Secure electronic content distribution on CDS and DVDs

• US 6,611,812 B2
• Filed: 08/17/1999
• Issued: 08/26/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Wistron Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lehman, Christopher T., Gruse, George G., Downs, Edgar, Lotspiech, Jeffrey B., Milsted, Kenneth L., Hurtado, Marco M., Spagna, Richard L.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, CUONG H
• Application Number:
  US09/376,102
• Publication Number:
  US 20030105718A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,470 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26-27, 705/56-57, 705/51, 705/76, 705/75, 705/59, 707/10, 709/224, 709/229, 717/127, 717/128, 717/178, 713/187, 713/190, 713/200
• 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: G06F 21/16 Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2211/007 Encryption, En-/decode, En-/decipher, En-/decypher, Scramble, (De-)compress
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2107 File encryption
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2135 Metering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3821 Electronic credentials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/401 Transaction verification
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for commerce, e.g. marketing, shopping, billing, auctions or e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/102 applying security measure for e-commerce data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/04 Protocols for data compression, e.g. ROHC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information

Abstract

A method to delivery encrypted digital content to a end user system for playing the content comprising the steps of: reading from a computer readable medium metadata which has previously associated with the content. A user selects from the metadata associated content to decrypt and the end user system establishes a secure connection with an authorization authority for decrypting the content. The end user system receives a secure container containing the decrypting key for decrypting at least part of the previously encrypted content as permitted. The system creates a secure container using the encrypting key from a clearing house, wherein the secure container has an encrypting key therein from the end user system; transferring the secure container to the clearing house for authentication of permission to decrypt the content. The system receives from the clearing house, a secure container encrypted using the encrypting key of the end user system containing the decrypting key for decrypting at least part of the previously encrypted content stored on the computer readable medium as permitted; and playing at least part of the previously encrypted content by decrypting the secure container using the encrypting key of the end user system to access the decrypting key for decrypting at least part of the encrypted content.

Claims

1. A method to deliver encrypted digital content to a system for rendering the content, the method on the end user system comprising the steps of:

reading from a computer readable medium metadata which has previously associated with encrypted content, wherein the computer readable medium is coupled to the end user system;

selecting from the metadata the encrypted content to decrypt;

establishing a secure transmission between the end user system and an authorization authority for authorizing the decrypting of at least part of the encrypted content;

transferring, from the end user system, an end user system encrypting key and a content decrypting key stored on the computer readable medium which is encrypted, to the clearing house for authentication of permission to decrypt at least part of the content; and

receiving from a clearing house a content decrypting key which has been encrypted with an end user system encrypting key, so that when content decrypting key is decrypted with the a end user system decrypting key corresponding to the end user system encrypting key, the content decrypting key is no longer encrypted and is usable for decrypting at least part of the encrypted content stored on the computer readable medium, wherein the decrypting of the encrypted content is performed in a tamper-resistant environment for deterring unauthorized access to the content decrypting key.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

rendering at least part of the encrypted content by decrypting the encrypted content with the decrypting key.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of decrypting further comprises:

decrypting at least part of the encrypted content as permitted;

reencrypting the decrypted content utilizing a unique local decrypting key;

storing the content in a library; and

decrypting at least part of the content from the library using the unique local decrypting key.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the steps of decrypting and reencrypting is performed in a tamper-resistance environment for deterring unauthorized access to the decrypting key.

5. A method to receive encrypted digital content on an end user system for rendering the content, the method on the end user system comprising the steps of:

receiving from a computer readable medium, metadata which has previously associated with encrypted content, wherein the computer readable medium is coupled to an end user system;

selecting from the metadata the encrypted content to decrypt;

receiving, from the computer readable medium, a content decrypting key for decrypting at least part of the encrypted content, wherein the content decrypting key has been encrypted with an encrypting key from a clearing house;

transferring, from the end user system, an end user system encrypting key and the content decrypting key, which is encrypted, to the clearing house for authentication of permission to decrypt at least part of the content;

receiving from the clearing house, the content decrypting key which has been decrypted by the clearing house and reencrypted by the clearing house with the end user system encrypting key; and

rendering at least part of the encrypted content by decrypting the content decrypting key using an end user system decrypting key corresponding to the end user system encrypting key so as to permit access to the content decrypting key which is now decrypted and is usable for decrypting at least part of the encrypted content.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the step of receiving from a computer readable medium includes receiving metadata stored as part of a promotional package on one of a CD and DVD containing non-encrypted content.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the step of rendering further comprises rendering at least part of the encrypted content comprising a plurality of distinct titles whereby each distinct title is decrypted with a unique decrypting key.

8. The method according to claim 5, further comprising the step of transmitting credit information to an authorization authority.

9. A computer readable medium for delivering encrypted digital content to a system for rendering the content, the computer readable medium comprising programming instructions which execute on the end user system for:

reading from a computer readable medium metadata which has previously associated with encrypted content, wherein the computer readable medium is coupled to the end user system;

selecting from the metadata the encrypted content to decrypt;

establishing a secure transmission between the end user system and an authorization authority for decrypting the content;

transferring, from the end user system, an end user system encrypting key and a content decrypting key stored on the computer readable medium which is encrypted, to the clearing house for authentication of permission to decrypt at least part of the content; and

receiving from a clearing house an encrypted content decrypting key which has been encrypted with an end user system encrypting key, so that when the encrypted content decrypting key is decrypted with the an end user system decrypting key corresponding to the end user system encrypting key, the content decrypting key is no longer encrypted and is usable for decrypting at least part of the encrypted content stored on the computer readable medium, wherein the decrypting of the encrypted content is performed in a tamper-resistant environment for deterring unauthorized access to the content decrypting key.

10. The computer readable medium according to claim 9, wherein the instruction of decrypting further comprises:

decrypting at least part of the encrypted content;

reencrypting the decrypted content utilizes a unique local decrypting key;

storing the content in a library; and

decrypting at least part of the content from the library using the unique local decrypting key.

11. The computer readable medium according to claim 9, further comprising programming instructions for:

playing at least part of the encrypted content by decrypting the encrypted content with the decrypting key.

12. The computer readable medium according to claim 10, wherein the instructions of decrypting and reencrypting is performed in a tamper-resistance environment for deterring unauthorized access to the decrypting key.

13. A computer readable medium for receiving encrypted digital content on a end user system, the computer readable medium comprising programming instructions which execute on the end user system for:

receiving from a computer readable medium metadata which has previously associated with the content, wherein the computer readable medium is coupled to an end user system;

selecting from the metadata associated content to decrypt;

receiving, from the computer readable medium, a content decrypting key for decrypting at least part of the encrypted content, wherein the content decrypting key has been encrypted with an encrypting key from a clearing house;

transferring, from the end user system, an end user system encrypting key and the content decrypting key, which is encrypted, to the clearing house for authentication of permission to decrypt at least part of the content;

receiving from the clearing house, the content decrypting key which has been decrypted by the clearing house and reencrypted by the clearing house with the end user system encrypting key; and

rendering at least part of the previously encrypted content by decrypting the content decrypting key using an end user system decrypting key corresponding to the end user system encrypting key so as to permit access to the content decrypting key which was previously encrypted and is now decrypted and is usable for decrypting at least part of the encrypted content.

14. The computer readable medium according to claim 13, further comprising the programming instruction for transmitting a credit information to an authorization authority.

15. The computer readable medium according to claim 13, wherein the programming instructions of receiving from a computer readable medium includes receiving metadata stored as part of a promotional package on one of a CD and DVD containing non-encrypted content.

16. The computer readable medium according to claim 13, wherein the programming instruction of rendering further comprises rendering at least part of the previously encrypted content comprising a plurality of distinct titles whereby each distinct title is decrypted with a unique decrypting key.

17. An end user system for playing encrypted content delivered on a removable computer readable storage medium, the system comprising:

a reader for reading the contents of a removable computer readable storage medium;

a display for displaying one or more pieces of metadata previously associated with encrypted content stored on a computer readable storage medium which has been loaded in the reader;

a pointing device for receiving a user selection of at least some of the metadata previously associated with the encrypted content;

means for establishing a secure connection with an authorization authority for receiving authorization to retrieve from the removable computer readable storage medium a content decrypting key for decrypting at least part of the encrypted content, wherein the content decrypting key is encrypted with an encrypting key from a clearing house;

a player application including a tamper-resistant environment including a means for transferring, from the end user system, an end user system encrypting key and the content decrypting key which has been encrypted, to the clearing house for authentication of permission to decrypt at least part of the content, the player application receiving a reencrypted content decrypting key received from the clearing house, wherein the reencrypted content decrypting is reencrypted at the clearing house using the end user system encrypting key; and

wherein the player application includes a media player for playing at least part of the encrypted content by decrypting the reencrypted content decrypting key using an end user system decrypting key corresponding to the end user system encrypting key so as to permit access to the content decrypting key which was previously encrypted and is now decrypted and is usable for decrypting at least part of the encrypted content.

18. The end-user device according to claim 17, wherein the reader comprises a reader selected from a group of readers consisting of CDs, DVDs, tapes, laser disks, Zip Disks, Micro Disks, MiniDiscs and flash memory.

19. The end-user device according to claim 17, wherein the removable computer readable storage medium comprising a plurality of distinct titles whereby each distinct title is decrypted with a unique decrypting key.

20. The end-user device according to claim 17, wherein the display includes a web browser interface for displaying the one or more pieces of metadata.