Method and apparatus for establishing usage rights for digital content to be created in the future

• US 8,412,644 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2010
• Issued: 04/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ContentGuard Holdings, Inc. (Pendrell Corporation)
• Original Assignee: ContentGuard Holdings, Inc. (Pendrell Corporation)
• Inventors: Valenzuela, Edgardo, Wang, Xin, Tadayon, Bijan, Lao, Guillermo, Nahidipour, Aram, Ta, Thanh, Raley, Michael C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Reagan, James A
• Application Number:
  US12/768,238
• Publication Number:
  US 20100241871A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,071 Days
• Field of Search: 705/904
• US Class Current: 705/904
• 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 21/60 Protecting data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2153 Using hardware token as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1235 with control of digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/184 Intellectual property management
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/16 for devices exhibiting advertisements, announcements, pictures or the like
• 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 20/0021 involving encryption or decryption of contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0071 involving a purchase action
• 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 2463/102 applying security measure for e-commerce data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; 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 21/4627 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 21/8355 involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/83555 using a structured language for describing usage rules of the content, e.g. REL

Abstract

Usage rights for a digital work are established prior to creation of the corresponding content. The rights can be associated with the content after the content is created. A content creation, such as a video recorder or a still camera, device can store labels of the rights and can associate usage rights with content in real time as the content is created.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method executed by one or more computing devices for creating a digital work, the method comprising:

before content is created, generating, by at least one of the one or more computing devices, a label associated with the content, and associating, by at least one of the one or more computing devices, a usage right with the label;

receiving, by at least one of the one or more computing devices, information related to a user environment;

selecting, by at least one of the one or more computing devices, an instance of the content appropriate for the user environment; and

after the content is created, associating, by at least one of the one or more computing devices, the usage right with the selected instance of the content, thereby creating the digital work.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the content is created based on the occurrence of a live event.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more instances of the content are created pursuant to a subscription.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising distributing, by at least one of the one or more computing devices, the digital work.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising permitting, by at least one of the one or more computing devices, utilization of the selected instance of the content in accordance with the usage right.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the usage right corresponds to a user'"'"'s right to at least one of alter, edit, copy, print, view, render, access, and execute the instance of the content.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the instance of the content includes at least one of a written, aural, graphical, audio, pictorial, and video based element.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising securing, by at least one of the one or more computing devices, at least one of the selected instance of the content and the label.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the securing step comprises encrypting and storing the instance of the content.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the label includes a predetermined security key associated with the instance of the content, and at least one of the selected instance of the content and the label are encrypted with the security key.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting step comprises:

providing, by at least one of the one or more computing devices, information identifying one or more instances of the content based on the information related to the user environment; and

receiving, by at least one of the one or more computing devices, information selecting one of the identified instances of the content.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein only one instance of the content is identified based on the information related to the user environment, and wherein the identified instance of the content is selected by default.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the label exists within a service, and the instances of the content appropriate for the user environment are identified by the service based on the label and the information related to the user environment.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the label includes a content indicator.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the content is a future appropriation of content for a distributor.

16. An apparatus for creating a digital work, the apparatus comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more memories operatively coupled to at least one of the one or more processors and containing instructions that, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause at least one of the one or more processors to;

before content is created, generate a label associated with the content, and associate a usage right with the label;

receive information related to a user environment;

select an instance of the content appropriate for the user environment; and

after the content is created, associate the usage right with the selected instance of the content, thereby creating the digital work.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the content is created based on the occurrence of a live event.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein one or more instances of the content are created pursuant to a subscription.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause at least one of the one or more processors to distribute the digital work.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause at least one of the one or more processors to permit utilization of the selected instance of the content in accordance with the usage right.

21. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the usage right corresponds to a user'"'"'s right to at least one of alter, edit, copy, print, view, render, access, and execute the instance of the content.

22. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the instance of the content includes at least one of a written, aural, graphical, audio, pictorial, and video based element.

23. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause at least one of the one or more processors to secure at least one of the selected instance of the content and the label.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the instructions cause at least one of the one or more processors to secure at least one of the selected instance of the content and the label by encrypting and storing the instance of the content.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the label includes a predetermined security key associated with the instance of the content, and at least one of the selected instance of the content and the label are encrypted with the security key.

26. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the instructions cause at least one of the one or more processors to select by:

providing information identifying one or more instances of the content based on the information related to the user environment; and

receiving information selecting one of the identified instances of the content.

27. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein only one instance of the content is identified based on the information related to the user environment, and wherein the identified instance of the content is selected by default.

28. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the label exists within a service, and the instances of the content appropriate for the user environment are identified by the service based on the label and the information related to the user environment.

29. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the label includes a content indicator.

30. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the content is a future appropriation of content for a distributor.

31. At least one non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by one or more computing devices, cause at least one of the one or more computing devices to:

before content is created, generate a label associated with the content, and associate a usage right with the label;

receive information related to a user environment;

select an instance of the content appropriate for the user environment; and

after the content is created, associate the usage right with the selected instance of the content, thereby creating the digital work.

32. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 31, wherein the content is created based on the occurrence of a live event.

33. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 31, wherein one or more instances of the content are created pursuant to a subscription.

34. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 31, further comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause at least one of the one or more processors to distribute the digital work.

35. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 31, further comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause at least one of the one or more processors to permit utilization of the selected instance of the content in accordance with the usage right.

36. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 31, wherein the usage right corresponds to a user'"'"'s right to at least one of alter, edit, copy, print, view, render, access, and execute the instance of the content.

37. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 31, wherein the instance of the content includes at least one of a written, aural, graphical, audio, pictorial, and video based element.

38. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 31, further comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause at least one of the one or more processors to secure at least one of the selected instance of the content and the label.

39. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 38, wherein the instructions cause at least one of the one or more processors to secure at least one of the selected instance of the content and the label by encrypting and storing the instance of the content.

40. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 38, wherein the label includes a predetermined security key associated with the instance of the content, and at least one of the selected instance of the content and the label are encrypted with the security key.

41. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 31, wherein the instructions cause at least one of the one or more processors to select by:

providing information identifying one or more instances of the content based on the information related to the user environment; and

receiving information selecting one of the identified instances of the content.

42. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 31, wherein only one instance of the content is identified based on the information related to the user environment, and wherein the identified instance of the content is selected by default.

43. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 31, wherein the label exists within a service, and the instances of the content appropriate for the user environment are identified by the service based on the label and the information related to the user environment.

44. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 31, wherein the label includes a content indicator.

45. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 31, wherein the content is a future appropriation of content for a distributor.