Method and apparatus for supporting multiple trust zones in a digital rights management system

• US 7,853,531 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2002
• Issued: 12/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ContentGuard Holdings, Inc. (Pendrell Corporation)
• Original Assignee: ContentGuard Holdings, Inc. (Pendrell Corporation)
• Inventors: Wang, Xin, Ta, Thanh, Fung, Joseph Zhung Yee, Lao, Guillermo
• Primary Examiner(s): Agwumezie; Charles C
• Application Number:
  US10/162,210
• Publication Number:
  US 20020198845A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,114 Days
• Field of Search: 705/51, 705/59
• US Class Current: 705/59
• 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]

Abstract

Digital rights management method and system for items having usage rights. A first activation device defines a first trust zone. A first license device associated with the first trust zone generates an open license having usage rights associated with a first item. A second activation device defines a second trust zone and is adapted to issue a software package that enforces usage rights. A user device associated with the second trust zone is adapted to receive the software package from the second activation device, to receive the open license associated with the first item, and to use the first item in accordance with the open license. In addition, a method is provided for enforcing a license granting usage rights associated with a protected item, and for classifying a license, the license being an open license or a closed license.

Claims

1. A rights management system for managing use of items having usage rights associated therewith, said system comprising:

a first activation device defining a first trust zone and being adapted to issue a first software package that enforces first usage rights within the first trust zone,

wherein the first trust zone includes one or more user devices associated therewith and which are activated by the first software package for receiving items within the first trust zone;

a second activation device defining a second trust zone and being adapted to issue a second software package that enforces second usage rights within the second trust zone,

wherein the second trust zone includes one or more user devices associated therewith and which are activated by the second software package for receiving items within the second trust zone;

at least one first license device associated with said first trust zone, said first license device being adapted to generate a license associated with said items and including the first usage rights specifying a manner of use of the items, said license specifying one or more trust zones in which said license is valid; and

at least one user device associated with said first trust zone, said user device being adapted to receive said first software package, receive said license associated with said items, and to use said items in accordance with said license,

wherein said items are digital content, and

said license is one of;

an open license that specifies that said digital content is used in accordance with the usage rights by user devices having said first software package or said second software package, and

a closed license that permits said digital content to be used in accordance with the usage rights only by user devices having said first software package.

2. The rights management system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said first software package and said second software package includes a public and private key pair.

3. The rights management system of claim 2, wherein at least one of said first software package and said second software package includes a content rendering application.

4. The rights management system of claim 3, wherein said at least one license device is a plurality of license devices that are each associated with one of said first trust zone and said second trust zone, each of said plurality of license devices being adapted to generate a license associated with said items.

5. The rights management system of claim 4, wherein said at least one user device is a plurality of user devices associated with one of said first trust zone and said second trust zone, each of said plurality of user devices being adapted to receive one of said first or second software packages, receive said license associated with said at least one items, and to use said items in accordance with said license.

6. The rights management system of claim 1, wherein said license is an open license that allows said items to be used in by user devices having the first software package or the second software package.

7. The rights management system of claim 1, wherein said license associated with said items is a closed license that allows said items to be used only by user devices having the second software package.

8. The rights management system of claim 7, wherein said license associated with said items is a closed license that allows said items to be used only by user devices having the first software package and by user devices having a software package from specified trust zones.

9. The rights management system of claim 1 further comprising a second license device associated with said second trust zone and wherein at least one of said first software package and said second software package is a commerce software package that allows said at least one device to use said items having an open license that was issued by either of said first license device or said second license device.

10. The rights management system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said first software package and said second software package is an enterprise software package that allows said at least one user device to use said items having a closed license only in said first trust zone.

11. The rights management system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said first software package and said second software package is an enterprise software package that allows said at least one user device to use said items having a closed license only if said license was generated in said first trust zone.

12. The rights management system of claim 1, further comprising a top-most activation device that provides a top level software package to said first and second activation devices.

13. The rights management system of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of activation devices, each activation device defining a trust zone and being adapted to issue a software package that enforces usage rights to control use of said items;

and

a plurality of usage devices each of usage devices being associated with one of said trust zones and being adapted to receive said software package,

wherein said license includes a designation as one of an open and closed license.

14. The rights management system of claim 13, wherein said predetermined trust zone comprises a plurality of predetermined trust zones.

15. The rights management system of claim 13, wherein said predetermined trust zone is a trust zone of the license device that generated the license.

16. The rights management system of claim 13, further comprising a top-most activation device that provides a software package for enforcing usage rights to said plurality of activation devices that in turn, issue said software package to said user device.

17. The rights management system of claim 13, wherein said software packages include a public and private key pair.

18. The rights management system

of claim 1, wherein said first license device is adapted to generate an open license having usage rights associated with a first item and said system further comprises:

a second activation device defining a second trust zone, said second activation device being adapted to issue a software package that enforces usage rights to control use of said first item; and

a user device associated with said second trust zone, said user device being adapted to receive said software package from said second activation device, to receive said open license associated with said first item, and to use said first item in accordance with said open license.

19. The rights management system of claim 18, wherein said software package includes a public and private key pair.

20. The rights management system of claim 18, further comprising a second license device associated with said second trust zone, said second license device being adapted to generate a closed license having usage rights associated with a second item, wherein said closed license permits said second item to be used only by said user device.

21. The rights management system of claim 20, wherein said first activation device is further adapted to issue a software package that allows use of said second item in accordance with said closed license.

22. The rights management system of claim 21, further comprising a top-most activation device coupled to said first and second activation devices to provide a software package to said first and second activation devices.

23. A method for managing use of items having usage rights associated therewith, said method comprising the steps of:

defining a first trust zone and a second trust zone, each trust zone having an activation device associated therewith and adapted to issue a first and second software package, respectively, that enforces usage rights to control use of said items within the first and second trust zones, respectively,

wherein the first and second trust zones include one or more user devices associated therewith and which are activated by the first and second software packages for receiving items within the first and second trust zones, respectively; and

generating a license associated with said items in said first trust zone,

wherein said license includes usage rights specifying a manner of use and a specification of at least one of an open license and a closed license that determines whether said items are usable in at least one of said first trust zone and said second trust zone,

said open license specifies that said digital content is used in accordance with the usage rights by user devices having said first software package or said second software package, and

said closed license permits said digital content to be used in accordance with the usage rights only by user devices having said first software package.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein at least one of said first software package and said second software package includes a public and private key pair.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein said license is a closed license that restricts use of said items to said first trust zone.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein said license is an open license that restricts use of said items to either of said first trust zone or said second trust zone.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein said items are digital content.

31. The method of claim 23, wherein said license includes usage rights specifying a manner of use for said protected item within plural trust zones defined by separate activation devices, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving a request from a user device for a license;

identifying the user device;

identifying the item;

applying logic to the result of said identifying steps to determine if said license should be an open license valid in each of said trust zones or a closed license valid in only predetermined ones of said trust zones; and

generating said license as an open or closed license in accordance with the result of said applying step.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein said applying step comprises generating a closed license if said protected item is determined to be used only internally within an organization.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein said applying step comprises generating an open license if said protected item is determined to be used internally within an organization, and externally outside said organization.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein said applying step comprises generating a closed license if a security level of said identified item exceeds a predetermined level.

35. The method of claim 31, wherein said applying step comprises generating an open license if a security level of said identified item does not exceed a predetermined level.

36. The method of claim 31, wherein said applying step comprises generating a closed license if a security clearance level of said identified user device is below a predetermined level.

37. The method of claim 31, wherein said applying step comprises generating an open license if a security level of said identified user device is above a predetermined level.

38. The method of claim 31, wherein said applying step comprises generating a closed license if said request is received from a predetermined user device.

39. The method of claim 31, wherein said applying step comprises generating an open license if said request is received from a predetermined user device.

28. A method for enforcing a license granting usage rights associated with a protected item to control use of the protected item within a trust zone comprising the steps of:

determining whether said license was issued in said trust zone or outside of said trust zone,

wherein said trust zone includes one or more user devices associated therewith and which are activated by a first software package for receiving the protected item within the trust zone;

determining whether said license is an open license or a closed license,

wherein said open license specifies that said protected item is used in accordance with the usage rights by user devices having the first software package or a second software package, and

said closed license permits said protected item to be used in accordance with the usage rights only by user devices having the first software package;

if said license is a closed license issued outside of said trust zone, prohibiting use of said protected item within said trust zone; and

if said license is an open license issued outside of said trust zone, permitting use of said protected item within said trust zone.

29. A license adapted to be associated with a protected item to control use of the protected item, said license comprising:

usage rights that specify a manner of use for said protected item; and

a license classification indicating whether said license is an open license a permitting use of said protected item outside of said trust zone or a closed license prohibiting use of said protected item outside of said trust zone,

wherein said trust zone includes one or more user devices associated therewith and which are activated by a software package for receiving the protected item within the trust zone.

30. The license of claim 29, wherein said license is further adapted to be associated with a protected item to control use of the protected item within plural trust zones defined by separate activation devices, and said license further comprising:

a trust zone designation indicating one or more trust zones,

wherein said license is one of;

an open license that allows said protected item to be used in any of said trust zones, and

a closed license that allows said protected item to be used only in a predetermined of said trust zones.