Reprogrammable security for controlling piracy and enabling interactive content using revocation status

• US 8,131,646 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Issued: 03/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Irdeto USA Incorporated (MultiChoice Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Rovi Solutions Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Kocher, Paul Carl, Jaffe, Joshua Michael, Jun, Benjamin Che-Ming, Laren, Carter Cyrus, Pearson, Peter Kelley, Lawson, Nathaniel James
• Primary Examiner(s): Korzuch, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wright, Bryan
• Application Number:
  US11/982,190
• Publication Number:
  US 20080137848A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,588 Days
• Field of Search: 380/201
• US Class Current: 705/54
• 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 21/64 Protecting data integrity, e.g. using checksums, certificates or signatures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00115 wherein the record carrier stores a unique medium identifier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0021 involving encryption or decryption of contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00231 wherein the key is obtained from a local external medium, e.g. a card
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00246 wherein the key is obtained from a local device, e.g. device key initially stored by the player or by the recorder
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00253 wherein the key is stored on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00449 content scrambling system [CSS]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00818 wherein the usage restriction limits the signal quality, e.g. by low-pass filtering of audio signals or by reducing the resolution of video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00884 involving a watermark, i.e. a barely perceptible transformation of the original data which can nevertheless be recognised by an algorithm
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0844 with user authentication or key authentication, e.g. ElGamal, MTI, MQV-Menezes-Qu-Vanstone protocol or Diffie-Hellman protocols using implicitly-certified keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/302 involving the integer factorization problem, e.g. RSA or quadratic sieve [QS] schemes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3236 using cryptographic hash functions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3249 using RSA or related signature schemes, e.g. Rabin scheme
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3271 using challenge-response
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91342 : the copy protection signal being an authentication signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91364 : the video signal being scrambled
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4181 : for conditional access
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42646 : for reading from or writing on a non-volatile solid state storage medium, e.g. DVD, CD-ROM
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 : by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4405 : involving video stream decryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 : Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8193 : dedicated tools, e.g. video decoder software or IPMP tool
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8358 : involving watermark protecting executable software by watermarking G06F21/16; image watermarking in general G06T1/0021; watermarks inserted in still images for transmission purposes H04N1/32144; inserting watermarks during video coding H04N19/467
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/913 : for scrambling ; for copy protection

Abstract

Technologies are disclosed to transfer responsibility and control over security from player makers to content authors by enabling integration of security logic and content. An exemplary optical disc carries an encrypted digital video title combined with data processing operations that implement the title'"'"'s security policies and decryption processes. Player devices include a processing environment (e.g., a real-time virtual machine), which plays content by interpreting its processing operations. Players also provide procedure calls to enable content code to load data from media, perform network communications, determine playback environment configurations, access secure nonvolatile storage, submit data to CODECs for output, and/or perform cryptographic operations. Content can insert forensic watermarks in decoded output for tracing pirate copies. If pirates compromise a player or title, future content can be mastered with security features that, for example, block the attack, revoke pirated media, or use native code to correct player vulnerabilities.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving data that includes digital content and data processing instructions, the data processing instructions being specific to the digital content and being executable by a computer language interpreter of a playback device to affect playback of at least a portion of the digital content;

executing the data processing instructions by using the computer language interpreter of the playback device, the data processing instructions, when executed by the computer language interpreter, configuring the computer language interpreter to;

access a memory of the playback device, the memory storing a revocation status corresponding to the digital content and indicating that an authorization pertinent to the digital content is revoked; and

initiate a performance of an operation by the playback device based on the revocation status, the operation pertaining to the digital content and including enabling the playback of at least the portion of the digital content at a reduced resolution of the digital content, the reduced resolution being less than a maximum resolution of the digital content included in the received data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the operation includes at least one of;

notifying a user of the playback device that the digital content is illegal;

enabling the user to initiate a purchase transaction related to the digital content;

or

preventing playback of a further portion of the digital content.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the data processing instructions that are specific to the digital content are first data processing instructions; and

the memory of the playback device stores second data processing instructions executable by the computer language interpreter of the playback device to perform the operation pertaining to the digital content, the second data processing instructions corresponding to the revocation status and, when executed, configuring the playback device to perform the operation.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the data includes an identifier corresponding to the digital content;

the data processing instructions, in configuring the computer language interpreter to initiate the performance of the operation, configure the computer language interpreter to initiate the performance based on an authenticity of the identifier; and

the data processing instructions, when executed by the computer language interpreter, configure the computer language interpreter to determine the authenticity of the identifier.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the data processing instructions, when executed by the computer language interpreter, configure the computer language interpreter to access a digital signature of the identifier; and

the data processing instructions, in configuring the computer language interpreter to determine the authenticity of the identifier, configure the computer language interpreter to determine the authenticity based on the digital signature of the identifier.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the memory of the playback device is a nonvolatile memory.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving the revocation status of the digital content; and

storing the revocation status in the memory of the playback device.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

accessing a digital signature of the revocation status; and

determining that the revocation status is authentic based on the digital signature of the revocation status; and

wherein the storing of the revocation status is responsive to the determining that the revocation status is authentic.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving of the data includes receiving at least some of the data from a media drive or via network.

10. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising:

digital content; and

data processing instructions specific to the digital content and executable by a computer language interpreter of a playback device to affect playback of at least a portion of the digital content, the data processing instructions, when executed by the computer language interpreter of the playback device, configuring the computer language interpreter to;

access a memory of the playback device, the memory storing a revocation status corresponding to the digital content and indicating that an authorization pertinent to the digital content is revoked; and

initiate a performance of an operation by the playback device based on the revocation status, the operation pertaining to the digital content and including enabling the playback of at least the portion of the digital content at a reduced resolution of the digital content, the reduced resolution being less than a maximum resolution of the digital content.

11. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 10, wherein:

the operation at least one of;

notifying a user of the playback device that the digital content is illegal;

enabling the user to initiate a purchase transaction related to the digital content;

or

preventing playback of a further portion of the digital content.

12. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 10, wherein

the data processing instructions that are specific to the digital content are first data processing instructions and, in configuring the computer language interpreter to access the memory of the playback device, configure the computer language interpreter to access second data processing instructions that are stored in the memory and executable by the computer language interpreter of the playback device to perform the operation pertaining to the digital content, the second data processing instructions corresponding to the revocation status and, when executed, configuring the playback device to perform the operation.

13. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 10 further comprising

an identifier corresponding to the digital content;

and wherein;

the data processing instructions, in configuring the computer language interpreter to initiate the performance of the operation, configure the computer language interpreter to initiate the performance based on an authenticity of the identifier;

and the data processing instructions, when executed by the computer language interpreter, configure the computer language interpreter to determine the authenticity of the identifier.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13 further comprising:

a digital signature of the identifier; and

wherein

the data processing instructions, when executed by the computer language interpreter, configure the computer language interpreter to access the digital signature of the identifier; and

the data processing instructions, in configuring the computer language interpreter to determine the authenticity of the identifier, configure the computer language interpreter to determine the authenticity based on the digital signature of the identifier.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein:

the identifier is a serial number of the non-transitory machine-readable medium.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 10, wherein

the data processing instructions, when executed by the computer language interpreter, configure the computer language interpreter to:

access a digital signature of the revocation status; and

determine that the revocation status is authentic, based on the digital signature of the revocation status.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 10, wherein:

the data processing instructions, when executed by the computer language interpreter, configure the computer language interpreter to receive an update of the revocation status via a network; and

the data processing instructions, in configuring the computer language interpreter to initiate the performance of the operation, configure the computer language interpreter to initiate the performance based on the update of the revocation status.

18. An apparatus comprising:

a memory;

a computer language interpreter communicatively coupled to the memory; and

a media interface communicatively coupled to the computer language interpreter, the media interface being configured to receive data that includes digital content and data processing instructions, the data processing instructions being specific to the digital content and being executable by the computer language interpreter to affect playback of at least a portion of the digital content, the data processing instructions, when executed by the computer language interpreter, configuring the computer language interpreter to;

access a memory of the playback device, the memory storing a revocation status corresponding to the digital content and indicating whether that an authorization pertinent to the digital content is revoked; and

initiate a performance of an operation by the playback device based on the revocation status, the operation pertaining to the digital content and including enabling the playback of at least the portion of the digital content at a reduced resolution of the digital content, the reduced resolution being less than a maximum resolution of the digital content included in the received data.

19. A system comprising:

a nonvolatile memory;

means for receiving data that includes digital content and data processing instructions, the data processing instructions being specific to the digital content and being executable to affect playback of at least a portion of the digital content; and

means for executing the data processing instructions, the data processing instructions, when executed, causing;

access of the nonvolatile memory, the nonvolatile memory storing a revocation status corresponding to the digital content and indicating that an authorization pertinent to the digital content is revoked; and

initiation of an operation by the playback device based on the revocation status, the operation pertaining to the digital content and including enabling the playback of at least the portion of the digital content at a reduced resolution of the digital content, the reduced resolution being less than a maximum resolution of the digital content included in the received data.