System and method for distributing digital rights management digital content in a controlled network ensuring digital rights

Abstract

A system and method for managing digital rights. The method includes receiving a Universal Resource Identifier (URI). The URI is used to identify a location for a user selected digital media item. The digital media item is to be played in a local area network (LAN). The selected digital media item is retrieved from a content server over a network connection. If the selected digital media item is encrypted, a license to decrypt the selected media item is obtained. Access to the license is based on a plurality of access rules. The plurality of access rules are based on the terms of the license. The plurality of access rules may also include personal owner rules. If a request for the license adheres to the access rules, the license is received via a secure out of band transfer and the selected digital media item is decrypted for playback via one or more media rendering devices.

1 . A method for managing digital rights comprising: 
 receiving a Universal Resource Identifier (URI), the URI identifying a location for a user selected digital media item, the digital media item to be played in a local area network (LAN);    retrieving the selected digital media item from a content server over a network connection;    if the selected digital media item is encrypted, obtaining a license to decrypt the selected media item, wherein access to the license is based on a plurality of access rules;    if a request for the license adheres to the access rules, receiving the license via a secure out of band transfer; and    decrypting the selected digital media item for playback via one or more media rendering devices.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein obtaining a license to decrypt the selected media item comprises: 
 extracting meta data from the selected digital media item, the meta data including a key identification and a license URI, the key identification for identifying the license and the license URI for identifying where the license can be found;    enabling a local license server within the LAN to obtain the license to play the selected digital media item; and    establishing a secure connection to the local license server to request the license;    wherein the local license server determines whether the request for the license adheres to the access rules, wherein the access rules are based on the terms of the license.    
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein enabling a local license server within the LAN to obtain the license to play the selected digital media item comprises: 
 receiving the key identification and license URI to access the license;    establishing a secure connection to a control point to obtain user credentials for acquiring the license;    retrieving the user credentials;    establishing a secure connection to a license server providing the license, wherein the license server providing the license is identified using the license URI;    sending the license server the user credentials and the key identification to obtain the license; and    acquiring the license using the key identification.    
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein user credentials comprise a user name, a user address, a credit card number, a date of expiration for a credit card, and a type of license to be requested.  
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the LAN comprises a home network and the selected digital media item is to be played on the home network.  
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein access rules include at least one of a number of times the selected digital media item is to be played, a number of media rendering devices the selected digital media item may be played on at one time, an expiration of the license; and a length of time a user may play the selected digital media item.  
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the access rules include personal owner rules regarding playing the selected digital media item, wherein personal owner rules include at least one of an indication of who can play the selected digital media item, an indication of when the selected digital media item can be played, and an indication as to the number of times the selected digital media item can be played by certain individuals.  
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein obtaining the license to decrypt the selected media item comprises: 
 checking a local license server using a key identification acquired from the selected digital media item to see if the license is available from the local license server;    if the license is available at the local license server, obtaining a location URI for the license to enable retrieval of the license from the local license server; and    if the license is not available at the local license server, enabling the local license server to retrieve the license from a license server in a wide area network using the key identification and a license URI acquired from the selected digital media item and the location URI indicating where the license can be found on the local license server after the license is retrieved from the license server.    
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the URI identifying a location for a user selected digital media item is obtained from a home media server, the home media server comprising a plurality of URIs for digital media items used by the LAN.  
   
   
       10 . An article comprising: a storage medium having a plurality of machine accessible instructions, wherein when the instructions are executed by a processor, the instructions provide for receiving a Universal Resource Identifier (URI), the URI identifying a location for a user selected digital media item, the digital media item to be played in a local area network (LAN); 
 retrieving the selected digital media item from a content server over a network connection;    if the selected digital media item is encrypted, obtaining a license to decrypt the selected media item, wherein access to the license is based on a plurality of access rules;    if a request for the license adheres to the access rules, receiving the license via a secure out of band transfer; and    decrypting the selected digital media item for playback via one or more media rendering devices.    
   
   
       11 . The article of  claim 10 , wherein instructions for obtaining a license to decrypt the selected media item comprises instructions for: 
 extracting meta data from the selected digital media item, the meta data including a key identification and a license URI, the key identification for identifying the license and the license URI for identifying where the license can be found;    enabling a local license server within the LAN to obtain the license to play the selected digital media item; and    establishing a secure connection to the local license server to request the license;    wherein the local license server determines whether the request for the license adheres to the access rules, wherein the access rules are based on the terms of the license.    
   
   
       12 . The article of  claim 11 , wherein instructions for enabling a local license server within the LAN to obtain the license to play the selected digital media item comprises instructions for: 
 receiving the key identification and license URI to access the license;    establishing a secure connection to a control point to obtain user credentials for acquiring the license;    retrieving the user credentials;    establishing a secure connection to a license server providing the license, wherein the license server providing the license is identified using the license URI;    sending the license server the user credentials and the key identification to obtain the license; and    acquiring the license using the key identification.    
   
   
       13 . The article of  claim 12 , wherein user credentials comprise one or more of a user name, a user address, a credit card number, a date of expiration for a credit card, and a type of license to be requested.  
   
   
       14 . The article of  claim 10 , wherein the LAN comprises a home network and the selected digital media item is to be played on the home network.  
   
   
       15 . The article of  claim 10 , wherein the access rules include at least one of a number of times the selected digital media item is to be played, a number of media rendering devices the selected digital media item may be played on at one time, an expiration of the license; and a length of time a user may play the selected digital media item.  
   
   
       16 . The article of  claim 10 , wherein the access rules include personal owner rules regarding playing the selected digital media item, wherein personal owner rules include at least one of an indication of who can play the selected digital media item, an indication of when the selected digital media item can be played, and an indication as to the number of times the selected digital media item can be played by certain individuals.  
   
   
       17 . The article of  claim 10 , wherein instructions for obtaining the license to decrypt the selected media item comprises instructions for: 
 checking a local license server using a key identification acquired from the selected digital media item to see if the license is available from the local license server;    if the license is available at the local license server, obtaining a location URI for the license to enable retrieval of the license from the local license server; and    if the license is not available at the local license server, enabling the local license server to retrieve the license from a license server in a wide area network using the key identification and a license URI acquired from the selected digital media item and the location URI indicating where the license can be found on the local license server after the license is retrieved from the license server.    
   
   
       18 . The article of  claim 10 , wherein the URI identifying a location for a user selected digital media item is obtained from a home media server, the home media server comprising a plurality of URIs for digital media items used by the LAN.  
   
   
       19 . A system for managing digital rights media, comprising: 
 a home network coupled to a wide area network, the home network including 
 a home media server, the home media server containing references to encrypted digital media items, the home media server including a local license server, the local license server including a plurality of licenses for the encrypted digital media items, wherein the local license server manages the distribution of the plurality of licenses based on access rules for each of the licenses; and  
 a media renderer, coupled to the home media server, to retrieve, decrypt and play the encrypted digital media items;  
   wherein the media renderer retrieves the encrypted digital media items from the wide area network and wherein the encrypted digital media items are decrypted using a key supplied by the license for the encrypted digital media items.    
   
   
       20 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein the home network further comprises: 
 one or more media rendering devices coupled to the media renderer to enable playback of the digital media items to a user; and    a controller, wireless coupled to each of the home media server, the media renderer, and the media rendering devices to control the home network.    
   
   
       21 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein one or more media rendering devices comprises at least one of a compact disk (CD) player, a MPEG-audio layer  3  (MP3) player, a Windows Media Audio (WMA) player, a digital versatile disc (DVD) player, a television (TV), a video digital recorder (VDR), and a home theater system.  
   
   
       22 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein licenses for encrypted digital media not located within local license server are retrieved from a license server on the wide area network using local license server.  
   
   
       23 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein the local license server manages the distribution of each of the licenses by not releasing a license corresponding to the encrypted digital media if a request for the license does not adhere to the access rules for the license, wherein the access rules for the license are based on the terms of the license.  
   
   
       24 . The system of  claim 23 , wherein access rules include at least one of a number of times the encrypted digital media is to be played, a number of media rendering devices the encrypted digital media may be played on at one time, an expiration of the license; and a length of time a user may play the encrypted digital media.  
   
   
       25 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein the access rules are based on terms of the license and personal owner rules regarding playing the encrypted digital media, wherein the personal owner rules regarding playing the encrypted digital media include at least one of an indication of who can play the encrypted digital media, an indication of when the encrypted digital media can be played, and an indication as to the number of times the encrypted digital media can be played by certain individuals.