Licensed digital material distribution system and method

• US 20020065781A1
• Filed: 04/27/2001
• Published: 05/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: J River Incorporated (J. River)
• Original Assignee: Boris Mamedov, Eric Steven Hockett, James A. Grinsfelder, James A. Nordgaard, James C. Hillegass, James G. Swanson, John C. Gately, John S. Thompson, Mark Eastom, Nikolay G. Sokratov, Paul E. Onnen, Richard R. Fritz, Stephen A. Grove, Yaobing Deng
• Inventors: Gately, John C., Onnen, Paul E., Hockett, Eric Steven, Eastom, Mark, Mamedov, Boris, Sokratov, Nikolay G., Fritz, Richard R., Hillegass, James C., Swanson, James G., Thompson, John S., Grove, Stephen A., Deng, Yaobing, Grinsfelder, James A., Nordgaard, James A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,062,468 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 20/0855 involving a third party
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/22 Contacts for co-operating by abutting
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6273 comprising two latching arms

Abstract

A system and method distribute licenses for copyrighted material separate from the copyrighted material itself. A producer or “vendor” of copyrighted material registers the material with a License Provider. The License Provider returns an encryption code for the producer to attach to the materials which are in digital form. The vendor distributes that material to one or more users who purchase a license from the License Provider. The license includes an encryption key to decrypt the file containing the materials. The system and method incorporate security measures to prevent unlicensed use and distribution of the materials.

Claims

1. A method for distributing licenses for a product comprising the steps of:

a) registering a vendor'"'"'s product by storing a product identifier in conjunction with an encryption key and providing said encryption key to said vendor to use to encrypt said product; and

b) issuing a product license to a user, said product license including said product identifier information, but not said product itself, and a decryption key that mates with said encryption key.

2. A method for distributing licenses for a digital product comprising the steps of:

a) receiving a request for product registration from a vendor, said request including a product name and a vendor identifier;

b) assigning a product identifier and an encryption key to said product and forwarding registration to vendor, said registration including a product identifier, said key and said vendor identifier;

c) receiving a request from a user for a user license, said request including a user name and payment information;

d) assigning a user identifier to said user and forwarding a user license to said user, said license including said user identifier;

e) receiving a request for a product license from said user to use said product, said request including said user identifier and said product identifier;

f) issuing a product license to said user, said product license including a user identifier, the product identifier and a decryption key that mates with said encryption key.

3. A method for obtaining a license for digitally distributed material, comprising the steps of:

a) downloading encrypted digital material carrying a product identifier;

b) purchasing a digital license to use the material, said license including a decryption key to decrypt the material and the product identifier.

4. A method according to claim 3, further comprising the steps of:

c) obtaining a user license, said user license including a user identifier; and

wherein said digital license includes said user identifier.

5. A method of obtaining a user license, comprising the steps of:

a) establishing a connection for data transmission between the user'"'"'s computer and a license provider'"'"'s computer;

b) transmitting via said data connection to the license provider a request for a user license including a user name and a system identifier that is unique to the user'"'"'s computer;

c) receiving via data connection a user license from the license provider, said user license including a user identifier assigned by the license provider.

6. A method of obtaining a user license according to claim 5, further comprising the step of:

d) storing the user license on said user'"'"'s computer.

7. A method of obtaining a user license according to claim 5, further comprising the steps of selecting and transmitting a password to the license provider and said user license incorporating said password.

8. A system for distributing user licenses, said system including:

a) a server connected to a user computer for data connection therebetween;

b) means for receiving from the user via said data connection a request for a user license, said request including a system identifier;

c) means for assigning and storing a unique user identifier in association with said system identifier

d) a database for storing user license records, each said user license record including a user identifier and a system identifier.

9. A system for distributing user licenses according to claim 8, wherein each said user license record includes a user name.

10. A system for distributing user licenses according to claim 8, wherein each said user license record includes a password.

11. A system for distributing user licenses according to claim 8, wherein each said user license record includes the user'"'"'s credit card number.

13. A system according to claim 12, further comprising:

g) a database for storing;

(i) user license records, each said user license record including a user identifier and a system identifier; and

(ii) product license records, each said product license record including a user identifier, a product identifier and a decryption key.

14. A system according to claim 13 wherein said database stores product registration records, each said record including a vendor identifier and an encryption key.

12. A system for distributing product licenses comprising:

a) a server connected to a vendor computer and to a user computer for data connection therebetween;

b) means for receiving from the vendor a request for product registration where said request includes a product name;

c) means for assigning a unique product identifier,

d) means for transmitting to the vendor a product registration, said registration including said product identifier and an encryption key;

e) means for receiving from the user via said data connection a request for a product license, said request including a previously assigned user identifier and the product identifier;

f) means for transmitting to the user a product license including a previously assigned product identifier, a user identifier and a decryption key that mates with said encryption key.

15. A system for distributing licenses for a product, comprising:

a) a product registration process for assigning to a product a unique product identifier and an encryption key;

b) a user registration process for assigning to a user a unique user identifier; and

c) a license distribution process coupled to the user registration process and to the product registration process for providing to the user a product license containing the user identifier and a decryption key that mates with said encryption key.