Systems and methods for matching, selecting, narrowcasting, and/or classifying based on rights management and/or other information

Abstract

Rights management information is used at least in part in a matching, narrowcasting, classifying and/or selecting process. A matching and classification utility system comprising a kind of Commerce Utility System is used to perform the matching, narrowcasting, classifying and/or selecting. The matching and classification utility system may match, narrowcast, classify and/or select people and/or things, non-limiting examples of which include software objects. The Matching and Classification Utility system may use any pre-existing classification schemes, including at least some rights management information and/or other qualitative and/or parameter data indicating and/or defining classes, classification systems, class hierarchies, category schemes, class assignments, category assignments, and/or class membership. The Matching and Classification Utility may also use at least some rights management information together with any artificial intelligence, expert system, statistical, computational, manual, or any other means to define new classes, class hierarchies, classification systems, category schemes, and/or assign persons, things, and/or groups of persons and/or things to at least one class.

1 . A method performed by an electronic appliance, the electronic appliance comprising a protected processing environment, the method comprising: 
 receiving a first secure container containing a control set providing one or more permissions to use a piece of electronic content, exercise of the one or more permissions being conditioned on a user's membership in a first class;    receiving a request from a user to use the piece of content;    using a digital certificate to determine that the user is a member of the first class; and    enabling the user to exercise at least one of the one or more permissions in accordance with the control set;    wherein the protected processing environment is resistant to tampering by the user with performance of the using and enabling steps.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 receiving a second secure container containing the piece of electronic content.    
     
     
         3 . A method comprising: 
 creating a first secure container containing a control set providing one or more permissions to use a piece of electronic content, exercise of the one or more permissions being conditioned on a user's membership in a first class, as evidenced by possession of a first digital certificate;    creating a second secure container containing the piece of electronic content, access to the piece of electronic content being governed by the control set;    sending the first secure container and the second secure container to a user.