Digital rights content services architecture

Abstract

A selection of a digital content item is received from a client over a network. A license agreement associated with the selected digital content item is identified based on a content ID of the digital content item, where the license agreement is identified by a license ID. The license agreement includes one or more constraints for accessing the digital content item. A tracking code is generated based on the content ID associated with the selected digital content item, the license ID associated with the identified license agreement, and the user ID associated with the client. The tracking code is inscribed on the digital content item to generate a deliverable content file, where the deliverable content file contains the digital content item therein. The deliverable content file is transmitted to the client over the network, where the tracking code is visible or audible when the digital content item is accessed from the deliverable content file.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer-implemented method for processing digital content items, the method comprising:
 transmitting, from a server running on server hardware to a first client device associated with a first user over a network, a plurality of content items to be presented at the first client device for licensing, wherein the content items are provided by a plurality of content providers and stored in a content database of the server, wherein each of the content items is identified by a content identifier (ID);   in response to receiving a selection of a first content item by the first user, retrieving a first license associated with the first content item from the content database, the first license having one or more license terms governing usages of the first content item;   transmitting the first license to the first client device to be presented to the first user, the presented first license including, for each of the license terms, a checkbox to allow the first user to individually select the associated license term;   receiving, by the server from the first client device, an acceptance of the first license by the first user, wherein the acceptance indicates that at least one checkbox of the first license has been selected by the first user;   generating, by the server, a tracking code by applying a cipher method and a cipher key to at least a first content ID identifying the first content item, a first user ID identifying the first user, and a first license ID of the first license;   creating, by the server, a first deliverable content by inscribing the tracking code into the first content; and   transmitting the first deliverable content to the first client device of the first user.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the tracking code is inscribed as at least one of a visible watermark and a footprint of the first deliverable content. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the tracking code identifies the first user in plain text, including at least a name of the first user. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the tracking code is generated only when all of the license terms of the first license have been individually selected. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising registering the first content item in the content database of the server, including
 receiving, at the server from a second client device of a second user, user information of the second user, the first content, and the first license having one or more license terms governing usages of the first content;   registering the second user with the server by generating a second user identifier (ID) for the second user and the first license ID for the first license;
 selecting, by a cipher unit running within the server, the cipher key and the cipher method; 
 generating, by the cipher unit, the first content ID by applying the selected cipher key and the cipher method to at least the second user ID and the first license ID; 
   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving a search request received from the first user, the search request having one or more search terms;   performing a search in the content database based on the one or more search terms, the content database storing the plurality of content items provided by the plurality of content providers; and   presenting a list of one or more content items based on a search result of the content database, each of the content items being associated with a license agreement, wherein the first content item is selected from the list by the first user.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein each of the content items stored in the content database is associated with a license agreement selected by a content provider of the content item, wherein each of the content items is identified by a content ID that is generated based on a user ID of the content provider, a license ID of the associated license agreement. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein a content ID is generated further based on one or more attributes extracted from the associated content item. 
     
     
         9 . A non-transitory machine-readable medium having instructions stored therein, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations processing content items, the operations comprising:
 transmitting, from a server running on server hardware to a first client device associated with a first user over a network, a plurality of content items to be presented at the first client device for licensing, wherein the content items are provided by a plurality of content providers and stored in a content database of the server, wherein each of the content items is identified by a content identifier (ID);   in response to receiving a selection of a first content item by the first user, retrieving a first license associated with the first content item from the content database, the first license having one or more license terms governing usages of the first content item;   transmitting the first license to the first client device to be presented to the first user, the presented first license including, for each of the license terms, a checkbox to allow the first user to individually select the associated license term;   receiving, by the server from the first client device, an acceptance of the first license by the first user, wherein the acceptance indicates that at least one checkbox of the first license has been selected by the first user;   generating, by the server, a tracking code by applying a cipher method and a cipher key to at least a first content ID identifying the first content item, a first user ID identifying the first user, and a first license ID of the first license;   creating, by the server, a first deliverable content by inscribing the tracking code into the first content; and   transmitting the first deliverable content to the first client device of the first user.   
     
     
         10 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of  claim 9 , wherein the tracking code is inscribed as at least one of a visible watermark and a footprint of the first deliverable content. 
     
     
         11 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of  claim 10 , wherein the tracking code identifies the first user in plain text, including at least a name of the first user. 
     
     
         12 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of  claim 9 , wherein the tracking code is generated only when all of the license terms of the first license have been individually selected. 
     
     
         13 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of  claim 9 , wherein the operations further comprise registering the first content item in the content database of the server, including
 receiving, at the server from a second client device of a second user, user information of the second user, the first content, and the first license having one or more license terms governing usages of the first content;   registering the second user with the server by generating a second user identifier (ID) for the second user and the first license ID for the first license;   selecting, by a cipher unit running within the server, the cipher key and the cipher method;   generating, by the cipher unit, the first content ID by applying the selected cipher key and the cipher method to at least the second user ID and the first license ID;   
     
     
         14 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of  claim 9 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 receiving a search request received from the first user, the search request having one or more search terms;   performing a search in the content database based on the one or more search terms, the content database storing the plurality of content items provided by the plurality of content providers; and   presenting a list of one or more content items based on a search result of the content database, each of the content items being associated with a license agreement, wherein the first content item is selected from the list by the first user.   
     
     
         15 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of  claim 14 , wherein each of the content items stored in the content database is associated with a license agreement selected by a content provider of the content item, wherein each of the content items is identified by a content ID that is generated based on a user ID of the content provider, a license ID of the associated license agreement. 
     
     
         16 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein a content ID is generated further based on one or more attributes extracted from the associated content item. 
     
     
         17 . A data processing system, comprising:
 a processor; and   a memory coupled to the processor for storing instructions, which when executed from the memory, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations including
 transmitting to a first client device associated with a first user over a network a plurality of content items to be presented at the first client device for licensing, wherein the content items are provided by a plurality of content providers and stored in a content database, wherein each of the content items is identified by a content identifier (ID), 
 in response to receiving a selection of a first content item by the first user, retrieving a first license associated with the first content item from the content database, the first license having one or more license terms governing usages of the first content item, 
 transmitting the first license to the first client device to be presented to the first user, the presented first license including, for each of the license terms, a checkbox to allow the first user to individually select the associated license term, 
   receiving from the first client device an acceptance of the first license by the first user, wherein the acceptance indicates that at least one checkbox of the first license has been selected by the first user,   generating a tracking code by applying a cipher method and a cipher key to at least a first content ID identifying the first content item, a first user ID identifying the first user, and a first license ID of the first license,   creating a first deliverable content by inscribing the tracking code into the first content, and   transmitting the first deliverable content to the first client device of the first user.   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the tracking code is inscribed as at least one of a visible watermark and a footprint of the first deliverable content. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the tracking code identifies the first user in plain text, including at least a name of the first user. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the tracking code is generated only when all of the license terms of the first license have been individually selected.