Digital rights management engine systems and methods

• US 8,688,583 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2006
• Issued: 04/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intertrust Technologies Corporation (Fidelio Acquisition Co LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intertrust Technologies Corporation (Fidelio Acquisition Co LLC)
• Inventors: Boccon-Gibod, Gilles, Boeuf, Julien G.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHEUNG, CALVIN K
• Application Number:
  US11/583,671
• Publication Number:
  US 20070100701A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,722 Days
• Field of Search: 705 50- 51, 705/57, 705/59
• US Class Current: 705/51
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1013 to locations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/603 Digital right managament [DRM]
• 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 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0492 by using a location-limited connection, e.g. near-field communication or limited proximity of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0825 using asymmetric-key encryption or public key infrastructure [PKI], e.g. key signature or public key certificates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/302 involving the integer factorization problem, e.g. RSA or quadratic sieve [QS] schemes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3242 involving keyed hash functions, e.g. message authentication codes [MACs], CBC-MAC or HMAC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3271 using challenge-response

Abstract

Systems and methods are described for performing digital rights management. In one embodiment, a digital rights management engine is provided that evaluates license associated with protected content to determine if a requested access or other use of the content is authorized. In some embodiments, the licenses contain control programs that are executable by the digital rights management engine.

Claims

1. In a first computing device comprising a processor and a first memory, the first memory storing a digital rights management engine including a virtual machine, a method of authorizing access to or other use of a piece of electronic content, comprising:

retrieving, using the first computing device, from a remote computer system, a license associated with the piece of electronic content, the license comprising a control program and a content key;

executing the control program using the virtual machine;

obtaining, as a result of executing the control program, a conditional output from the control program, the conditional output indicating that a request to access or otherwise use the piece of electronic content is authorized as long as an obligation is met;

determining that a host application running on the first computing device is able to meet the obligation; and

permitting the requested access or other use of the piece of electronic content to be made, while fulfilling the obligation, including using the content key to decrypt the piece of electronic content.

2. The method of claim 1, in which the obligation comprises rendering the piece of electronic content in a reduced quality format.

3. The method of claim 1, in which the obligation comprises recording auditing information pertaining to the access or other use of the piece of electronic content, and reporting the auditing information to a remote site.

4. The method of claim 1, in which the obligation comprises a requirement that specified functionality of a host environment on which the digital rights management system is executing be disabled.

5. The method claim 4, in which the piece of electronic content includes advertisements, and in which the specified functionality includes the ability to fast forward or rewind during rendering of the piece of electronic content.

6. The method of claim 4, in which the specified functionality includes the ability to export the piece of electronic content.