Digital rights management in a distributed network

• US 7,711,647 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2005
• Issued: 05/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Gunaseelan, Lakshminarayanan, Padinjareveetil, Abdul Salam Faisal
• Primary Examiner(s): Elisca; Pierre E
• Application Number:
  US11/148,899
• Publication Number:
  US 20050278259A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,790 Days
• Field of Search: 705/59, 705/50, 705/51, 713/161
• US Class Current: 705/59
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1084 via third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

The present invention is implemented within a distributed network operating environment (such as a CDN) in which content providers offload given content for delivery from servers (e.g., CDN edge servers) managed by a service provider (such as a CDN operator). It is assumed that the given content is secured using a digital rights management (DRM) scheme. According to the invention, a distributed set of license server processes are provided to manage the issuance of content licenses. Each of the license server processes is operative to generate licenses by which a given end user client obtains given rights for given content, typically the content served from the machine. A distributed set of license server processes operates in a de-centralized manner and without access to third party business logic (e.g., a payment mechanism) or authentication information associated with end users requesting the given content.

Claims

1. Apparatus operative in a distributed network in which content providers offload given content for delivery from servers managed by a content delivery network service provider, wherein the given content is secured by a digital rights management scheme comprising:

a set of processors located across the distributed network; and

computer memory associated with each processor and holding computer program instructions that when executed by the processor comprise a license server processor that is operative to receive and verify a token generated according to a secret shared only by a given content provider and the content delivery network service provider to thereby generate a license by which an end user client obtains rights for given content of the given content provider, the license including a decryption key;

wherein the license server processors executed on the set of processors located across the distributed network comprise a distributed set of license server processors that operate autonomously from one another to enable decryption keys to be generated and managed from individual license server processors in a de-centralized manner and without access to authentication information associated with end users requesting the given content.

2. The apparatus as described in claim 1 further including computer program instructions that when executed by a processor comprise a media server processor, and wherein the given content is a media stream served by the media server processor.

3. The apparatus as described in claim 2 wherein the media stream is a live stream or a stream that is stored in the distributed network and available on-demand.

4. The apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein the rights in the license are established by a given license server processor based on data in a metadata file associated with the given license server processor.

5. The apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein the rights in the license are established by a given license server processor dynamically on a per request basis based on data in the token.

6. The apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein, following verification of the token, the license server processor generates the license by extracting one or more parameters from a request query, creating a key object, and creating a rights object.

7. The apparatus as described in claim 6 wherein the license server processor generates the license by creating a license object from the key object and the rights object.

8. Apparatus operative in a distributed network in which content providers offload given content for delivery from servers managed by a content delivery network service provider, wherein authorization to access the given content is obtained through business logic and the given content is secured by a rights management (DRM) scheme, comprising:

a set of processors located across the distributed network; and

computer memory associated with each processor and holding computer program instructions that when executed by the processor comprise a license server processor that is operative to receive and verify a token generated according to a secret shared only by a given content provider and the content delivers network service provider to thereby generate a DRM license by which an end user client obtains rights for given content of the given content provider;

wherein the license server processors executed on the set of processors located across the distributed network comprise a distributed set of license sever processors that operate autonomously from one another to enable DRM licenses to be generated and managed from individual license server processors in a de-centralized manner and without access to the business logic or any authentication information associated with end users requesting the given content.

9. The apparatus as described in claim 8 further including computer program instructions that when executed by a processor comprise a media server processor, and wherein the given content is a media stream served by the media server processor.

10. The apparatus as described in claim 9 wherein the media stream is a live stream, or a stream that is stored in the distributed network and available on-demand.

11. The apparatus as described in claim 8 wherein the rights in the license are established by a given license server processor based on data in a metadata file associated with the given license server processor.

12. The apparatus as described in claim 8 wherein the rights in the license are established by a given license server processor dynamically on a per request basis based on data in the token.

13. The apparatus as described in claim 8 wherein following verification of the token, the license server processor generates the license by extracting one or more parameters from a request query, creating a key object, and creating a rights object.

14. The apparatus as described in claim 13 wherein the license server processor generates the license by creating a license object from the key object and the rights object.