Digital rights management negotiation for streaming media over a network

• US 7,382,879 B1
• Filed: 07/23/2003
• Issued: 06/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Miller, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, MINH DIEU T
• Application Number:
  US10/626,813
• Time in Patent Office: 1,777 Days
• Field of Search: 380/201, 726 31- 33, 726/27, 705/51, 705 57- 59, 705/26
• US Class Current: 380/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; 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 21/835 Generation of protective data, e.g. certificates protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/1675 Providing digital key or authorisation information for generation or regeneration of the scrambling sequence pseudo-random number generators in general G06F7/58

Abstract

A digital rights management (DRM) method is negotiated prior to initiating delivery of a DRM encoded content item over a digital network between a client and a target server. The client identifies a link to the target server for accessing the DRM encoded content item. The client initiates a network session with the target server. The client sends an offer message to the target server containing a list of at least one supported DRM method. The target server sends an answer message to the client containing a corresponding list 1) indicating whether each DRM method listed in the offer message is supported by the target server, and 2) providing a network address of a DRM license server for each supported DRM method. The client selects a supported DRM method. The client obtains a DRM license using the network address listed for the selected DRM method. The target server delivers the DRM encoded content item to the client using the selected DRM method.

Claims

1. A method for initiating delivery of a digital rights management (DRM) encoded content item over a digital network between a client and a target server, said method comprising the steps of:

said client identifying a link to said target server for accessing said DRM encoded content item, said target server being capable of providing said DRM encoded content item in a plurality of respective DRM methods;

said client initiating a network session with said target server;

said client sending an offer message to said target server containing a list of at least one supported DRM method;

said target server sending an answer message to said client containing a corresponding answer list

     1) indicating whether each DRM method listed in said offer message is supported by said target server, and

     2) providing a respective network address of a DRM license server for each supported DRM method;

said client selecting a supported DRM method from said answer list;

said client obtaining a DRM license using said respective network address listed for said selected DRM method; and

said target server delivering said DRM encoded content item to said client using said selected DRM method.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein each said network address comprises a respective IP address and a respective port number for a respective DRM license server.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said answer message further includes a network transport method for each said supported DRM method.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said answer message comprises a zero value for each DRM method not supported by said target server.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said offer message lists a plurality of DRM methods in order of preferred acceptance.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said selected DRM method is comprised of a DRM method supported by said target server that is listed earliest in said order of said offer message.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said offer message and said answer message are exchanged using a session description protocol.

8. Software for distribution of digital rights management (DRM) encoded content items over a digital network between a client and a target server, wherein said target server is capable of providing said DRM encoded content item in a plurality of respective DRM methods, said software embodied on a computer readable storage medium and, when executed by said client, operable to perform steps comprising:

selecting a link to said target server for accessing a desired DRM encoded content item;

initiating a network session with said target server;

sending an offer message to said target server containing a list of at least one supported DRM method;

receiving an answer message from said target server containing a corresponding answer list

     1) indicating whether each DRM method listed in said offer message is supported by said target server, and

     2) providing a respective network address of a DRM license server for each supported DRM method;

selecting a supported DRM method from said answer list;

obtaining a DRM license using said respective network address listed for said selected DRM method; and

retrieving said DRM encoded content item from said target server using said selected DRM method.

9. The software of claim 8 operable to list a plurality of DRM methods in said offer message in order of preferred acceptance.

10. The software of claim 9 operable to select a DRM method supported by said target server that is listed earliest in said order of said offer message.

11. The software of claim 8 wherein said offer message and said answer message are exchanged using a session description protocol.