Method and system for limiting the use of user-specific software features

• US 7,861,306 B2
• Filed: 06/02/2004
• Issued: 12/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Zeman, Pavel, Yaacovi, Yoram, DeMello, Marco A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Moorthy; Aravind K
• Application Number:
  US10/858,890
• Publication Number:
  US 20050060266A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,400 Days
• Field of Search: 726/26, 726/28, 726/29, 713/165, 713/168, 713/189, 705/51, 705/57, 705/59
• US Class Current: 726/26
• 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: G06F 21/16 Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2137 Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data

Abstract

A server architecture for a digital rights management system that distributes and protects rights in content. The server architecture includes a retail site which sells content items to consumers, a fulfillment site which provides to consumers the content items sold by the retail site, and an activation site which enables consumer reading devices to use content items having an enhanced level of copy protection. An activation site provides an activation certificate and a secure repository executable to consumer content-rendering devices which enables those content rendering devices to render content having an enhanced level of copy-resistance. The activation site “activates” client-reading devices in a way that binds them to a persona, and limits the number of devices that may be activated for a particular persona, or the rate at which such devices may be activated for a particular persona.

Claims

1. A method of enabling the use of a digital work on plural computing devices, said method comprising the acts of:

receiving at an activation device, from a computing device, a request to enable the use of said digital work on said computing device, said request comprising first data indicative of a user, said digital work being associated with said user and requiring the presence of second data on said computing device in order to be used on said computing device, wherein said second data comprises;

a first cryptographic key, which enables use of said digital work; and

a second cryptographic key;

said first and second cryptographic keys are the private and public keys, respectively, of an asymmetric key pair;

said digital work comprises encrypted content and a decryption key which decrypts said encrypted content; and

at least a portion of said second data including said second cryptographic key is uploadable to a content provider wherein said decryption key may be included in said digital work in a form encrypted by said second cryptographic key;

determining by said activation device whether a user-specific limit associated with said user that limits the use of said digital work on said plural computing devices has been reached, wherein said limit comprises a restriction on the number of computing devices which said user may enable for use of said digital work; and

if said user-specific limit associated with said user has not been reached, then providing said second data from said activation device to said computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said limit comprises a restriction on the rate at which said user may enable computing devices to use said digital work.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said limit comprises a time-dependent number of computing devices on which use of said digital work may be enabled, wherein said time-dependent number is the sum of:

a first predetermined number of computing devices on which use of said digital work may be enabled during a first time period; and

the product of a second number and a third number, wherein said second number is the number of second time periods that have commenced or elapsed since the end of said first time period, and said third number is a number of computing device on which use of said digital work may be enabled for each of said second time periods.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said time-dependent number is capped at a maximum value if said sum exceeds said maximum value.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said digital work comprises text, and wherein use of said digital work comprises displaying said text on one of said plural computing devices.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said digital work comprises multimedia content, and wherein use of said digital work comprises rendering said multimedia content on one of said plural computing devices.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said multimedia content comprises music, video, animations, or pictures.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said digital work is created subsequent to the provision of said second data to said computing device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said second data comprises information indicative of said user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said first data is durably stored on said computing device so as to permit the enduring use of said digital work on said computing device.

11. One or more computer-readable media having executable instructions to perform a method of activating software installed on plural computing devices, said method comprising the acts of:

receiving at an activation device, from a first computing device, a first request to activate said software installed on said first computing device, said request comprising information indicative of a user and said request comprising;

a first cryptographic key, which enables use of said software installed on said first computing device; and

a second cryptographic key;

said first and second cryptographic keys are private and public keys, respectively, of an asymmetric key pair;

said software installed on said first computing device comprises encrypted content and a decryption key which decrypts said encrypted content; and

said second cryptographic key is uploadable to a content provider wherein said decryption key may be included in said software installed on said first computing device in a form encrypted by said second cryptographic key;

said software having an activated state and a non-activated state, said software comprising content-rendering software, wherein said software renders a first class of digital works without regard to whether it is in the activated state, and wherein said software renders a second class of digital works only when it is in the activated state;

determining by said activation device that a user-specific activation limit associated with said user that limits use of said software on said plural computing devices has not been reached; and

based on said determination, providing first activation data from said activation device to said first computing device.

12. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein said first and second classes of digital works comprise textual content, and wherein said software comprises text-rendering software.

13. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein said first and second classes of digital works comprise multimedia content, and wherein said software comprises multimedia-rendering software.

14. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 13, wherein said multimedia content comprises music, video, animations, or pictures.

15. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein said software in some manner processes a class of digital works, wherein each of said digital works in said class comprises encrypted content and a decryption key which decrypts said encrypted content, said decryption key being included in said digital work in an encrypted form decryptable with a cryptographic key, and wherein said first activation data comprises said cryptographic key.

16. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 11, further comprising the acts of:

receiving, from a second computing device, a second request to activate said software installed on said second computing device, said second request comprising information indicative of said user;

determining that said activation limit associated with said user has been reached; and

denying activation of said software on said second computing device.

17. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 11, further comprising the act of providing a secure repository to said first computing device, said secure repository being in at least some way dependent upon said first computing device.

18. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein said activation limit comprises a restriction on the number of activations of said software that said user may request.

19. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein said activation limit comprises a restriction on the rate at which said user may activate said software.

20. A method of activating software on plural computing devices, said method comprising the acts of:

receiving at an activation device, from a first computing device, a first request to activate first software installed on said first computing device with respect to a first user, said first request comprising;

a first cryptographic key, which enables use of said first software installed on said first computing device; and

a second cryptographic key;

said first and second cryptographic keys are private and public keys, respectively, of an asymmetric key pair;

said software installed on said first computing device comprises encrypted content and a decryption key which decrypts said encrypted content; and

said second cryptographic key is uploadable to a content provider wherein said decryption key may be included in said software installed on said first computing device in a form encrypted by said second cryptographic key

determining by said activation device that a user-specific activation limit associated with said first user that limits use of said software on said plural computing devices has not been reached; and

based on said determination, activating said first software with respect to said first user;

wherein said first software renders at least a first class of digital works without regard to whether said first software has been activated, and a second class of digital works only if said first software has been activated with respect to said first user.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein each of said first and second classes of digital works comprises textual content.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein each of said first and second sets of digital works comprises multimedia content.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said multimedia content comprises music, video, animations, or pictures.

24. The method of claim 20, further comprising the acts of:

receiving, from a second computing device, a second request to activate second software installed on said second computing device with respect to said first user;

determining that an activation limit associated with said first user has been reached; and

denying activation of said second software;

wherein said second software renders at least said first class of digital works without regard to whether said second software has been activated, and said second class of digital works only if said second software has been activated with respect to said first user.

25. The method of claim 20, further comprising the acts of:

receiving, from said first computing device, a second request to activate said first software with respect to a second user;

determining that an activation limit associated with said second user has not been reached; and

activating said first software with respect to said second user;

wherein said first software further renders a third class of digital works only if said first software has been activated with respect to said second user.

26. The method of claim 20, wherein at least some items in said second class are created subsequent to activation of said first software.

27. The method of claim 20, wherein said activation limit comprises a restriction on the number of activations that said first user may request.

28. The method of claim 20, wherein said activation limit comprises a restriction on the rate at which said first user may activate software.

29. One or more computer-readable media having executable instructions to perform a method enabling the use of an enhanced feature available on plural computing devices, said method comprising the acts of:

receiving at an activation device, from a first computing device, a first request to enable said enhanced feature on said first computing device said first request comprising;

a first cryptographic key, which enables use of said enhanced feature; and

a second cryptographic key;

said first and second cryptographic keys are private and public keys, respectively, of an asymmetric key pair;

said enhanced feature comprises encrypted content and a decryption key which decrypts said encrypted content; and

said second cryptographic key is uploadable to a content provider wherein said decryption key may be included in said enhanced feature in a form encrypted by said second cryptographic key;

associating a user with the requested enhanced feature wherein said first request comprises information indicative of said user;

associating a user-specific limit with said user that limits the use of said enhanced feature on said plural computing devices;

determining by said activation device that a user-specific limit has not been reached;

based on said determination, enabling the use of said enhanced feature on said first computing device;

wherein said first computing device has at least some non-enhanced features usable regardless of whether said enhanced feature is enabled, and wherein said limit is selected from the group consisting of;

a restriction on the number of computing devices on which said enhanced feature may be enabled, and a restriction on the rate at which computing devices may be enabled to use said enhanced feature.

30. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 29, wherein said information comprises a username and password, and wherein said method further comprises the act of querying a namespace authority to validate said username and password.

31. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 29 wherein said enhanced feature comprises rendering a first class of digital works, and wherein said non-enhanced features comprise rendering a second class of digital works.