Methods and apparatus for persistent control and protection of content

• US 8,130,952 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2007
• Issued: 03/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intertrust Technologies Corporation (Fidelio Acquisition Co LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intertrust Technologies Corporation (Fidelio Acquisition Co LLC)
• Inventors: Shamoon, Talal G., Hill, Ralph D., Radcliffe, Chris D., Hwa, John P.
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAN, APRIL YING
• Application Number:
  US11/827,856
• Publication Number:
  US 20080013724A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,698 Days
• Field of Search: 380/201, 380/28, 380/200, 380/202, 380/203, 380/229, 380/232, 380/217, 713/193, 705/51, 705/52, 705/57, 705/58, 726/26, 726/27, 726/28, 726/29, 726/30, 726/31, 726/32, 726/33, 360/60, 369/84, 369/85
• US Class Current: 380/201
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/603 Digital right managament [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/605 Copy protection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/64 Self-signed certificates
• 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 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/14 using a plurality of keys or algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23476 by partially encrypting, e.g. encrypting the ending portion of a movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23605 Creation or processing of packetized elementary streams [PES]
• 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 21/26613 for generating or managing keys in general key distribution for secret or secure communication involving central third party, e.g. key distribution center [KDC] or trusted third party [TTP] H04L9/083; network support of key management H04L63/06; key management for network security in communication control or processing H04W12/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4343 Extraction or processing of packetized elementary streams [PES]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43853 involving multiplex stream decryption arrangements using cryptography for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/23
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4405 involving video stream decryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44055 by partially decrypting, e.g. decrypting a video stream that has been partially encrypted
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• 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 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8193 dedicated tools, e.g. video decoder software or IPMP tool
• 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 21/8352 : involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8355 : involving usage data, e.g. number of copies or viewings allowed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8358 : involving watermark protecting executable software by watermarking G06F21/16; image watermarking in general G06T1/0021; watermarks inserted in still images for transmission purposes H04N1/32144; inserting watermarks during video coding H04N19/467
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/167 : Systems rendering the television signal unintelligible and subsequently intelligible
• 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 novel method and apparatus for protection of streamed media content is disclosed. In one aspect, the apparatus includes control means for governance of content streams or content objects, decryption means for decrypting content streams or content objects under control of the control means, and feedback means for tracking actual use of content streams or content objects. The control means may operate in accordance with rules received as part of the streamed content, or through a side-band channel. The rules may specify allowed uses of the content, including whether or not the content can be copied or transferred, and whether and under what circumstances received content may be “checked-out” of one device and used in a second device. The rules may also include or specify budgets, and a requirement that audit information be collected and/or transmitted to an external server. In a different aspect, the apparatus may include a media player designed to call plugins to assist in rendering content. A “trust plugin” is disclosed, along with a method of using the trust plugin so that a media player designed for use with unprotected content may render protected content without the necessity of requiring any changes to the media player. In one aspect, the streamed content may be in a number of different formats, including MPEG-4, MP3, and the RMFF format.

Claims

1. A method of rendering a protected digital bit stream including content information that is compressed and at least in part encrypted, the method comprising:

receiving the protected digital bit stream;

receiving one or more rules for controlling access to and use of said content information in which the one or more rules specify one or more authorized uses of the content information;

passing the protected digital bit stream to a media player, the media player reading first header information included in the protected digital bit stream and identifying from the first header information a first plugin required to process the protected digital bit stream;

the media player calling the first plugin;

the media player passing the protected digital bit stream to the first plugin;

the first plugin applying the one or more rules to selectively determine whether to proceed with a decrypting step and comparing a system identifier included in at least one rule of the one or more rules with an identifier associated with the media player;

the first plugin decrypting, using a key, at least a portion of the protected digital bit stream when allowed by the one or more rules;

the first plugin reading second header information and identifying from the second header information a second plugin required to process the decrypted digital bit stream;

the first plugin calling the second plugin;

the first plugin passing the decrypted digital bit stream to the second plugin,

the second plugin processing the decrypted digital bit stream, the processing including decompressing at least a portion of the decrypted digital bit stream; and

the second plugin passing the decrypted and processed digital bit stream to the media player; and

the media player rendering the decrypted and processed digital bit stream.