System and method for managing transfer of rights using shared state variables

• US 8,078,542 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2010
• Issued: 12/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ContentGuard Holdings, Inc. (Pendrell Corporation)
• Original Assignee: ContentGuard Holdings, Inc. (Pendrell Corporation)
• Inventors: Nguyen, Mai, Wang, Xin, Ta, Thanh, Lao, Guillermo, Chen, Eddie J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fischer, Andrew J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WEST, THOMAS C
• Application Number:
  US12/824,531
• Publication Number:
  US 20100263057A1
• Time in Patent Office: 533 Days
• Field of Search: 705 50- 79
• US Class Current: 705/59
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/184 Intellectual property management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for commerce, e.g. marketing, shopping, billing, auctions or e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• 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

Abstract

A method, system and device for transferring rights adapted to be associated with items from a rights supplier to a rights consumer, including obtaining a set of rights associated with an item, the set of rights including meta-rights specifying derivable rights that can be derived from the meta-; determining whether the rights consumer is entitled to the derivable rights specified by the meta-rights; and deriving at least one right from the derivable rights, if the rights consumer is entitled to the derivable rights specified by the meta-rights, wherein the derived right includes at least one state variable based on the set of rights and used for determining a state of the derived right.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for transferring rights associated with an item from a rights supplier to a rights consumer, the method comprising:

obtaining a set of rights associated with the item, the set of rights including a first usage right and a meta-right, wherein the first usage right defines a manner of use for the item and the meta-right specifies a right to create a right to obtain a second usage right, and wherein the meta-right is provided in digital form and is enforceable by a repository;

determining, by a repository, whether a rights consumer is entitled to the right to create a right to obtain the second usage right specified by the meta-right; and

exercising the meta-right to create a right to obtain the second usage right as specified by the meta-right, if the rights consumer is entitled to create a right to obtain the second usage right, wherein another rights consumer has the right to obtain the second usage right that shares a state with the first usage right.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the exercising step further updates the shared state.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the shared state is managed by an entity that is accessible by the rights consumers and the another rights consumer.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising recording a usage history wherein the usage history comprises a collection of changes in the shared state.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the determining steps determines based on the usage history.

6. A system for transferring rights associated with an item from a rights supplier to a rights consumer, the system comprising:

a computing device configured to obtain a set of rights associated with the item, the set of rights including a first usage right and a meta-right, wherein the first usage right defines a manner of use for the item and the meta-right specifies a right to create a right to obtain a second usage right, and wherein the meta-right is provided in digital form and is enforceable by a repository;

a computing device configured to determine whether the rights consumer is entitled to create the right to obtain the second usage right specified by the meta-right; and

a computing device configured to exercise the meta-right to create the right to obtain the second usage right, wherein another rights consumer has the right to obtain the second usage right that shares a state with the first usage right.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the computing device configured to exercise is further configured to update the shared state.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the shared state is managed by an entity that is accessible by the rights consumers and the another rights consumer.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the computing device configured to exercise is further configured to record a usage history, wherein the usage history comprises a collection of changes in the shared state.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the computing device configured to determine is configured to determine based on the usage history.

11. The system of claim 6, wherein two or more of the computing devices may be combined into a single computing device.

12. A device for transferring rights associated with an item from a rights supplier to a rights consumer, the device comprising:

a repository configured to obtain a set of rights associated with the item, the set of rights including a first usage right and a meta-right, wherein the first usage right defines a manner of use for the item and the meta-right specifies a right to create a right to obtain a second usage right, and wherein the meta-right is provided in digital form and is enforceable by a repository;

a repository configured to determine whether a rights consumer is entitled to the right to create a right to obtain the second usage right specified by the meta-right; and

a repository configured to exercise the meta-right to create a right to obtain the second usage right as specified by the meta-right, if the rights consumer is entitled to the right to create the right to obtain the second usage right specified by the meta-right, wherein another rights consumer has the right to obtain the second usage right that shares a state with the first usage right.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the repository configured to exercise is further configured to update the shared state.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the shared state is managed by an entity that is accessible by the rights consumers and the another rights consumer.

15. The device of claim 12, further comprising a repository configured to record a usage history wherein the usage history comprises a collection of changes in the shared state.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the repository configured to determine is configured to determine based on the usage history.

17. The device of claim 12, wherein two or more of the repositories may be combined into a single repository.