Content receiving apparatus and method, storage medium, and server

• US 20020120574A1
• Filed: 10/16/2001
• Published: 08/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ezaki, Tadashi
• Granted Patent: US 7,035,827 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/51
• 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

A content receiver is compatible with a plurality of rights management and protection methods (RMP) devised for each content distribution system. Only the format which specifies the specification of the RMP formed of information such as content billing, security, and copyright protection, is standardized. Each content provider inputs encrypted content and rights processing information to content in a form conforming to the standardized specification. For content users, by merely being provided with functions corresponding to each RMP method in advance, even if the content is based on any RMP method, the content can be decrypted and used in the same content receiver.

Claims

1. A content receiving apparatus, comprising:

a receiver operable to receive content distributed in accordance with a rights management and protection method;

an identification unit operable to identify said rights management and protection method for said received content; and

a rights processing unit operable to perform rights processing of said received content in accordance with said identified rights management and protection method.

2. A content receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rights management and protection method specifies indispensable items for purchasing and using content, said items including a content encryption method, a key distribution method, a content decryption method, a billing information and keys transmission method, recording medium control information, a mutual authentication method, an analog protection system of macrovision or a copy generation management system, and viewing limitation information.

3. A content receiving apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of types of rights management and protection modules, wherein said rights processing unit selects a predetermined type of said rights management and protection modules based on said identified rights management and protection method in order to perform rights processing of said received content.

4. A content receiving apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a rights management and protection module acquiring unit operable to externally acquire a selected rights management and protection module based on said identified rights management and protection method, wherein said rights processing unit performs right processing of said received content by using said selected rights management and protection module.

5. A content receiving apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a rights management and protection module creation unit operable to automatically create a selected rights management and protection module based on said identified rights management and protection method, wherein said rights processing unit performs rights processing of said received content by using said selected rights management and protection module.

6. A content receiving apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a content storage unit operable to store received content.

7. A content receiving apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a content storage unit operable to store received content before rights processing by said rights processing unit.

8. A content receiving apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a content storage unit operable to store received content after rights processing by said rights processing unit.

9. A content receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said receiver is operable to receive content encrypted by a predetermined key, said receiver including a content storage unit operable to store content, and said rights processing unit is operable to decrypt said received encrypted content, reencrypt said decrypted content using another key, and, thereafter, store said reencrypted content in said content storage unit.

10. A content receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said receiver is operable to receive content encrypted by a predetermined key and said predetermined key encrypted by a second key, said receiver including a content storage unit operable to store content, and said rights processing unit being operable to decrypt said encrypted predetermined key, reencrypt said decrypted key using another key, and, thereafter, store said reencrypted key, together with said encrypted content, in said content storage unit.

11. A content receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said rights processing unit stores a log of rights processing of said received content.

12. A content receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said rights processing unit performs an analog protection system process on a playback signal of content after rights processing based on said identified rights management and protection method, and externally outputs said playback signal.

13. A content receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said rights processing unit encrypts content after rights processing, and externally outputs said content.

15. A content receiving method according to claim 14, wherein the rights management and protection method specifies indispensable items for purchasing and using content, the items including a content encryption method, a key distribution method, a content decryption method, a billing information and keys transmission method, recording medium control information, a mutual authentication method, an analog protection system of macrovision or a copy generation management system, and viewing limitation information.

16. A content receiving method according to claim 14, further comprising providing a plurality of types of rights management and protection modules, the rights processing step including selecting a predetermined type of the rights management and protection modules based on the identified rights management and protection method and performing the rights processing of the received content in accordance with the predetermined type of the rights management and protection modules.

17. A content receiving method according to claim 14, further comprising externally acquiring a selected rights management and protection module based on the identified rights management and protection method, and performing the rights processing of the received content using the selected rights management and protection module.

18. A content receiving method according to claim 14, further comprising automatically creating a selected rights management and protection module based on the identified rights management and protection method, and performing the rights processing of the received content using the selected rights management and protection module.

19. A content receiving method according to claim 14, further comprising storing received content.

20. A content receiving method according to claim 14, further comprising storing received content before rights processing in the rights processing step.

21. A content receiving method according to claim 14, further comprising storing received content after rights processing in the rights processing step.

22. A content receiving method according to claim 14, wherein the receiving step includes receiving content encrypted by a predetermined key, the method further comprising:

decrypting the encrypted content;

reencrypting the decrypted content using another key; and

storing the reencrypted content.

23. A content receiving method according to claim 14, wherein the receiving step includes receiving content encrypted by a predetermined key and receiving the predetermined key encrypted by a second key, the method further comprising:

decrypting the encrypted predetermined key;

reencrypting the decrypted key using another key; and

storing the reencrypted key together with the encrypted content.

24. A content receiving method according to claim 14, further comprising storing a log of rights processing of the received content.

25. A content receiving method according to claim 14, further comprising performing an analog protection system process on a playback signal of content after rights processing based on the identified rights management and protection method, and externally outputting the playback signal.

26. A content receiving method according to claim 14, further comprising encrypting content after rights processing and externally outputting the content.

14. A content receiving method, comprising:

receiving content distributed in accordance with a rights management and protection method;

identifying the rights management and protection method for the received content; and

performing rights processing of the received content in accordance with the identified rights management and protection method.

27. A storage medium recorded with a computer-readable program for receiving content, said program comprising:

receiving content distributed in accordance with a rights management and protection method;

identifying the rights management and protection method for the received content; and

performing rights processing of the received content in accordance with the identified rights management and protection method.

28. A server, comprising:

means for storing a plurality of types of rights management and protection modules corresponding to respective rights management and protection methods; and

means for transmitting a selected one of the rights management and protection modules in response to a request containing information identifying the selected rights management and protection module.

29. A server, comprising:

means for storing a plurality of types of rights management and protection modules corresponding to respective rights management and protection methods;

means for selecting one of the rights management and protection modules based on identification information; and

means for converting content by using the selected rights management and protection module.