Trusted infrastructure support systems, methods and techniques for secure electronic commerce, electronic transactions, commerce process control and automation, distributed computing and rights management

Abstract

The present inventions provide an integrated, modular array of administrative and support services for electronic commerce and electronic rights and transaction management. These administrative and support services supply a secure foundation for conducting financial management, rights management, certificate authority, rules clearing, usage clearing, secure directory services, and other transaction related capabilities functioning over a vast electronic network such as the Internet and/or over organization internal Intranets. These administrative and support services can be adapted to the specific needs of electronic commerce value chains. Electronic commerce participants can use these administrative and support services to support their interests, and can shape and reuse these services in response to competitive business realities. A Distributed Commerce Utility having a secure, programmable, distributed architecture provides administrative and support services. The Distributed Commerce Utility makes optimally efficient use of commerce administration resources, and can scale in a practical fashion to accommodate the demands of electronic commerce growth. The Distributed Commerce Utility may comprise a number of Commerce Utility Systems. These Commerce Utility Systems provide a web of infrastructure support available to, and reusable by, the entire electronic community and/or many or all of its participants. Different support functions can be collected together in hierarchical and/or in networked relationships to suit various business models and/or other objectives. Modular support functions can combined in different arrays to form different Commerce Utility Systems for different design implementations and purposes. These Commerce Utility Systems can be distributed across a large number of electronic appliances with varying degrees of distribution.

1 - 20 . (canceled)  
     
     
         21 . A method performed by an electronic appliance, the method comprising: 
 displaying a rights template, the rights template defining a number of different types of usage relevant to a digital property and a menu of options corresponding to each type of usage;    filling in the menu of options based at least in part on input from a rightsholder;    translating the rights template into a control set;    associating the control set with the digital property, the control set being configured to be used by tamper-resistant hardware and/or software at a user's electronic appliance to govern use of the digital property by the user; and    sending the control set to a first remote site.    
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising: 
 sending the digital property to the first remote site.    
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , in which the control set is sent to the first remote site separately from the digital property.  
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 22 , in which the control set and the digital property are sent to the first remote site together in a secure container.  
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 21 , in which the first remote site comprises a user site operable to use the control set to govern use of the digital property.  
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , in which the user site includes a secure processing unit for use, at least in part, in governing use of the digital property.  
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising: 
 sending the control set from the first remote site to a user site, wherein the user site is operable to use the control set to govern use of the digital property.    
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 21 , in which at least part of the menu of options is automatically filled in without provision of input from the rightsholder.  
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 21 , in which the one or more potential actions include two or more of: (a) viewing the digital property; (b) distributing the digital property; (c) printing the digital property; and (d) modifying the digital property.  
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising: 
 encrypting the digital property and the control set.    
     
     
         31 . A computer-readable medium containing executable program instructions, the executable program instructions including instructions for: 
 displaying a graphical user interface comprising a template for facilitating specification, by a user, of permissions to be associated with a piece of digital content, the template including a list of potential actions to be performed on or using the piece of digital content, the template further providing a place for the user to specify if a given action is to be permitted;    obtaining user input from the user, the user input specifying one or more permitted actions; and    generating a control set based on the user input, the control set being associated with the piece of digital content, the control set being configured to be used by tamper-resistant hardware and/or software at an electronic appliance to govern use of the piece of digital content by the electronic appliance in accordance with the one or more permitted actions specified by the user input.    
     
     
         32 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 31 , in which the executable program instructions further include instructions for encrypting the piece of digital content.  
     
     
         33 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 32 , in which the executable program instructions further include instructions for encrypting the control set.  
     
     
         34 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 31 , in which the one or more potential actions include two or more of: (a) viewing the piece of digital content; (b) distributing the piece of digital content; (c) printing the piece of digital content; and (d) modifying the piece of digital content.  
     
     
         35 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 33 , in which the one or more potential actions include three or more of: (a) viewing the piece of digital content; (b) distributing the piece of digital content; (c) printing the piece of digital content; and (d) modifying the piece of digital content.  
     
     
         36 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 31 , in which the one or more potential actions include three or more of: (a) viewing the piece of digital content; (b) distributing the piece of digital content; (c) printing the piece of digital content; and (d) modifying the piece of digital content.  
     
     
         37 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 31 , in which the one or more potential actions include viewing the piece of digital content.  
     
     
         38 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 31 , in which the one or more potential actions include distributing the piece of digital content.  
     
     
         39 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 31 , in which the one or more potential actions include printing the piece of digital content.  
     
     
         40 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 31 , in which the one or more potential actions include modifying the piece of digital content.  
     
     
         41 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 31 , in which the one or more potential actions include: (a) printing the piece of digital content; and (b) modifying the piece of digital content.  
     
     
         42 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 41 , in which the piece of digital content comprises textual content.  
     
     
         43 . A method for specifying usage permissions for a piece of digital content: 
 displaying a graphical user interface to a rightsholder, the graphical user interface including a menu of potentially permitted actions to be performed on or using the piece of digital content, the potentially permitted actions including modifying the piece of digital content;    obtaining input from the rightsholder, the input indicating that one or more of the potentially permitted actions are to be permitted; and    associating an indication of the permitted actions with the piece of digital content.    
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 43 , in which the indication of the permitted actions is securely associated with the piece of digital content, such that software that is unable to enforce the indication of the permitted actions is prevented from making use of the piece of digital content.  
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 43 , in which the piece of digital content is encoded for decoding by tamper-resistant software operable to enforce the indication of the permitted actions.  
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 43 , further comprising: 
 sending the piece of digital content and the indication over a telecommunications network to a user's computer system, the user's computer system including tamper-resistant software for using the piece of digital content in accordance with the indication.    
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 46 , in which the piece of digital content and the indication are sent to the user's computer system separately.  
     
     
         48 . The method of  claim 43 , further comprising: 
 packaging the piece of digital content and the indication in a secure electronic container.    
     
     
         49 . The method of  claim 46 , further comprising: 
 encrypting the piece of digital content.    
     
     
         50 . The method of  claim 46 , in which the user's computer system further includes a secure processing unit for assisting the tamper-resistant software in using the piece of digital content in accordance with the indication.  
     
     
         51 . The method of  claim 43 , in which the piece of digital content comprises audio, video, and/or textual content.  
     
     
         52 . The method of  claim 43 , in which the potentially permitted actions further include two or more of: (a) viewing the piece of digital content; (b) distributing the piece of digital content; and (c) printing the piece of digital content.  
     
     
         53 . A method for packaging rights-managed digital content: 
 obtaining input comprising an indication of one or more actions permitted to be performed on or using a piece of digital content;    associating control information with the piece of digital content, the control information including information recording the one or more permitted actions; and    encrypting the piece of digital content and the control information.    
     
     
         54 . The method of  claim 53 , further comprising displaying a graphical user interface to a holder of rights in the piece of digital content, the graphical user interface being configured to facilitate the step of obtaining input.  
     
     
         55 . The method of  claim 54 , in which the step of obtaining input comprises receiving selections made by the holder of rights using a mouse pointing device.  
     
     
         56 . The method of  claim 54 , in which the graphical user interface comprises a menu of potentially permissible actions.  
     
     
         57 . The method of  claim 53 , in which the indication comprises a rights management language expression of the one or more actions permitted to be performed on or using the piece of digital content.  
     
     
         58 . The method of  claim 56 , in which the potentially permissible actions include one or more of: modifying the piece of digital content, printing the piece of digital content, viewing the piece of digital content, distributing the piece of digital content, viewing a predefined portion of the piece of digital content, and/or saving a backup of the piece of digital content.  
     
     
         59 . The method of  claim 57 , in which the potentially permissible actions include one or more of: modifying the piece of digital content, printing the piece of digital content, viewing the piece of digital content, distributing the piece of digital content, viewing a predefined portion of the piece of digital content, and/or saving a backup of the piece of digital content.  
     
     
         60 . The method of  claim 56 , in which the graphical user interface further comprises checkboxes for indicating whether one or more of the potentially permissible actions are permitted.  
     
     
         61 . The method of  claim 56 , in which the graphical user interface further comprises checkboxes for indicating whether one or more of the potentially permissible actions are prohibited.  
     
     
         62 . The method of  claim 53 , in which the control information is securely associated with the piece of digital content, such that software for making use of the piece of digital content is able to govern use of the piece of digital content in accordance with the one or more permitted actions recorded in the control information.  
     
     
         63 . A method comprising: 
 displaying a graphical user interface to a user, the graphical user interface comprising (a) a list of one or more different types of digital content usage, and (b) one or more permission options corresponding to one or more of the different types of digital content usage;    receiving user input, the user input selecting one or more of the one or more permission options; and    associating permission information with a piece of digital content, the permission information being derived from the user input, and being configured for use with tamper-resistant software to govern use of the piece of digital content.    
     
     
         64 . The method of  claim 63 , in which the different types of digital content usage include one or more of: modifying digital content, printing digital content, viewing digital content, distributing digital content, viewing a predefined portion of digital content, and/or saving a backup of digital content.  
     
     
         65 . The method of  claim 63 , in which the different types of digital content usage include three or more of: modifying digital content, printing digital content, viewing digital content, distributing digital content, viewing a predefined portion of digital content, and/or saving a backup of digital content.  
     
     
         66 . The method of  claim 63 , in which the user input is received from a pointing device.  
     
     
         67 . The method of  claim 66 , in which the pointing device comprises a mouse.  
     
     
         68 . The method of  claim 64 , further comprising: 
 encrypting the piece of digital content; and    sending the encrypted piece of digital content and the permission information to an end user's electronic appliance, the end user's electronic appliance comprising tamper-resistant software operable to govern use of the piece of digital content by the end user in accordance with the permission information.    
     
     
         69 . The method of  claim 68 , in which the step of sending the encrypted piece of digital content and the permission information to the end user's electronic appliance comprises sending the encrypted piece of digital content to the end user's electronic appliance separately from the permission information.  
     
     
         70 . A method comprising: 
 displaying a graphical user interface comprising (a) a list of one or more different types of usage of a piece of digital content, and (b) a list of permission options;    receiving input from a first entity, the input selecting one or more of the permission options; and    generating a control set from the input, the control set specifying the permission options selected by the first entity, the control set being associated with the piece of digital content, the control set being configured for use with tamper-resistant software running on a second entity's electronic appliance to govern use of the piece of digital content by the second entity in accordance with the permission options selected by the first entity.    
     
     
         71 . The method of  claim 70 , in which the permission options include a selectable indication that a particular type of usage of the piece of digital content should be prohibited.  
     
     
         72 . The method of  claim 70 , in which the permission options include a selectable indication that a particular type of usage of the piece of digital content should be permitted.  
     
     
         73 . The method of  claim 70 , in which the list of different types of usage include two or more of: (a) modifying a piece of digital content, (b) viewing a piece of digital content, (c) printing a piece of digital content, and/or (d) distributing a piece of digital content.  
     
     
         74 . The method of  claim 70 , in which the control set comprises one or more data objects configured to be delivered to the second entity's electronic appliance.