Method and system for managing rights for digital music

Abstract

A method is described for managing rights for digital music, including registering music players, from among a plurality of music players, with digital archives that store songs, from among a plurality of digital archives, wherein songs can be copied from digital archives to music players, and from music players to digital archives, permitting a music player to copy a song from a digital archive for which it is registered, permitting a digital archive to copy a song from a music player that is registered with the digital archive, restricting a music player from copying a song from a digital archive for which it is not registered, and restricting a digital archive from copying a song from a music player that is not registered with the digital archive. A system and a computer-readable storage medium are also described.

1 . A method for managing rights for digital music, comprising:
 maintaining, by a digital archive of songs, for a song stored in the digital archive, a maximum number of permitted copies of the song;   tracking, within the digital archive, for the song, a count of music players that copied the song from the digital archive;   permitting a music player to copy the song from the digital archive if the count for the song has not reached the maximum number of permitted copies for the song; and   restricting a music player from copying the song from the digital archive if the count for the song has reached the maximum number of permitted copies for the song.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 erasing a song from the music player, by a digital archive that stores the song; and   reducing the count for the song within the digital archive.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 adding a new song and meta-data therefor into the digital archive;   initializing the maximum number of permitted copies of the new song to one; and   initializing the count for the new song to zero.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3  wherein said adding comprises recording the new song from a music channel broadcast. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3  wherein said adding comprises copying the new song from the music player. 
     
     
         6 . A computer-readable storage medium storing program code for causing a device to perform a method comprising:
 maintaining, by a digital archive of songs, for a song stored in the digital archive, a maximum number of permitted copies of the song;   tracking, within the digital archive, for the song, a count of music players that copied the song from the digital archive;   permitting a music player to copy the song from the digital archive if the count for the song has not reached the maximum number of permitted copies for the song; and   preventing a music player from copying the song from the digital archive if the count for the song has reached the maximum number of permitted copies for the song.   
     
     
         7 . A system for managing rights for digital music, comprising:
 a digital archive of songs comprising:
 a database manager for maintaining a maximum number of permitted copies of a song, for a song stored within the digital archive, and for tracking a count of music players that copied the song from the digital archive; and 
 a rights manager for permitting a music player to copy the song from the digital archive if the count for the song has not reached the maximum number of permitted copies for the song, and for restricting a music player from copying the song from the digital archive if the count for the song has reached the maximum number of permitted copies for the song. 
   
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7  wherein said digital archive erases a song from a music player, and wherein said database manager reduces the count for the song within the digital archive. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 7  wherein said database manager adds a new song and meta-data therefor into the digital archive, initializes the maximum number of permitted copies of the new song to one, and initializes the count for the new song to zero. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9  wherein said digital archive records the new song from a music channel broadcast. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 9  wherein said digital archive copies the new song from the music player.