Digital rights content services architecture

• US 8,725,648 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2010
• Issued: 05/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Savoirsoft Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Savoirsoft Incorporated
• Inventors: Ross, Robert Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Hewitt, II, Calvin L
• Assistant Examiner(s): HALE, TIM B
• Application Number:
  US12/716,968
• Publication Number:
  US 20110055090A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,532 Days
• Field of Search: 705/59
• US Class Current: 705/59
• 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 21/105 Arrangements for software license management or administration, e.g. for managing licenses at corporate level
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/06 Private payment circuits, e.g. involving electronic currency used among participants of a common payment scheme
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1235 with control of digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3821 Electronic credentials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2220/18 Licensing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/184 Intellectual property management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/06 for supporting key management in a packet data network cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management H04L9/08

Abstract

A selection of a digital content item is received from a client over a network. A license agreement associated with the selected digital content item is identified based on a content ID of the digital content item, where the license agreement is identified by a license ID. The license agreement includes one or more constraints for accessing the digital content item. A tracking code is generated based on the content ID associated with the selected digital content item, the license ID associated with the identified license agreement, and the user ID associated with the client. The tracking code is inscribed on the digital content item to generate a deliverable content file, where the deliverable content file contains the digital content item therein. The deliverable content file is transmitted to the client over the network, where the tracking code is visible or audible when the digital content item is accessed from the deliverable content file.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method performed within a data processing system for processing a digital content item, the method comprising:

registering a first user, content belong to the first user, personal information of the first user and a license comprising license terms for the content by a server side system;

selecting by a cipher key and a cipher method by the server side system and generating by a cipher unit of the server side system a first user ID by applying the cipher key and the cipher method to the user personal information;

generating by the cipher unit a content ID by applying the cipher key and the cipher method to at least the first user ID and a license ID of the license;

receiving by the server side system using the content ID a request for the content from a second user;

receiving, by the server side system, an acceptance of the license by the second user;

generating a tracking code by the server side system by applying the cipher method and the cipher key to at least the content ID, an ID of the second user and a date and time the second user accepted the license and license terms;

creating by the server side system deliverable content by inscribing the tracking code into the content and transmitting the deliverable content to the second user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the tracking code is inscribed as at least one of a visible watermark and a footprint of the deliverable content.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the tracking code identifies the second user in plain text, including at least a name of the second user.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to a selection of the content by the second user, displaying the license associated with the selected content, the license including one or more access terms; and

for each access term of the license agreement, displaying a checkbox to allow the second user to individually select the associated access term, wherein the tracking code is generated only when all of the access terms of the displayed license agreement have been individually selected.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to a search request received from the second user, the search request having one or more search terms, performing a search in a content database based on the one or more search terms, the content database storing a plurality of digital content items provided by a plurality of content providers; and

presenting a list of one or more digital content items based on a search result of the content database, each of the digital content items being associated with a license agreement, wherein the selected digital content item is selected from the list by the second user.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein each of the digital content items stored in the content database is associated with a license agreement selected by a content provider of the digital content item, wherein each of the digital content items is identified by a content ID that is generated based on a user ID of the content provider, a license ID of the associated license agreement, and one or more attributes extracted from the associated digital content item.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second digital content item from a third user, the third user being identified by a third user ID;

presenting to the third user one or more license agreements, each license agreement being identified by a license ID;

in response to a selection of a second license agreement from the license agreements by the third user, generating a second content ID based on the third user ID and a second license ID associated with the second license agreement; and

storing the second digital content item in a storage, wherein the second digital content item is associated with and identified by the second content ID, wherein the second digital content item can be browsed and licensed subsequently by another user based on the second content ID.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein generating the second content ID comprises ciphering the third user ID, the second license ID, and one or more attributes extracted from the second digital content item, using a third cipher key and a third cipher method.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

displaying a first field to receive a title of the second digital content item from the third user;

displaying a second field to receive a brief description about the second digital content item; and

displaying a third field to receive a content category selected from a plurality of categories to be associated with the second digital content item, including displaying a fourth field for selecting one of a plurality of genres and displaying a fifth field for selecting one of a plurality of repertories associated with the selected genre from the fourth field.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

displaying a sixth field for selecting a license agreement from the one or more license agreements; and

displaying a seventh field to receive a license fee specified by the third user for licensing the second digital content item based on the selected license agreement selected from the sixth field.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

in response to the license fee entered at the seventh field, estimating according to a predetermined algorithm royalty allocated from the license fee to be distributed to the third user when the second digital content item is licensed; and

displaying the estimated royalty and a royalty payment schedule.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising executable instructions that when executed by a processor causes the processor to perform the steps of:

registering a first user, content belong to the first user, personal information of the first user and a license comprising license terms for the content by a server side system;

selecting by a cipher key and a cipher method by the server side system and generating by a cipher unit of the server side system a first user ID by applying the cipher key and the cipher method to the user personal information;

generating by the cipher unit a content ID by applying the cipher key and the cipher method to at least the first user ID and a license ID of the license;

receiving by the server side system using the content ID a request for the content from a second user;

receiving, by the server side system, an acceptance of the license by the second user;

generating a tracking code by the server side system by applying the cipher method and the cipher key to at least the content ID, an ID of the second user and a date and time the second user accepted the license and license terms;

creating by the server side system deliverable content by inscribing the tracking code into the content and transmitting the deliverable content to the second user.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the tracking code is inscribed as at least one of a visible watermark and a footprint of the deliverable content.

14. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising executable instructions, that when executed by the processor causes the processor to perform the steps of;

registering a first user, content belong to the first user, personal information of the first user and a license comprising license terms for the content by a server side system;

selecting by a cipher key and a cipher method by the server side system and generating by a cipher unit of the server side system a first user ID by applying the cipher key and the cipher method to the user personal information;

generating by the cipher unit a content ID by applying the cipher key and the cipher method to at least the first user ID and a license ID of the license;

receiving by the server side system using the content ID a request for the content from a second user;

receiving, by the server side system, an acceptance of the license by the second user;

generating a tracking code by the server side system by applying the cipher method and the cipher key to at least the content ID, an ID of the second user and a date and time the second user accepted the license and license terms;

creating by the server side system deliverable content by inscribing the tracking code into the content and transmitting the deliverable content to the second user.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the tracking code is inscribed as at least one of a visible watermark and a footprint of the deliverable content.