License management for digital content

• US 9,002,746 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2012
• Issued: 04/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Audible Incorporated (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Audible Incorporated (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Story, Guy A. Jr., Kovesdi, Rozsa E., Rajasekharan, Ajit V., Jun, Benjamin Che-Ming
• Primary Examiner(s): Huang, Tsan-Yu J
• Application Number:
  US13/465,815
• Publication Number:
  US 20120255037A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,065 Days
• Field of Search: 705/59, 726/1, 726/26
• US Class Current: 705/59
• 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: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to managing licenses for playback of digital content. A license management device may create licenses that determine the number of playback devices that can be authorized by the license. Each license may be included in a corresponding digital content. In addition, each license may be distributed to a set of playback devices. Thereafter, a playback device may playback digital content that includes a license when the playback device stores a matching license. A single license can be used to provide authorization to play digital content from multiple sources and/or multiple types of content. Playback devices can store multiple licenses, which allows playback devices to belong to multiple sets of playback devices authorized to playback various digital content. In one embodiment digital content files can contain multiple licenses to allow the content files to be shared by multiple sets of playback devices.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for managing license information associated with digital content comprising:

under control of one or more serve computers implemented with specific computer readable instructions,

identifying a number of playback devices that can be authorized to playback digital content associated with a license, each playback device including a processor configured to facilitate playback of the digital content, wherein the number of playback devices is indicated by the license, and wherein the number of playback devices are authorized regardless of type of playback device;

transmitting via a communication network, first license information corresponding to the license to a set of playback devices, wherein the set of playback devices includes no more than the number of playback devices authorized by the license;

generating second license information corresponding to the license, wherein the second license information, when associated with an item of digital content, authorizes a playback device to play the item of digital content only if the playback device includes the first license information; and

transmitting the second license information to at least one playback device of the set of playback devices.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the license information to at least one playback device of the set of playback devices comprises transmitting the license information to a content provider, wherein the content provider transmits the second license information to the at least one playback device.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the second license information to at least one playback device of the set of playback devices comprises:

associating the second license information with the first item of digital content; and

transmitting the item of digital content to the at least one playback device.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 further comprising:

associating additional license information with the item of digital content, wherein the additional license information corresponds to an additional license indicating an additional set of playback devices that can be authorized to playback the item of digital content; and

transmitting the digital content to at least one playback device of the additional set of playback devices.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the item digital content comprises at least one of audio content or visual content.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the item of digital content comprises at least one of audio book content, lecture content, news content, movie content, theatrical content, educational content, and commentary.

7. A system for managing license information associated with digital content, the system comprising:

a data store that stores a first license information corresponding to a license; and

a processor in communication with the data store, the processor, which when executing computer-executable instructions, performs operations comprising;

identifying a number of playback devices that can be authorized to playback digital content associate with the license, wherein the number of playback devices is indicated by the license, and wherein the number of playback devices are authorized regardless of type of playback device;

transmitting the first license information to a set of playback devices, wherein the set of playback devices includes no more than the number of playback devices authorized by the license;

generating second license information corresponding to the license, wherein the second license information, when associated with an item of digital content, authorizes a playback device to play the item of digital content only if the playback device includes the first license information; and

transmitting the second license information corresponding to the license to at least one playback device of the set of playback devices.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein transmitting the second license information corresponding to the license to at least one playback device of the set of playback devices includes transmitting the second license information corresponding to the license to a content provider, and wherein the content provider transmits the second license information corresponding to the license to the at least one playback device.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one playback device comprises at least one of a hardware playback device or a software playback device.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the number of playback devices that can be authorized is at least one of fixed, variable, or unlimited.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

associating the second license information corresponding to the license with the item of digital content; and

transmitting the item of digital content to the at least one playback device.

12. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium including one or more computer executable modules, said computer executable modules comprising:

a first module that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to at least;

generate first license information corresponding to a license, wherein the first license information identifies a number of playback devices that can be authorized to playback digital content associated with the license, and wherein the number of playback devices are authorized regardless of type of playback device; and

transmit the first license information to a set of playback devices, the set of playback devices includes no more than the number of playback devices authorized by the license; and

a second module that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to at least;

generate second license information corresponding to the license that, when associated with an item of digital content, authorizes a playback device to playback the item of digital content only if the playback device includes the first license information; and

transmit the second license information to at least one playback device of the set of playback devices.

13. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein transmission of the second license information corresponding to the license to at least one playback device of the set of playback devices includes transmission of the second license information corresponding to the license to a content provider, and wherein the content provider transmits the second license information corresponding to the license to the at least one playback device.

14. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the item of digital content comprises at least one of audio content or visual content.

15. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the item of digital content comprises at least one of audio book content, lecture content, news content, movie content, theatrical content, educational content, or commentary.

16. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the one or more computer executable modules further comprises a third module that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to at least associate the second license information with the item of digital content.

17. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein said association of the second license information with the item of digital content occurs prior to transmission of the second license information corresponding to the license to at least one playback device of the set of playback device.

18. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein transmission of the second license information corresponding to the license to at least one playback device of the set of playback devices includes transmission of the item of digital content.

19. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the number of playback devices that can be authorized is at least one of a fixed number, a variable number, or an unlimited number.

20. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the playback device comprises at least one of a hardware playback device, or a software playback device implemented by a physical computing device.