second offer including rights derived from said meta-rights included in the first license, wherein the second supplier is the first consumer; and

generating, by the second supplier, a second license including rights derived from said meta-rights included in the second offer.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the item comprises digital content.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

providing said first license as a customized draft license to the first consumer;

accepting a confirmation of said customized draft license from the first consumer; and

authenticating said draft license to create an authenticated license.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said first license comprises a license identification, a digital signature, and at least one grant, said at least one grant including usage rights, meta-rights, a named principal designating the first consumer to whom rights are granted, and a condition list.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first supplier is at least one of a provider, distributor, retailer, consumer, and a user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first consumer is at least one of a provider, distributor, retailer, consumer, and a user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating at least one offer comprises the steps of:

collecting usage rights and meta-rights available to be offered;

determining if the supplier has a right to offer the available usage rights and meta-rights;

terminating the generating of a set of offers, if a right to offer other usage and meta rights does not exist;

composing an offer based on available rights if the supplier has the right to offer other usage and meta rights; and

authenticating said offer.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said composing step comprises:

determining if a consumer has requested an offer including specific usage rights and meta-rights;

applying the specific usage rights and meta-rights to the offer as a filter; and

determining if an offer template corresponds to the filtered offer and if so applying said offer template as an offer.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein said step of generating a first license further comprises the steps of:

determining if the suppler has the right to grant the rights;

terminating the step of customizing a draft license, if the supplier does not have the right to grant the rights;

analyzing one or more choices received from the consumer;

determining if the choices are acceptable; and

creating a draft license based on the choices if the choices are acceptable.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said step of generating a first license further comprises:

presenting the draft license to the consumer;

re-negotiating a license if the first license is not approved by the consumer; and

authenticating the draft license if the first consumer approves the draft license.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said usage rights specify rights to copy, transfer, loan, play, print, back-up, restore, delete, extract, embed, edit, authorize, install, or un-install the items.

20. The method of claim 1, the method being for generating a license to digital content to be used within the system for at least one of managing use and distribution of the digital content, wherein the license permits the first consumer to exercise the at least one meta-right and permits the first consumer to offer at least one derived right from the at least one meta-right and generate a license including the at least one derived right.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the at least one derived right in the license is for a second consumer, the license includes usage rights to be exercised by the second consumer and meta-rights permitting derived rights to be offered to a third consumer.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein said method is implemented with one or more hardware and/or software components configured to perform the steps of the method.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein said method is implemented with one or more computer readable instructions embedded on a computer readable medium and configured to cause one or more computer processors to perform the steps of the method.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein rights derived from said meta-rights include rights that revoke at least one of a usage right, and a meta-right.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein rights derived from said meta-rights include rights that reduce or expand at least one of a usage right, and a meta-right.

15. A system for transferring usage rights adapted to be associated with an item, to be licensed in multi-tier channels of distribution with downstream rights and conditions assigned at least at one level, said system comprising:

a supplier component, comprising;

a supplier user interface module;

an offer generator module for generating an offer including at least usage rights and meta-rights for the item, the usage rights defining a manner of use for the item, the meta-rights specifying rights to derive usage rights or other meta-rights for the item;

a rights composer module for composing a draft license;

a repository for supplier'"'"'s rights;

a supplier management database; and

a consumer component comprising;

a consumer user interface module;

an offer-consideration module configured to analyze the offers generated by the supplier component and select offers based on the analysis;

a repository for consumer'"'"'s rights;

a consumer management database; and

a communication link coupling said supplier component and said consumer component,

wherein the rights composer module is configured to compose a license granting the usage rights and meta-rights that are selected by the offer-consideration module of the consumer component.

16. A system as recited in claim 15, wherein the supplier component further comprises offer-templates and consumer profile information, wherein said offer-template includes one or more predetermined usage rights and meta-rights, and wherein said consumer profile information comprises at least one of consumer identity information, account information, purchase history information, consumer preferences information, and credit rating information.

17. A system as recited in claim 15, wherein said consumer component further comprises a supplier-preference module for providing supplier information.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein said offer-consideration module comprises:

means for determining if the consumer can accept an offer;

means for applying selection logic to the offer;

means for specifying contingencies; and

means for authenticating choices and providing the choices to said supplier component.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein said means for applying comprises:

means for parsing the offer and selecting preferred usage rights and meta-rights in the offer;

means for filtering offers based on supplier preferences;

means for applying consumer preferences; and

means for selecting options based on the output of said means for parsing, said means for filtering, and said means for applying consumer preferences.

24. The system of claim 15, wherein said system is implemented with one or more hardware and/or software components.

27. The system of claim 15, wherein rights derived from said meta-rights include rights that revoke at least one of a usage right, and a meta-right.

28. The system of claim 15, wherein rights derived from said meta-rights include rights that reduce or expand at least one of a usage right, and a meta-right.

29. A method for transferring usage rights adapted to be associated with an item within a digital rights management system, the method being performed by a consumer device within the system, the method comprising:

receiving, by the consumer device, from a supplier device within the system at least one offer including usage rights and meta-rights for the item,

wherein the usage rights define a manner of use for the item, and the meta-rights specify rights to derive usage rights or other meta-rights for the item, and

the offer expresses what rights the consumer device can acquire for the item;

selecting, by the consumer device, desired usage rights and meta-rights from the received offer,

wherein the selected rights express what rights the consumer device desires to acquire for the item; and

receiving, by the consumer device, a license from the supplier device,

wherein the received license grants the usage rights and meta-rights that are selected and provided by the consumer device.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein said method is implemented with one or more hardware and/or software components configured to perform the steps of the method.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein said method is implemented with one or more computer readable instructions embedded on a computer readable medium and configured to cause one or more computer processors to perform the steps of the method.