Digital rights management systems and methods for audience measurement

Abstract

Digital rights management systems and methods for audience measurement are disclosed. An example method to monitor media content consumption disclosed herein comprises automatically processing a measurement rights agreement with a digital rights manager to determine whether the measurement rights agreement authorizes monitoring of media content consumption, and enabling a media handler to obtain measurement information corresponding to a presentation of media content by the media handler when the digital rights manager determines that monitoring of media content consumption is authorized.

1 . A method to monitor media content consumption comprising: 
 automatically processing a measurement rights agreement with a digital rights manager to determine whether the measurement rights agreement authorizes monitoring of media content consumption; and    enabling a media handler to obtain measurement information corresponding to a presentation of media content by the media handler when the digital rights manager determines that monitoring of media content consumption is authorized.    
     
     
         2 . A method as defined in  claim 1  further comprising: 
 determining whether the measurements rights agreement is stored locally relative to the digital rights manager; and    when the measurement rights agreement is not stored locally, retrieving the measurement rights agreement from a license server associated with a media measurement entity.    
     
     
         3 . A method as defined in  claim 1  further comprising retrieving the measurement rights agreement in response to at least one of: (1) invocation of the digital rights manager, (2) invocation of the media handler, or (3) selection of the media content for presentation by the media handler.  
     
     
         4 . A method as defined in  claim 1  further comprising: 
 identifying an audience member associated with the media handler for inclusion in an audience measurement panel maintained by a media measurement entity;    receiving acceptance from the audience member of one or more terms of the measurement rights agreement; and    storing the measurement rights agreement on a license server associated with the media measurement entity.    
     
     
         5 . A method as defined in  claim 4  wherein receiving the acceptance from the audience member comprises receiving a copy of the measurement rights agreement that has been electronically signed by the audience member.  
     
     
         6 . A method as defined in  claim 1  further comprising determining whether at least one of: (1) a time interval associated with renewal of the measurement rights agreement has expired, (2) an audience member associated with the measurement rights agreement has been removed from an audience measurement panel, (3) the digital rights manager has been altered, (4) the media handler has been altered, or (5) a media measurement entity is required to revoke the measurement rights agreement.  
     
     
         7 . A method as defined in  claim 1  further comprising disabling the media handler from obtaining the measurement information in response to revocation of the measurement rights agreement.  
     
     
         8 . A method as defined in  claim 1  further comprising: 
 determining whether an audience member has opted out of an audience measurement panel; and    disabling the media handler from obtaining the measurement information when the audience member has opted out of the audience measurement panel.    
     
     
         9 . A method as defined in  claim 1  further comprising initializing the media handler to disable obtaining of the measurement information during the presentation of the media content.  
     
     
         10 . A method as defined in  claim 1  further comprising associating at least one of the digital rights manager or the media handler with a whitelist, wherein the whitelist includes at least one of: (1) a name associated with a media measurement entity, (2) a digital signature for authenticating the media measurement entity, or (3) an address of a license server associated with the media measurement entity, wherein the license server is configured to access the measurement rights agreement.  
     
     
         11 . A method as defined in  claim 1  wherein automatically processing the measurement rights agreement comprises: 
 determining whether the measurement rights agreement is authentic based on a digital signature of a media measurement entity associated with the measurement rights agreement; and    evaluating one or more rules included in the measurement rights agreement to determine any restrictions on the measurement information to be obtained by the media handler.    
     
     
         12 . A method as defined in  claim 11  further comprising disabling the media handler from obtaining the measurement information when the measurement rights agreement is not authentic.  
     
     
         13 . A method as defined in  claim 1  wherein the measurement rights agreement includes one or more rules indicating whether monitoring of media content consumption is authorized and specifying any restrictions on the measurement information to be obtained by the media handler.  
     
     
         14 . A method as defined in  claim 13  wherein the one or more rules included in the measurement rights agreement are included based on a selection by an audience member associated with the media handler.  
     
     
         15 . A method as defined in  claim 1  wherein the measurement information obtained by the media handler comprises: 
 first measurement information obtained by capturing embedded information included in the media content; and    second measurement information obtained by capturing user commands input to the media handler.    
     
     
         16 . An article of manufacture storing machine readable instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to: 
 automatically process a measurement rights agreement with a digital rights manager to determine whether the measurement rights agreement authorizes monitoring of media content consumption; and    enable a media handler to obtain measurement information corresponding to a presentation of media content by the media handler when the digital rights manager determines that monitoring of media content consumption is authorized.    
     
     
         17 . An article of manufacture as defined in  claim 16  wherein, to process the measurement rights agreement, the machine readable instructions cause the machine to: 
 determine whether the measurement rights agreement is authentic based on a digital signature of a media measurement entity associated with the measurement rights agreement; and    evaluate one or more rules included in the measurement rights agreement to determine any restrictions on the measurement information to be obtained by the media handler.    
     
     
         18 . An article of manufacture as defined in  claim 16  wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to initialize the media handler to disable obtaining of the measurement information during the presentation of the media content.  
     
     
         19 . An audience measurement meter comprising: 
 a media handler to process media content for presentation by a media processor and to obtain measurement information; and    a digital rights manager to determine whether to configure the media handler to obtain the measurement information based on a measurement rights agreement.    
     
     
         20 . An audience measurement meter as defined in  claim 19  wherein the measurement rights agreement is between an audience member associated with the media processor and a media measurement entity.  
     
     
         21 . An audience measurement meter as defined in  claim 19  wherein the digital rights manager comprises: 
 a measurement rights agreement verifier to determine whether the measurement rights agreement is valid; and    a measurement activator to process the measurement rights agreement, in response to a determination by the measurement rights agreement verifier that the measurement rights agreement is valid, to determine whether to at least one of: (1) configure the cooperative media handler to obtain the measurement information or (2) place a restriction on the measurement information to be obtained by the cooperative media handler.    
     
     
         22 . An audience measurement meter as defined in  claim 19  wherein the digital rights manager comprises a measurement rights agreement revoker to determine whether to revoke the measurement rights agreement.  
     
     
         23 . An audience measurement meter as defined in  claim 19  wherein the media handler and the digital rights manager are included in the media processor.  
     
     
         24 . An audience measurement meter as defined in  claim 19  wherein the digital rights manager is configured to retrieve the measurement rights agreement from a license server.  
     
     
         25 . An audience measurement meter as defined in  claim 24  wherein the license server is associated with a media measurement entity.  
     
     
         26 . A method to provide a measurement rights agreement to enable monitoring of media content presented by a media handler, the method comprising: 
 obtaining acceptance of the measurement rights agreement by an audience member associated with the media handler; and    storing an electronic version of the accepted measurement rights agreement for processing by a digital rights manager associated with the media handler to determine whether to enable monitoring of the media content presented by the media handler.    
     
     
         27 . A method as defined in  claim 26  further comprising presenting an interface for the audience member to select whether to at least one of modify or include a term in the measurement rights agreement prior to obtaining acceptance of the measurement rights agreement.  
     
     
         28 . A method as defined in  claim 26  wherein obtaining acceptance of the measurement rights agreement comprises receiving an electronic signature from the audience member.