Systems and methods for secure transaction management and electronic rights protection

• US 8,533,854 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2011
• Issued: 09/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intertrust Technologies Corporation (Fidelio Acquisition Co LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intertrust Technologies Corporation (Fidelio Acquisition Co LLC)
• Inventors: Ginter, Karl L., Shear, Victor H., Spahn, Francis J., Van Wie, David M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Darrow, Justin T
• Application Number:
  US13/028,647
• Publication Number:
  US 20110145602A1
• Time in Patent Office: 937 Days
• Field of Search: 726 27- 30, 380/210, 380/231, 713/176, 713/193, 713/194, 705/52
• US Class Current: 726/27
• 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 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2115 Third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2117 User registration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2135 Metering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2137 Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• 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 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0891 Revocation or update of secret information, e.g. encryption key update or rekeying
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• 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 21/25875 involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6334 for authorisation, e.g. by transmitting a key wireless communications network key management H04W12/04; wireless communications network access security H04W12/08

Abstract

The present invention provides systems and methods for secure transaction management and electronic rights protection. Electronic appliances such as computers equipped in accordance with the present invention help to ensure that information is accessed and used only in authorized ways, and maintain the integrity, availability, and/or confidentiality of the information. Such electronic appliances provide a distributed virtual distribution environment (VDE) that may enforce a secure chain of handling and control, for example, to control and/or meter or otherwise monitor use of electronically stored or disseminated information. Such a virtual distribution environment may be used to protect rights of various participants in electronic commerce and other electronic or electronic-facilitated transactions. Distributed and other operating systems, environments and architectures, such as, for example, those using tamper-resistant hardware-based processors, may establish security at each node. These techniques may be used to support an all-electronic information distribution, for example, utilizing the “electronic highway.”

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a request for usage information at a first electronic appliance, the first electronic appliance comprising a protected processing environment for governing access to or other use of electronic content;

validating that the request is from a trusted source;

retrieving, in accordance with control information associated with electronic content, usage information related to access to or other use of the electronic content at the first electronic appliance, the control information including a constraint, specified by a user of the electronic content, on reporting one or more types of usage information without the user first consenting to overriding the constraint; and

sending the usage information to a second electronic appliance, the second electronic appliance being located remotely from the first electronic appliance.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an acknowledgement from the second electronic appliance, the acknowledgement indicating receipt of the usage information;

modifying or deleting the usage information on the first electronic appliance at least in part in response to having received the acknowledgement.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

encrypting and/or digitally signing the usage information prior to the sending step.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining that a predefined amount of time has transpired after sending the usage information, but before an acknowledgement has been received; and

resending the usage information to the second electronic appliance.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a secure container comprising the electronic content;

receiving control information associated with the electronic content; and

using the protected processing environment to apply the control information to govern access to or other use of the electronic content.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

recording, in accordance with the control information, usage information related to access to or other use of the electronic content.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the protected processing environment comprises at least a secure processing unit having at least one hardware element that is tamper resistant, the tamper resistance being achieved, at least in part, through employment of tamper resistant techniques comprising at least one of microfusing or thin wire detection.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein one or more different portions of the usage information are stored outside the secure processing unit, the one or more different portions being securely loaded into the secure processing unit for processing when necessary.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the usage information is sent to the second electronic appliance via a pathway comprising electronic appliances associated with one or more of:

a creator of the electronic content,

a distributor of the electronic content,

an auditor, and

a clearinghouse.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the usage information is recorded by being stored according to one or more usage-related increments comprising one or more of bytes, images, and logically related blocks.