Systems and methods for secure transaction management and electronic rights protection

• US 8,402,557 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2010
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intertrust Technologies Corporation (Fidelio Acquisition Co LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intertrust Technologies Corporation (Fidelio Acquisition Co LLC)
• Inventors: Ginter, Karl L., Shear, Victor H., Spahn, Francis J., Van Wie, David M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Schwartz, Darren B
• Application Number:
  US12/797,535
• Publication Number:
  US 20100250935A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,014 Days
• Field of Search: 726/22, 726/23, 726 26- 31, 705 50- 53, 705/57, 705/59
• US Class Current: 726/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1408 by using cryptography for digital transmission H04L9/00
• 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 21/86 Secure or tamper-resistant housings
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2211/007 Encryption, En-/decode, En-/decipher, En-/decypher, Scramble, (De-)compress
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2115 Third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2135 Metering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2151 Time stamp
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/023 the neutral party being a clearing house
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/123 Shopping for digital content
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1235 with control of digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/24 Credit schemes, i.e. "pay after"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/389 Keeping log of transactions for guaranteeing non-repudiation of a transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0021 Image watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• 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 2463/103 : applying security measure for protecting copy right protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment, e.g. protection the software providers copyright G06F21/10; data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; secrecy systems or subscription systems H04N7/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 : for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2347 : involving video stream encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 : Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2362 : Generation or processing of Service Information [SI]
• 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 21/2543 : Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2547 : Third Party Billing, e.g. billing of advertiser
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25875 : involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4143 : embedded in a Personal Computer [PC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 : Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 : Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4405 : involving video stream decryption
• 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 21/443 : OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• 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 21/4753 : for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 : Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8166 : involving executable data, e.g. software arrangements for executing specific programs G06F9/44; broadcasting computer programmes in broadcast systems H04H20/91; involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34
• 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 21/83555 : using a structured language for describing usage rules of the content, e.g. REL
• 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 7/162 : Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 : Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

The present invention provides systems and methods for secure transaction management and electronic rights protection. Electronic appliances such as computers equipped in accordance with the present invention help to ensure that information is accessed and used only in authorized ways, and maintain the integrity, availability, and/or confidentiality of the information. Such electronic appliances provide a distributed virtual distribution environment (VDE) that may enforce a secure chain of handling and control, for example, to control and/or meter or otherwise monitor use of electronically stored or disseminated information. Such a virtual distribution environment may be used to protect rights of various participants in electronic commerce and other electronic or electronic-facilitated transactions. Distributed and other operating systems, environments and architectures, such as, for example, those using tamper-resistant hardware-based processors, may establish security at each node. These techniques may be used to support an all-electronic information distribution, for example, utilizing the “electronic highway.”

Claims

1. A method of governing use of a piece of electronic content, the method comprising:

receiving an encrypted piece of electronic content;

receiving a first electronic object, the first electronic object being associated with the piece of electronic content, the first electronic object comprising one or more permissions specifying one or more permitted and/or prohibited usages of the piece of electronic content;

receiving a second electronic object, the second electronic object specifying one or more conditions associated with use of a group of electronic content, the one or more conditions comprising a monetary cost associated with use of at least one piece of content within the content group, the group including, at least in part, the piece of electronic content;

using tamper-resistant hardware and/or software to securely decrypt and make at least one use of the piece of electronic content in accordance with the first electronic object and the second electronic object, the hardware and/or software being resistant to tampering by a user thereof; and

employing a usage pattern evaluation process for detecting security breaches, wherein a security breach is detected when there is a difference between a first amount and a second amount, the first amount being determined using at least one of the one or more conditions associated with the second electronic object, and the second amount being derived from billing records of a user of the piece of electronic content.

2. The method of claim 1, in which the first electronic object is received separately from the second electronic object.

3. The method of claim 1, in which the first electronic object is received separately from the encrypted piece of electronic content.

4. The method of claim 2, in which the first electronic object includes the encrypted piece of electronic content.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using the tamper-resistant hardware and/or software to securely decrypt an encrypted cryptographic key using a cryptographic key securely stored in memory of an electronic appliance on which the tamper-resistant hardware and/or software is running.

6. The method of claim 1, in which the one or more conditions further comprise an expiration date after which at least one use of the group of electronic content is no longer permitted.

7. The method of claim 6, in which the tamper-resistant hardware and/or software is operable to maintain a secure local measure of time.

8. The method of claim 1, in which the one or more conditions further comprise at least one condition selected from the group consisting of:

a condition relating to availability of credit from an authorized source;

a condition relating to execution of one or more load modules within a predefined time period; and

a condition relating to metering usage of the piece of electronic content.

9. The method of claim 1, in which at least one of the permitted and/or prohibited usages is selected from the group consisting of:

displaying, printing, saving, extracting, embedding, and auditing usage of the piece of electronic content.

10. The method of claim 1, in which the piece of electronic content is selected from the group consisting of:

a movie, an audio recording, a game, an electronic catalog, multimedia, training material, e-mail, a document, a software programming resource, and a database.

11. The method of claim 6, in which the hardware and/or software is operable to maintain a secure local measure of time.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein the first electronic object further comprises an encrypted cryptographic key, the encrypted cryptographic key being adapted for, upon decryption, use in decrypting the piece of electronic content.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing computer code tangibly embodied thereon that, when executed by an electronic appliance, is operable to cause an electronic appliance to perform steps comprising:

receiving an encrypted piece of electronic content;

receiving a first electronic object, the first electronic object being associated with the piece of electronic content, the first electronic object comprising one or more permissions specifying one or more permitted and/or prohibited usages of the piece of electronic content;

receiving a second electronic object, the second electronic object specifying one or more conditions associated with use of a group of electronic content, the one or more conditions comprising a monetary cost associated with use of at least one piece of content within the content group, the group including, at least in part, the piece of electronic content;

using tamper-resistant hardware and/or software to securely decrypt and make at least one use of the piece of electronic content in accordance with the first electronic object and the second electronic object, the hardware and/or software being resistant to tampering by a user thereof; and

employing a usage pattern evaluation process for detecting security breaches, wherein a security breach is detected when there is a difference between a first amount and a second amount, the first amount being determined using at least one of the one or more conditions associated with the second electronic object, and the second amount being derived from billing records of a user of the piece of electronic content.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, in which the first electronic object is received separately from the second electronic object.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, in which the first electronic object is received separately from the encrypted piece of electronic content.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, further comprising computer code that, when executed by an electronic appliance, is operable to cause the electronic appliance to perform the step of:

using the tamper-resistant hardware and/or software to securely decrypt an encrypted cryptographic key using a cryptographic key securely stored in memory of the electronic appliance.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, in which the one or more conditions further comprise an expiration date after which at least one use of the group of electronic content is no longer permitted.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, in which the tamper-resistant hardware and/or software is operable to maintain a secure local measure of time.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, in which the one or more conditions further comprise at least one condition selected from the group consisting of:

a condition relating to availability of credit from an authorized source;

a condition relating to execution of one or more load modules within a predefined time period; and

a condition relating to metering usage of the piece of electronic content.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, in which at least one of the permitted and/or prohibited usages is selected from the group consisting of:

displaying, printing, saving, extracting, embedding, and auditing usage of the piece of electronic content.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the first electronic object further comprises an encrypted cryptographic key, the encrypted cryptographic key being adapted for, upon decryption, use in decrypting the piece of electronic content.

20. A system comprising:

means for receiving an encrypted piece of electronic content;

means for receiving a first electronic object, the first electronic object being associated with the piece of electronic content, the first electronic object comprising one or more permissions specifying one or more permitted and/or prohibited usages of the piece of electronic content;

means for receiving a second electronic object, the second electronic object specifying one or more conditions associated with use of a group of electronic content, the one or more conditions comprising a monetary cost associated with use of at least one piece of content within the content group, the group including, at least in part, the piece of electronic content;

tampering-resistant hardware and/or software for securely decrypting and making at least one use of the piece of electronic content in accordance with the first electronic object and the second electronic object, the hardware and/or software being resistant to tampering by a user of the system; and

employing a usage pattern evaluation process for detecting security breaches, wherein a security breach is detected when there is a difference between a first amount and a second amount, the first amount being determined using at least one of the one or more conditions associated with the second electronic object, and the second amount being derived from billing records of a user of the piece of electronic content.

21. The system of claim 20, in which the first electronic object is received separately from the second electronic object.

22. The system of claim 20, in which the first electronic object is received separately from the encrypted piece of electronic content.

23. The system of claim 20, in which the tamper-resistant hardware and/or software is further operable to securely decrypt an encrypted cryptographic key using a cryptographic key securely stored in memory of the system.

24. The system of claim 20, in which the one or more conditions further comprise an expiration date after which at least one use of the group of electronic content is no longer permitted.

25. The system of claim 20, in which the tamper-resistant hardware and/or software is operable to maintain a secure local measure of time.

26. The system of claim 20, in which the one or more conditions further comprise at least one condition selected from the group consisting of:

a condition relating to availability of credit from an authorized source;

a condition relating to execution of one or more load modules within a predefined time period; and

a condition relating to metering usage of the piece of electronic content.

27. The system of claim 20, in which at least one of the permitted and/or prohibited usages is selected from the group consisting of:

displaying, printing, saving, extracting, embedding, and auditing usage of the piece of electronic content.

30. The system of claim 20, wherein the first electronic object further comprises an encrypted cryptographic key, the encrypted cryptographic key being adapted for, upon decryption, use in decrypting the piece of electronic content.