Digital literary work protection system and digital literary work protection method

• US 7,865,960 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2004
• Issued: 01/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Senoh, Takanori
• Primary Examiner(s): Zia, Syed A.
• Application Number:
  US10/570,171
• Publication Number:
  US 20070008568A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,315 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 726/26
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/603 Digital right managament [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/321 involving a third party or a trusted authority
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3273 for mutual authentication network architectures or network communication protocols for achieving mutual authentication in a packet data network H04L63/0869
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00127 Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32101 Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25816 involving client authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8352 involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3276 of a customised additional information profile, e.g. a profile specific to a user ID

Abstract

In a digital content protection system for legally transmitting encrypted digital content from a transmitting device to a receiving device, unique device identifiers for devices are registered to a specific server in advance. The server also stores in advance information relating to an authentication method usable by each device, associating the information relating to an authentication method with the unique device identifiers. The transmitting device determines whether an identifier unique to the second device is stored on the server. When stored, the transmitting device determines that the receiving device is legal and determines from the server the appropriate authentication procedure. When the transmitting device has the determined procedure, the transmitting device uses this procedure to verify the authenticity of the receiving device. When the transmitting device does not have the determined procedure, the transmitting device acquires the authentication procedure from a source external to the transmitting device and then uses the acquired procedure to validate the receiving device.

Claims

1. A digital content protection system for transmitting and receiving encrypted digital content that is legally protected by copyright, comprising:

a transmitter operable to transmit encrypted digital content;

a receiver operable to receive digital content from the transmitter; and

a specific server which stores identifiers for several system components, each identifier being unique to each system component, and further storing information relating to an authentication procedure usable by each system component, with the information relating to an authentication procedure being linked to the unique identifier,

wherein the transmitter determines whether an identifier unique to the receiver is stored on the specific server,

when the unique identifier is stored on the server, the transmitter determines that the receiver is a legal system component, and also determines, from the server, the appropriate authentication procedure for the receiver based on the identifier,

when the transmitter has the determined authentication procedure, the transmitter uses the determined procedure to verify the authenticity of the receiver, and when the transmitter does not have the determined authentication procedure, the transmitter acquires the authentication procedure from a source external to the transmitter and then uses the acquired procedure to validate the receiver,

wherein authorization to legally transmit and receive the encrypted digital content legally protected by copyright is received by payment of an appropriate compensation to a content provider.

2. The digital content protection system according to claim 1, wherein the transmitter acquires a key unique to the receiver through the verification process, uses the unique key to encrypt a key for decryption of the digital content and use conditions of the digital content, and then transmits the encrypted decryption key and use conditions to the receiver.

3. A receiver which receives encrypted digital content that is legally protected by copyright transmitted from a transmitter, comprising:

a private key that cannot be externally read;

a unique identifier that is paired with the private key; and

an encrypter/decrypter for downloading an algorithm from a source external to the transmitter,

wherein the receiver transmits information about the unique identifier to the transmitter to prove the authenticity of the receiver,

when the receiver is authenticated, the receiver receives encrypted digital content from the transmitter, and decrypts the received content using the private key and the encrypter/decrypter according to the algorithm specified by the transmitter, and

wherein authorization to legally transmit and receive the encrypted digital content legally protected by copyright is received by payment of an appropriate compensation to a content provider.

4. A transmitter which transmits encrypted digital content that is legally protected by copyright to a receiver, wherein

the transmitter is connected over a network to a specific server, the specific server storing identifiers unique to several network components to prove the authenticity of the network components, and also storing information about authentication procedures that can be used by the individual network components with each authentication procedure linked to each unique identifier,

the transmitter determines whether the identifier unique to the receiving device is stored in the specific server,

when the unique identifier is stored, the transmitter determines that the receiver is a legal system component, and determines the authentication procedure to be used from the specific server based on the unique identifier, and

when the transmitter has the determined authentication procedure, the transmitter verifies the authenticity of the receiver using the determined authentication procedure, and

when the transmitter does not have the determined authentication procedure, the transmitter acquires the authentication procedure from a source external to the transmitter and then verifies the receiver using the acquired authentication procedure,

wherein authorization to legally transmit and receive the encrypted digital content legally protected by copyright is received by payment of an appropriate compensation to a content provider.

5. The transmitter according to claim 4, wherein the transmitter acquires a key unique to the receiver through the verification process, uses the unique key to encrypt a key for decryption of the digital content and use conditions of the digital content, and then transmits the encrypted decryption key and use conditions to the receiver.

6. The transmitter according to claim 5, wherein the transmitter transmits information indicating the decryption method for the encrypted digital content to the receiver.

7. A method for transmitting encrypted digital content that is legally protected by copyright from a transmitter to a receiver, comprising:

storing in advance, to a specific server, identifiers for several system components, each identifier being unique to each system component, and further storing in advance, to the specific server, information relating to an authentication procedure usable by each system component with the information relating to the authentication procedure being linked to the unique identifier;

determining whether an identifier unique to the receiver is stored on the specific server;

when the unique identifier is stored on the server, determining that the receiver is a legal system component, and also determining, from the server, the authentication procedure for the receiver based on the identifier; and

when the transmitter has the determined authentication procedure, using the determined procedure to verify the authenticity of the receiver; and

when the transmitter does not have the determined authentication procedure, acquiring the authentication procedure from a source external to the transmitter and then using the acquired procedure to validate the receiver,

wherein authorization to legally transmit and receive the encrypted digital content legally protected by copyright is received by payment of an appropriate compensation to a content provider.

8. The digital content protection method according to claim 7, further comprising acquiring a key unique to the receiver through the verification process, using the acquired unique key to encrypt a key for decryption of the digital content and use conditions, and then transmitting the encrypted decryption key and use conditions to the receiver.

9. A method for receiving at a receiver encrypted digital content that is legally protected by copyright transmitted from a transmitter, wherein

the receiver includes a private key that cannot be externally read, a unique identifier that is paired with the private key, and an encrypter/decrypter operable to download an algorithm from a source external to the transmitter, and

the method comprises:

transmitting information about the unique identifier to the transmitter to prove the authenticity of the receiver,

when the receiver is authenticated, receiving encrypted digital content from the transmitter, and decrypting the received content using the private key and the encrypter/decrypter according to the algorithm specified by the transmitter,

wherein authorization to legally transmit and receive the encrypted digital content legally protected by copyright is received by payment of an appropriate compensation to a content provider.

10. A method for transmitting encrypted digital content that is legally protected by copyright from a transmitter to a receiver, comprising:

connecting over a network to a specific server, the specific server storing identifiers unique to each of several network components to prove the authenticity of the network components and storing information about the authentication procedures that can be used by individual receivers, with the authentication procedures being linked to the unique identifiers,

determining whether the identifier unique to a receiver is stored in the specific server,

when the unique identifier is stored, verifying that the receiver is a legal system component, and determining the authentication procedure to be used, from the specific server, based on the unique identifier, and

when having the determined authentication procedure, verifying the authenticity of the receiver using the determined authentication procedure, and

when not having the determined authentication procedure, acquiring the authentication procedure from a source external to the transmitter and then verifying the receiver using the acquired authentication procedure,

wherein authorization to legally transmit and receive the encrypted digital content legally protected by copyright is received by payment of an appropriate compensation to a content provider.

11. The transmitting method according to claim 10, further comprising acquiring a key unique to the receiver through the verification process, using the unique key to encrypt a key for decryption of the digital content and use conditions of the digital content, and then transmitting the encrypted decryption key and use conditions to the receiver.

12. The transmitting method according to claim 11, further comprising transmitting information indicating the decryption method for the encrypted digital content to the receiver.