Specifying rights in a digital rights license according to events

• US 9,246,916 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2009
• Issued: 01/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Ganesan, Krishnamurthy
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Miranda
• Application Number:
  US12/568,490
• Publication Number:
  US 20100024044A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,311 Days
• Field of Search: 726/27, 705/59
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 2221/2107 File encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources

Abstract

A digital license specifies rights with regard to corresponding digital content, and in particular specifies at least one event and for the at least one event at least one of a condition precedent to allowing the event to proceed and an action to be taken once the event has occurred. To respond to a request for an event from a rendering application with regard to the content, event code corresponding to the event is located in the license, and the condition within the event code is evaluated. If evaluated as true, the requested event is allowed to proceed, whereby the rendering application performs the event, and the action within the event code is executed. If evaluated as false, the requested event is denied.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage device having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that when executed by a computing device implement a method of specifying rights with regard to digital content, the method comprising:

providing a digital license having license attributes or scripts specifying rights under the digital license with respect to associated digital content, said digital license including event code that sets forth a test for a condition that is a condition precedent that must occur prior to effectuating at least one specified event comprising at least one of storage of the license on a computer storage device, selection of the digital license for use in rendering the associated digital content, a request for a rendering-action with respect to the digital license during rendering of the associated digital content, a request to delete the digital license, and a detected clock rollback that is a presumed attempt to subvert a date- or time-based license term by rolling back a clock referred to by the digital license, and specifying for the at least one specified event an action to be taken with respect to license state information and/or the associated digital content once the specified event has occurred;

detecting the specified event; and

allowing the specified event to proceed if said condition precedent has occurred and/or taking said action once the specified event has occurred,

wherein detecting the request for the rendering-action with respect to the digital license during rendering of the associated digital content comprises detecting an action comprising modifying state information corresponding to at least one of the digital license and the associated digital content.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein detecting storage of the license on the computer storage device comprises detecting an action comprising creating state information corresponding to one of the license and the associated digital content.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the condition precedent is evaluated based on license-related or content-related information stored externally from the license.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the information is state information.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the action to be taken is modification of the state information.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the condition precedent is set forth as an expression to be evaluated, and wherein the specified event is allowed to proceed if the expression is evaluated as true.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein detecting selection of the digital license comprises detecting a condition wherein state information corresponding to one of the license and the associated digital content is within a predetermined range.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein detecting selection of the digital license comprises detecting a condition wherein time-based information is within a predetermined range.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein detecting selection of the digital license comprises detecting an action comprising modifying state information corresponding to one of the license and the associated digital content.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein detecting the request for the rendering-action with respect to the digital license during rendering of the associated digital content comprises detecting a condition wherein state information corresponding to one of the digital license and the associated digital content is within a predetermined range.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein detecting the request for the rendering-action with respect to the digital license during rendering of the associated digital content comprises detecting a condition wherein time-based information is within a predetermined range.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the rendering-action comprises rendering, printing, or copying the associated digital content or backing up or restoring the digital license.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein failure to include a particular type of rendering-action event in the digital license prevents the digital license from allowing the particular type of rendering-action event to proceed.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein detecting the clock rollback comprises comparing the current time to a stored time and determining that the clock has been rolled back if the current time is earlier than the stored time.

15. A method of specifying rights with regard to digital content, comprising:

providing a digital license having license attributes or scripts specifying rights under the digital license with respect to associated digital content, said digital license including event code that sets forth a test for a condition that is a condition precedent that must occur prior to effectuating at least one specified event comprising at least one of storage of the license on a computer storage device, selection of the digital license for use in rendering the associated digital content, a request for a rendering-action with respect to the digital license during rendering of the associated digital content, a request to delete the digital license, and a detected clock rollback that is a presumed attempt to subvert a date- or time-based license term by rolling back a clock referred to by the digital license;

specifying for the at least one specified event an action to be taken with respect to license state information and/or the associated digital content once the specified event has occurred;

detecting the specified event; and

allowing the specified event to proceed if said condition precedent has occurred and/or taking said action once the specified event has occurred,

wherein detecting the clock rollback comprises comparing the current time to a stored time and determining that the clock has been rolled back if the current time is earlier than the stored time.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein detecting storage of the license on the computer storage device comprises detecting an action comprising creating state information corresponding to one of the license and the associated digital content.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising setting forth the condition precedent as an expression to be evaluated, and allowing the specified event to proceed if the expression is evaluated as true.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising preventing the digital license from allowing the particular type of rendering-action event to proceed upon failure to include a particular type of rendering-action event in the digital license.