Specifying rights in a digital rights license according to events

Abstract

A digital license specifies rights with regard to corresponding digital content, and in particular specifies at least one event and for the at least one event at least one of a condition precedent to allowing the event to proceed and an action to be taken once the event has occurred. To respond to a request for an event from a rendering application with regard to the content, event code corresponding to the event is located in the license, and the condition within the event code is evaluated. If evaluated as true, the requested event is allowed to proceed, whereby the rendering application performs the event, and the action within the event code is executed. If evaluated as false, the requested event is denied.

1 . A digital license for specifying rights with regard to corresponding digital content, the digital license specifying at least one event and specifying for the at least one event at least one of a condition precedent to allowing the event to proceed and an action to be taken once the event has occurred.  
     
     
         2 . The digital license of  claim 2  wherein the condition is to be evaluated based on license-related or content-related information stored externally from the license.  
     
     
         3 . The digital license of  claim 3  wherein the information is state information.  
     
     
         4 . The digital license of  claim 3  wherein the action to be taken modifies the state information.  
     
     
         5 . The digital license of  claim 1  specifying for the event the condition precedent to allowing the event to proceed and the action to be taken once the event has occurred.  
     
     
         6 . The digital license of  claim 1  wherein the specified event is a storage of the license on a computer storage device.  
     
     
         7 . The digital license of  claim 6  specifying for the storage event an action comprising creating state information corresponding to one of the license and the content.  
     
     
         8 . The digital license of  claim 1  wherein the specified event is a selection of the license for use in rendering the content.  
     
     
         9 . The digital license of  claim 8  specifying for the selection event a condition wherein state information corresponding to one of the license and the content is within a predetermined range.  
     
     
         10 . The digital license of  claim 8  specifying for the selection event a condition wherein time-based information is within a predetermined range.  
     
     
         11 . The digital license of  claim 8  specifying for the selection event an action comprising modifying state information corresponding to one of the license and the content to represent the selection.  
     
     
         12 . The digital license of  claim 1  wherein the specified event is a deletion of the license from a computer storage device.  
     
     
         13 . The digital license of  claim 1  wherein the specified event is a request for a rendering-action with respect to the license during rendering of the content.  
     
     
         14 . The digital license of  claim 13  specifying for the rendering-action event a condition wherein state information corresponding to one of the license and the content is within a predetermined range.  
     
     
         15 . The digital license of  claim 13  specifying for the rendering-action event a condition wherein time-based information is within a predetermined range.  
     
     
         16 . The digital license of  claim 13  specifying for the rendering-action event an action comprising modifying state information corresponding to one of the license and the content to represent the selection.  
     
     
         17 . The digital license of  claim 13  wherein the rendering-action event is selected from a group consisting of rendering, printing, and copying the content and backing up and restoring the license.  
     
     
         18 . The digital license of  claim 13  wherein failure to include a particular type of rendering-action event in the license prevents the license from allowing the particular type of rendering-action event to proceed.  
     
     
         19 . The digital license of  claim 1  wherein the specified event is a detected clock rollback whereby the clock rollback is a presumed attempt to subvert a date- or time-based license term by rolling back a clock referred to by the license.  
     
     
         20 . The digital license of  claim 19  specifying for the detected clock rollback event only the action to be taken once the event has occurred.  
     
     
         21 . The digital license of  claim 19  specifying for the detected clock rollback event an action comprising deleting the license.  
     
     
         22 . The digital license of  claim 1  wherein the condition is set forth as an expression to be evaluated, and wherein the event is allowed to proceed if the condition is evaluated as true.  
     
     
         23 . A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a digital license for specifying rights with regard to corresponding digital content, the digital license specifying at least one event and specifying for the at least one event at least one of a condition precedent to allowing the event to proceed and an action to be taken once the event has occurred.  
     
     
         24 . The medium of  claim 23  wherein the condition is to be evaluated based on license-related or content-related information stored externally from the license.  
     
     
         25 . The medium of  claim 24  wherein the information is state information.  
     
     
         26 . The medium of  claim 25  wherein the action to be taken modifies the state information.  
     
     
         27 . The medium of  claim 23  specifying for the event the condition precedent to allowing the event to proceed and the action to be taken once the event has occurred.  
     
     
         28 . The medium of  claim 23  wherein the specified event is a storage of the license on a computer storage device.  
     
     
         29 . The medium of  claim 28  specifying for the storage event an action comprising creating state information corresponding to one of the license and the content.  
     
     
         30 . The medium of  claim 23  wherein the specified event is a selection of the license for use in rendering the content.  
     
     
         31 . The medium of  claim 30  specifying for the selection event a condition wherein state information corresponding to one of the license and the content is within a predetermined range.  
     
     
         32 . The medium of  claim 30  specifying for the selection event a condition wherein time-based information is within a predetermined range.  
     
     
         33 . The medium of  claim 30  specifying for the selection event an action comprising modifying state information corresponding to one of the license and the content to represent the selection.  
     
     
         34 . The medium of  claim 23  wherein the specified event is a deletion of the license from a computer storage device.  
     
     
         35 . The medium of  claim 23  wherein the specified event is a request for a rendering-action with respect to the license during rendering of the content.  
     
     
         36 . The medium of  claim 35  specifying for the rendering-action event a condition wherein state information corresponding to one of the license and the content is within a predetermined range.  
     
     
         37 . The medium of  claim 35  specifying for the rendering-action event a condition wherein time-based information is within a predetermined range.  
     
     
         38 . The medium of  claim 35  specifying for the rendering-action event an action comprising modifying state information corresponding to one of the license and the content to represent the selection.  
     
     
         39 . The medium of  claim 35  wherein the rendering-action event is selected from a group consisting of rendering, printing, and copying the content and backing up and restoring the license.  
     
     
         40 . The medium of  claim 35  wherein failure to include a particular type of rendering-action event in the license prevents the license from allowing the particular type of rendering-action event to proceed.  
     
     
         41 . The medium of  claim 23  wherein the specified event is a detected clock rollback whereby the clock rollback is a presumed attempt to subvert a date- or time-based license term by rolling back a clock referred to by the license.  
     
     
         42 . The medium of  claim 41 ,specifying for the detected clock rollback event only the action to be taken once the event has occurred.  
     
     
         43 . The medium of  claim 41 ,specifying for the detected clock rollback event an action comprising deleting the license.  
     
     
         44 . The medium of  claim 23  wherein the condition is set forth as an expression to be evaluated, and wherein the event is allowed to proceed if the condition is evaluated as true.  
     
     
         45 . A method of specifying rights with regard to digital content, the method comprising: 
 specifying at least one event; and    specifying for the at least one event at least one of a condition precedent to allowing the event to proceed and an action to be taken once the event has occurred.    
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 45  comprising specifying a condition to be evaluated based on externally available information.  
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 46  comprising specifying a condition to be evaluated based on externally available state information.  
     
     
         48 . The method of  claim 47  comprising specifying an action to be taken that modifies the state information.  
     
     
         49 . The method of  claim 45  comprising specifying for the event the condition precedent to allowing the event to proceed and the action to be taken once the event has occurred.  
     
     
         50 . The method of  claim 45  Wherein the rights are specified in a digital license corresponding to the digital content, the method comprising specifying an event including storage of the license on a computer storage device.  
     
     
         51 . The method of  claim 50  comprising specifying for the storage event an action comprising creating state information corresponding to one of the license and the content.  
     
     
         52 . The method of  claim 45  wherein the rights are specified in a digital license corresponding to the digital content, the method comprising specifying an event including a selection of the license for use in rendering the content.  
     
     
         53 . The method of  claim 52  comprising specifying for the selection event a condition wherein state information corresponding to one of the license and the content is within a predetermined range.  
     
     
         54 . The method of  claim 52  comprising specifying for the selection event a condition wherein time-based information is within a predetermined range.  
     
     
         55 . The method of  claim 52  comprising specifying for the selection event an action comprising modifying state information corresponding to one of the license and the content to represent the selection.  
     
     
         56 . The method of  claim 45  wherein the rights are specified in a digital license corresponding to the digital content, the method comprising specifying an event including a deletion of the license from a computer storage device.  
     
     
         57 . The method of  claim 45  wherein the rights are specified in a digital license corresponding to the digital content, the method comprising specifying an event including a request for a rendering-action with respect to the license during rendering of the content.  
     
     
         58 . The method of  claim 57  specifying for the rendering-action event a condition wherein state information corresponding to one of the license and the content is within a predetermined range.  
     
     
         59 . The method of  claim 57  specifying for the rendering-action event a condition wherein time-based information is within a predetermined range.  
     
     
         60 . The method of  claim 57  specifying for the rendering-action event an action comprising modifying state information corresponding to one of the license and the content to represent the selection.  
     
     
         61 . The method of  claim 57  specifying a rendering-action event selected from a group consisting of rendering, printing, and copying the content and backing up and restoring the license.  
     
     
         62 . The method of  claim 57  wherein failure to include a particular type of rendering-action event in the license prevents the license from allowing the particular type of rendering-action event to proceed.  
     
     
         63 . The method of  claim 45  wherein the rights are specified in a digital license corresponding to the digital content, the method comprising specifying an event including a detected clock rollback whereby the clock rollback is a presumed attempt to subvert a date- or time-based license term by rolling back a clock referred to by the license.  
     
     
         64 . The method of  claim 63  specifying for the detected clock rollback event only the action to be taken once the event has occurred.  
     
     
         65 . The method of  claim 63  specifying for the detected clock rollback event an action comprising deleting the license.  
     
     
         66 . The method of  claim 45  comprising specifying the condition as an expression to be evaluated, wherein the event is allowed to proceed if the condition is evaluated as true.  
     
     
         67 . A method of responding to a request for an event from a rendering application with regard to digital content, the method comprising: 
 locating event code corresponding to the event in a digital license corresponding to the content, the event code specifying for the event a condition precedent to allowing the event to proceed and an action to be taken once the event has occurred;    evaluating the condition within the event code;    if the condition is evaluated as true: 
 allowing the requested event to proceed, whereby the rendering application performs the event; and  
 executing the action within the event code; and  
   if the condition is evaluated as false: 
 denying the requested event.