Retention of information about digital-media rights in transformed digital media content

• US 20060232449A1
• Filed: 04/18/2005
• Published: 10/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Jain, Amit, Strom, Clifford P., Evans, Brian P., Cutter, Benjamin Brooks
• Granted Patent: US 7,558,463 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 341/50
• 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: G11B 20/00224 wherein the key is obtained from a remote server
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0071 involving a purchase action
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00731 involving a digital rights management system for enforcing a usage restriction
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00797 wherein the usage restriction limits the number of times a content can be reproduced, e.g. using playback counters
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0084 wherein the usage restriction can be expressed as a specific time or date
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440218 by transcoding between formats or standards, e.g. from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 conversion of standards in analogue television systems H04N7/01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440263 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for displaying on a connected PDA
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8355 involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed

Abstract

Described herein are one or more implementations for transforming (e.g., transcoding) DRM-protected digital media content while retaining associated DRM-information (e.g., a user license its related information).

Claims

1. A method comprising the acts of:

transforming subject digital media content into transformed digital media content, wherein the subject digital media content is configured for management by digital rights management technology (“

DRM-protected”

) and the subject digital media content has associated DRM-information;

retaining the DRM-information associated with the subject digital media content with the transformed digital media content.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising facilitating selection of subject digital media content.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising performing the transforming and retaining acts in response to a determination that the subject digital media content is DRM-protected.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising locating a DRM-license associated with the subject digital media content.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the associated DRM-information comprises a DRM-license associated with the subject digital media content, the method further comprising performing the transforming and retaining acts in response to a determination that the associated DRM-license for the subject digital media content is valid.

6. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising transferring the transformed digital media content from a source device to a coupled target media-playback device.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the transforming act comprises transcoding the subject digital media content into transformed digital media content.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the retaining act comprises associating the DRM-information associated with the subject digital media content with the transformed digital media content.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein DRM-information includes data selected from a group consisting of a DRM-license, a DRM-license type, and DRM-license status information.

10. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the subject digital media content is selected from a group consisting of digital audio, digital still images, and digital video.

11. A method comprising the acts of:

facilitating selection of subject digital media content;

in response to a determination that the subject digital media content is configured for management by digital rights management technology (“

DRM-protected”

), performing the acts comprising;

transforming the subject DRM-protected digital media content into transformed digital media content, the subject DRM-protected digital media content having associated DRM-information;

retaining the DRM-information associated with the subject DRM-protected digital media content with the transformed digital media content.

12. A method as recited in claim 11, wherein the associated DRM-information comprises a DRM-license associated with the subject digital media content, the method further comprising performing the transforming and retaining acts in response to a determination that the associated DRM-license for the subject digital media content is valid.

13. A method as recited in claim 11 further comprising transferring the transformed digital media content from a source device to a coupled target media-playback device.

14. A method as recited in claim 11, wherein the transforming act comprises transcoding the subject digital media content into transformed digital media content.

15. A method as recited in claim 11, wherein the retaining act comprises associating the DRM-information associated with the subject digital media content with the transformed digital media content.

16. A method as recited in claim 11, wherein DRM-information includes data selected from a group consisting of a DRM-license, a DRM-license type, and DRM-license status information.

17. A method as recited in claim 11, wherein the digital media content is selected from a group consisting of digital audio, digital still images, and digital video.

18. A method comprising the acts of:

unprotecting DRM-protected subject digital media content, the DRM-protected subject digital media content being configured for management by digital rights management technology (“

DRM-protected”

) and having associated DRM-information

transforming the unprotected subject digital media content into transformed digital media content;

associating the DRM-information associated with the subject DRM-protected digital media content with the transformed digital media content protecting the transformed digital media content so that it is DRM-protected.

19. A method as recited in claim 18, wherein the unprotecting act is carried out, at least in part, by decrypting the subject DRM-protected digital media content.

20. A method as recited in claim 18, wherein protecting act is carried out, at least in part, by encrypting the transformed digital media content.