Enforcement architecture and method for digital rights management

Abstract

An enforcement architecture and method for implementing digital rights management are disclosed. Digital content is distributed from a content server to a computing device of a user and received, and an attempt is made to render the digital content by way of a rendering application. The rendering application invokes a Digital Rights Management (DRM) system, and such DRM system determines whether a right to render the digital content in the manner sought exists based on any digital license stored in the computing device and corresponding to the digital content. If the right does not exist, a digital license that provides such right and that corresponds to the digital content is requested from a license server, and the license server issues the digital license to the DRM system. The computing device receives the issued digital license and stores the received digital license thereon.

1 - 105 . (canceled)  
   
   
       106 . A method for a license requestor to obtain a digital license for rendering a piece of digital content comprising: 
 contacting a license provider;    sending a license request for the license to the contacted license provider, the license provider thereafter checking the license request for validity;    negotiating terms and conditions for the requested license with the license provider, the license provider thereafter generating the requested license; and    receiving the generated license as issued by the license provider.    
   
   
       107 . The method of  claim 106  wherein the license request originates from a device including a security portion, and wherein sending the license request comprises sending license request information to the license provider, the license request information including: 
 an identification of the device;    an identification of the license requestor;    a public key of the device;    a version number of the security portion;    a certificate with a digital signature from a certifying authority certifying the security portion;    a content ID that identifies the digital content; and    a key ID that identifies a decryption key (KD) for decrypting the digital content.    
   
   
       108 . The method of  claim 106  wherein the license request originates from a device including a security portion, wherein sending the license request comprises sending license request information to the license provider, the license request information including a version number of the security portion, the license provider checking the version number of the security portion to determine whether such version number is current.  
   
   
       109 . The method of  claim 106  wherein the license request originates from a device including a security portion, wherein sending the license request comprises sending license request information to the license provider, the license request information including a certificate with a digital signature from a certifying authority certifying the security portion, license provider checking the certificate with the digital signature from the certifying authority to determine whether such digital signature has been modified.  
   
   
       110 . The method of  claim 106  wherein sending the license request comprises sending license request information to the license provider, the license request information including an identification of the license requestor, the license provider checking the identified license requester against a list of license requesters to determine whether such license requestor is license-able.  
   
   
       111 . The method of  claim 106  wherein the license request originates from a device, wherein sending the license request comprises sending license request information to the license provider, the license request information including an identification of the device, the license provider checking the identified device against a list of devices to determine whether such device is license-able.  
   
   
       112 . The method of  claim 106  wherein sending the license request comprises sending license request information to the license provider, the license request information including a content ID that identifies the digital content, the license provider locating license provider information corresponding to the digital content based on the content ID.  
   
   
       113 . The method of  claim 112  wherein the license provider information includes a decryption key (KD) for decrypting the digital content, license data regarding types of licenses available for the digital content, and terms and conditions for each type of license, the method further comprising receiving from the license provider information on the types of licenses available for the digital content.  
   
   
       114 . The method of  claim 112  wherein receiving the requested license comprises receiving a license including the content ID of the digital content; and the terms and conditions of the license and wherein the license request originates from a device having a public key, and wherein receiving the requested license comprises receiving a license further including the decryption key (KD) for decrypting the digital content, such decryption key (KD) being encrypted with the public key of the device.  
   
   
       115 . The method of  claim 112  wherein receiving the requested license comprises receiving a license, including the content ID of the digital content; and the terms and conditions of the license and wherein the license request originates from a device having a public key, and wherein receiving the requested license comprises receiving a license further including a digital signature from the license provider based on at least a portion of the generated license, the digital signature being encrypted with a license provider private key.  
   
   
       116 . A method for a license provider to provide a digital license for rendering a piece of digital content comprising: 
 receiving a request for the license from a license requestor having a public key;    checking the license request for validity;    negotiating terms and conditions for the requested license with the license requester;    generating the requested license including a decryption key (KD) for decrypting the digital content, such decryption key (KD) being encrypted with the public key of the license requestor; and    issuing the generated license to the license requester.    
   
   
       117 . The method of  claim 116  wherein the license request originates from a device including a security portion, wherein receiving the license request comprises receiving license request information including a version number of the security portion, and wherein checking the license request for validity includes checking the version number of the security portion to determine whether such version number is current.  
   
   
       118 . The method of  claim 117  further comprising refusing to issue the requested license until the security portion is upgraded to a version having a current version number.  
   
   
       119 . The method of  claim 116  wherein the license request originates from a device including a security portion, wherein receiving the license request comprises receiving license request information including a certificate with a digital signature from a certifying authority certifying the security portion, and wherein checking the license request for validity includes checking the certificate with the digital signature from the certifying authority to determine whether such digital signature has been modified.  
   
   
       120 . The method of  claim 116  wherein receiving the license request comprises receiving license request information including an identification of the license requestor, and wherein checking the license request for validity includes checking the identified license requestor against a list of license requestors to determine whether such license requester is license-able.  
   
   
       121 . The method of  claim 116  wherein the license request originates from a device, wherein receiving the license request comprises receiving license request information including an identification of the device, and wherein checking the license request for validity includes checking the identified device against a list of devices to determine whether such device is license-able.  
   
   
       122 . The method of  claim 116  wherein receiving the license request comprises receiving license request information including a content ID that identifies the digital content, the method further comprising locating license provider information corresponding to the digital content based on the content ID, the license provider information including a decryption key (KD) for decrypting the digital content, license data regarding types of licenses available for the digital content, and terms and conditions for each type of license.  
   
   
       123 . The method of  claim 122  further comprising transmitting to the license requestor information on the types of licenses available for the digital content.  
   
   
       124 . The method of  claim 122  wherein generating the requested license comprises generating a license including the content ID of the digital content, and the terms and conditions of the license, and wherein the license request originates from a device having a public key, and wherein generating the requested license comprises generating a license further including the decryption key (KD) for decrypting the digital content, such decryption key (KD) being encrypted with the public key of the device.  
   
   
       125 . The method of  claim 122  wherein generating the requested license comprises generating a license including the content ID of the digital content, and the terms and conditions of the license, and wherein generating the requested license comprises generating a license further including a digital signature from the license provider based on at least a portion of the generated license, the digital signature being encrypted with a license provider private key.