Systems and methods for secure transaction management and electronic rights protection

Abstract

The present invention provides systems and methods for secure transaction management and electronic rights protection. Electronic appliances such as computers equipped in accordance with the present invention help to ensure that information is accessed and used only in authorized ways, and maintain the integrity, availability, and/or confidentiality of the information. Such electronic appliances provide a distributed virtual distribution environment (VDE) that may enforce a secure chain of handling and control, for example, to control and/or meter or otherwise monitor use of electronically stored or disseminated information. Such a virtual distribution environment may be used to protect rights of various participants in electronic commerce and other electronic or electronic-facilitated transactions. Distributed and other operating systems, environments and architectures, such as, for example, those using tamper-resistant hardware-based processors, may establish security at each node. These techniques may be used to support an all-electronic information distribution, for example, utilizing the “electronic highway.”

1 .- 90 . (canceled)  
   
   
       91 . A method of using a governed item at a processing arrangement, including the following steps: 
 receiving a first rule at the processing arrangement;    receiving a second rule at the processing arrangement, the second rule being received independently from the first rule and from the governed item;    wherein one or both of the first rule and the second rule specify at least one permitted or prohibited use of the governed item; and    at the processing arrangement, employing the first rule and the second rule to securely govern at least one aspect of access to or other use of the governed item.    
   
   
       92 . The method of  claim 91 , in which: 
 the first rule is directly or indirectly received from a first entity; and    the second rule is directly or indirectly received from a second entity different from the first entity.    
   
   
       93 . The method of  claim 91 , in which: 
 the step of receiving the first rule includes receiving the governed item along with the first rule.    
   
   
       94 . The method of  claim 93 , in which: 
 at least a portion of the governed item is received in an encrypted state; and    the step of employing the first rule and the second rule to securely govern at least one aspect of access to or other use of the governed item includes decrypting at least a portion of the governed item.    
   
   
       95 . The method of  claim 91 , in which one or both of the first rule and the second rule specify at least one condition associated with the at least one permitted or prohibited use.  
   
   
       96 . The method of  claim 91 , further comprising: 
 storing audit-related information relating to the access to or other use of the governed item.    
   
   
       97 . A method for using a governed item, the method including the following steps: 
 encrypting at least a portion of the governed item;    storing the governed item in a memory of a first processing arrangement located at a first site;    receiving, at the first processing arrangement, a first rule set made up of one or more rules, the first rule set being received directly or indirectly from a second processing arrangement located at a second site located remotely from the first site;    wherein the first rule set includes at least one rule specifying at least one permitted or prohibited use of the governed item;    at the first processing arrangement, decrypting at least a portion of the governed item, the decryption being governed at least in part by one or more of the first rule set rules;    at the first processing arrangement, making a use of the governed item, the use being governed at least in part by one or more of the first rule set rules; and    at the first processing arrangement, storing audit-related information relating to the use of the governed item.    
   
   
       98 . The method of  claim 97 , further including: 
 using at least a portion of the audit-related information to determine a payment.    
   
   
       99 . The method of  claim 97 , in which the audit-related information includes payment information.  
   
   
       100 . The method of  claim 97 , in which the audit-related information includes identification information.  
   
   
       101 . The method of  claim 100 , in which the identification information includes information at least in part identifying the first processing arrangement or a user of the first processing arrangement.  
   
   
       102 . The method of  claim 97 , further including: 
 receiving, at the first processing arrangement, a second rule set made up of one or more rules, the second rule set being received separately from the first rule set.    
   
   
       103 . The method of  claim 102 , in which: 
 the second rule set is directly or indirectly received from a third processing arrangement located at a third site remote from the first site and from the second site.    
   
   
       104 . The method of  claim 103 , further including: 
 using a rule from the second rule set to at least in part govern an aspect of access to or use of the governed item.    
   
   
       105 . The method of  claim 104 , in which: 
 the step of using a rule from the second rule set includes at least in part governing an attempt to transfer at least a portion of the governed data item from the first data processing arrangement to a different data processing arrangement.    
   
   
       106 . A method of governing an operation at a processing arrangement, the method including: 
 at the processing arrangement, receiving a first control directly or indirectly from a first party;    at the processing arrangement, receiving a second control directly or indirectly from a second party;    at the processing arrangement, using the first control and the second control to at least in part govern a use of an item; and    wherein one or both of the first control and the second control specify at least one permitted or prohibited use of the item.    
   
   
       107 . The method of  claim 106 , further comprising: 
 storing a first type of audit-related information relating to the use of the item, the storing being required by the first control; and    storing a second type of audit-related information relating to the use of the item, the storing being required by the second control.    
   
   
       108 . The method of  claim 107 , in which at least the first type of audit-related information or the second type of audit-related information includes information at least in part identifying the processing arrangement or a user of the processing arrangement.  
   
   
       109 . A method including: 
 storing a first control in a memory of a processing arrangement;    at the processing arrangement, receiving a data item, the data item being at least partially encrypted;    at the processing arrangement, receiving a second control;    wherein one or both of the first control and the second control specify at least one permitted or prohibited use of the data item;    using the first or second control to at least in part govern the decryption of at least a portion of the data item; and    using the first control or the second control to govern an aspect of access to or other use of the data item.    
   
   
       110 . The method of  claim 109 , in which one or both of the first control and the second control require that audit-related information be stored, wherein the audit-related information includes information relating to payment for access to or other use of the data item.  
   
   
       111 . A method of controlling an operation at a processing arrangement including a memory, a removable memory reader, and a communications port, the method including: 
 inserting a removable memory into the removable memory reader;    detecting a governed item stored in the removable memory, the governed item being at least in part encrypted;    receiving a first digital control through the communications port, the first digital control specifying at least one permitted or prohibited use of the governed item;    using at least a portion of the governed item, the use being governed at least in part by the first digital control.    
   
   
       112 . The method of  claim 111 , in which the removable memory is an optical disk.  
   
   
       113 . The method of  claim 111 , in which the first digital control is directly or indirectly received from a second processing arrangement located remotely from the first processing arrangement.  
   
   
       114 . The method of  claim 111 , in which the first digital control specifies at least one condition associated with the at least one permitted use of the governed item.  
   
   
       115 . The method of  claim 114 , in which the at least one condition comprises a requirement that audit-related information be stored relating to the at least one permitted use of the governed item, the method further comprising storing said audit-related information in the memory.