Enabling playback of media content

• US 9,251,334 B1
• Filed: 01/30/2014
• Issued: 02/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Molitor, Eric Michael, Cowburn, Piers George
• Primary Examiner(s): LANIER, BENJAMIN E
• Application Number:
  US14/169,049
• Time in Patent Office: 733 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/603 Digital right managament [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0891 Revocation or update of secret information, e.g. encryption key update or rekeying
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/321 involving a third party or a trusted authority
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3271 using challenge-response

Abstract

Technology is described for allowing playback of protected media content on an untrusted device. A request to entitle playback of the protected media content may be received from a trusted device. The request may include an outer encrypted message with location information for the trusted device and identity information for the trusted device and a nested encrypted message with a signed challenge processed by the untrusted device. An entitlement for the playback of the protected media content may be generated in response to verification of the request in the outer encrypted message and the nested encrypted message. The entitlement may be sent to the untrusted device via the trusted device. The entitlement may enable the untrusted device to play the protected media content for a defined duration.

Claims

1. A method for allowing playback of protected media content on an untrusted device, the method comprising:

under control of one or more computer systems configured with executable instructions;

receiving a first request to entitle playback of the protected media content on an untrusted device;

issuing a challenge to the untrusted device in response to the first request;

receiving a second request to entitle playback of the protected media content from a trusted device, the second request including an outer encrypted message with location information for the trusted device and identity information for the trusted device and a nested encrypted message with the challenge digitally signed by the untrusted device;

generating an entitlement for the playback of the protected media content in response to verification of the outer encrypted message and the nested encrypted message, wherein the entitlement is generated by encrypting the entitlement using a public key associated with the untrusted device and encrypting an outer entitlement message that includes the entitlement using a public key associated with the trusted device; and

sending the entitlement to the untrusted device via the trusted device, the entitlement enabling the untrusted device to play the protected media content for a defined duration.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request to renew the entitlement for playback of the protected media content from the trusted device upon expiration of the entitlement, the request including updated location information associated with the trusted device;

generating a renewed entitlement for playback of the protected media content when the updated location information is within a prescribed limit with respect to the location information; and

sending the renewed entitlement to the untrusted device via the trusted device, the renewed entitlement enabling the untrusted device to continue playback of the protected media content for the defined duration.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request to renew the entitlement for playback of the protected media content from the trusted device upon expiration of the entitlement, the request including updated location information associated with the trusted device; and

determining to not renew the entitlement for playback of the protected media content when the updated location information associated with the trusted device is not within the prescribed limit with respect to the location information, thereby stopping playback at the untrusted device upon expiration of the entitlement.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the signed challenge processed by the untrusted device in the nested encrypted message in response to issuing a challenge to the untrusted device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising decrypting the outer encrypted message using a key associated with the trusted device and decrypting the nested encrypted message using a key associated with the untrusted device.

6. A computer implemented method, the method comprising:

under control of one or more computer systems configured with executable instructions;

sending a request to entitle playback of protected media content at an untrusted device, the request including an outer encrypted message with location information and identity information associated with a trusted device and a nested encrypted message with a challenge digitally signed by the untrusted device, wherein the challenge is issued to the untrusted device in response to the untrusted device requesting an entitlement to perform playback of the protected media content;

receiving an entitlement for playback of the protected media content in response to validated identity information in the outer encrypted message and the validated signed challenge in the nested encrypted message, wherein the entitlement is received at the trusted device and is contained in an outer entitlement message that is encrypted with a public key associated with the trusted device and the entitlement in the outer entitlement message is encrypted with a public key associated with the untrusted device; and

sending the entitlement to the untrusted device to enable the untrusted device to begin playback of the protected media content.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving a request from the untrusted device to renew the entitlement for playback of the protected media content before expiration of the entitlement; and

sending the request to renew the entitlement along with updated location information associated with the trusted device.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising

receiving a renewed entitlement for playback of the protected media content at the trusted device when the updated location information associated with the trusted device is within a prescribed geographical limit in relation to the untrusted device;

and

sending the renewed entitlement to the untrusted device to enable the untrusted device to continue playback of the protected media content for a defined duration.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the location information includes a longitude and latitude associated with the trusted device and the identity information includes a device identity or a customer identity associated with the trusted device.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising sending the entitlement to the untrusted device to enable playback of the protected media content for a defined time period depending on a mobility level associated with the trusted device.

11. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

decrypting the outer entitlement message using a private key associated with the trusted device in order to identify the untrusted device as a recipient of the entitlement; and

sending the entitlement to the untrusted device, wherein the untrusted device extracts the entitlement using a private key associated with the untrusted device in order to begin playback of the protected media content.

12. The method of claim 6, further comprising receiving, at the trusted device, the challenge that is digitally signed from the untrusted device after the untrusted device is issued the challenge from a server.

13. The method of claim 6, further comprising discovering the untrusted device that is capable of the playback of the protected media content.

14. The method of claim 6, wherein the protected media content includes digital rights management (DRM) protected media content.

15. A system for allowing playback of protected media content, the system comprising:

a processor;

a memory device including a data store to store a plurality of data and instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

receive a first request to entitle playback of the protected media content on an untrusted device;

issue a challenge to the untrusted device in response to the first request;

receive a second request to entitle playback of the protected media content from a trusted device, the second request including an outer encrypted message with location information and identity information associated with the trusted device and a nested encrypted message with the challenge digitally signed by an untrusted device;

generate an entitlement for the playback of the protected media content in response to validation of the outer encrypted message and the nested encrypted message, wherein the entitlement is encrypted with a public key associated with the untrusted device and encrypt an outer entitlement message that includes the entitlement using a public key associated with the trusted device; and

send the entitlement to the untrusted device via the trusted device, the entitlement enabling the untrusted device to begin the playback of the protected media content for a defined duration.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the plurality of data and instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

receive a request to renew the entitlement for playback of the protected media content from the trusted device, the request including updated location information associated with the trusted device;

generate a renewed entitlement for playback of the protected media content when the updated location information is within a prescribed geographical limit with respect to the location information; and

send the renewed entitlement to the untrusted device via the trusted device, the renewed entitlement enabling the untrusted device to continue playback of the protected media content for the defined duration.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the plurality of data and instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

determine to not renew the entitlement for playback of the protected media content when the updated location information associated with the trusted device is not within the prescribed limit with respect to the location information, thereby stopping playback at the untrusted device upon expiration of the entitlement.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the trusted device is configured to decrypt the outer entitlement message with a private key associated with the trusted device and relay the entitlement in the outer entitlement message to the untrusted device.