205 results about "Licensure" patented technology

An enforcement architecture and method for implementing digital rights management are disclosed. Digital content is distributed from a content server to a computing device of a user and received, and an attempt is made to render the digital content by way of a rendering application. The rendering application invokes a Digital Rights Management (DRM) system, and such DRM system determines whether a right to render the digital content in the manner sought exists based on any digital license stored in the computing device and corresponding to the digital content. If the right does not exist, a digital license that provides such right and that corresponds to the digital content is requested from a license server, and the license server issues the digital license to the DRM system. The computing device receives the issued digital license and stores the received digital license thereon.

A digital rights management (DRM) system operates on a computing device when a user requests that a protected piece of digital content be rendered by the computer device in a particular manner. The DRM system has a license store, a license evaluator, and a state store. The license store stores digital licenses on the computing device. The license evaluator determines whether any licenses stored in the license store correspond to the requested digital content and whether any such corresponding licenses are valid, reviews license rules in each such valid license, and determining based on such reviewed license rules whether such license enables the requesting user to render the requested digital content in the manner sought. The state store maintains state information corresponding to each license in the license store, where the state information is created and updated by the license evaluator as necessary.

A rendering application on a computing device requests a digital rights management (DRM) system on the computing device to authorize digital content rendering based on a corresponding digital license. If unavailable, the DRM system attempts to silently acquire the license from a license server without the intervention of a user. In the course thereof, the rendering application receives status information from the DRM system relating to the attempted license acquisition thereby and displays the received status information in a rendering application status display portion. If silent acquisition fails, the rendering application hosts a browser, causes the browser to navigate to a license server, allows a user to communicate with the license server by way of the hosted browser to acquire the license, and shuts down the hosted browser upon reception of the license from the license server.

A system and method for securely delivering the location information of a mobile device to a location consumer is presented. In operation, the mobile device user issues a license to a location consumer. The license identifies the location consumer and any conditions the mobile device user places on the license. The license is encrypted such that it cannot be modified without invalidating the license. The license is submitted in a location request by the location consumer. A location information server receives the request, validates that the license was issued to the location consumer and that the location request conforms to the conditions of the license. If so, the location information server obtains the mobile device's location information, generates a location response, encrypts some of the location response, and returns the location response to the location consumer.

Methods and devices are provided for managing licenses in gaming networks. Some aspects of the invention are provided as a license manager module that operates as part of a server-based system for provisioning and configuring gaming machines. Security and authentication techniques are provided to prevent unauthorized gaming software usage. Such gaming software may be, for example, downloaded to gaming machines in the network under the control of a gaming establishment's game management server that is in communication with a license manager device. In preferred implementations, a gaming machine is prevented from executing software for a game of chance unless the license for that game is valid and has not expired.

The present invention provides a method and system for location-based digital rights management. Digital rights for protected content are restricted to a specific location or region by specifying the approved location of the consuming device within the license. This allows the content owner to specify the geographic locations / regions at which the protected content may be consumed. The device obtains its location from a location entity which is then evaluated against the location constraint within the license. If the device is within the location constraint then the content may be accessed. Acquiring the location of the device before allowing access to certain content helps in preventing a user from accessing a protected document in an area which is considered a prohibited location as defined within the license.

Methods and apparatus for integrating digital rights management (DRM) systems with native HTTP live streaming. Several methods for integrating a DRM system with HTTP live streaming on an operating system (OS) platform are described. In each of these methods, a manifest is delivered to an application on a device; the application then accesses a remote DRM server to obtain a license and one or more keys for the content. The DRM server enforces the rights of the client in regard to the indicated content. The application may modify the manifest to indicate a method for obtaining the key. The application delivers the manifest to the OS, which uses the indicated method (e.g., a URL) to obtain the key. While similar, the methods primarily differ in the manner in which the OS is directed to obtain the key.

Apparatus, and associated methods, manage technology resources in hosted applications including: demand, service level agreements, assets both hardware and software, projects, labor, knowledge and provisioning. The apparatus includes an asset manager configured to couple to host servers and a network, to manage the host servers and software deployed thereon. In embodiments of the invention the asset manager: determines demand for new assets and allocates available assets to meet the demand; determines assets not in compliance with existing software licenses; determines which host servers have actual service level metrics which are not compliant with the target service level metrics; and determines availability of a patch or upgrade for selected software and instances of the selected software among the assets. In an embodiment of the invention the asset manager couples to a contract manager with the asset manager determining the assets for which actual monitored service level metrics violate contract service level metrics. In an embodiment of the invention the asset manager couples to a product manager and scans the host severs to determine which have actual security metrics which are not compliant with the target security metrics managed by the product manager. In an embodiment of the invention the asset manager couples with a product manager, a work manager and an accounting manager to compare the actual costs of the new assets from the accounting manager and the work manager with the price of the assets from the product record.

In a digital rights management (DRM) scheme a mobile terminal (1) registered with mobile telecommunications network (3) obtains encrypted content data (26) from content provider (21) and a rights object (28) containing a license to use that data from rights issuer (23). The mobile terminal (1) is associated with mobile terminal (11), PC (25) and PDA (27) in a domain. Various arrangements are disclosed for enabling a second device to consume the content data (26) received by the device (1). The content data (26) is consumed on the second device in a controlled manner. The second device may or may not be a member of the domain (24). The first device may enable the second device to temporarily join the domain (24), if the second device is not a member of the domain (24), in order to allow the second device to consume the content. In another embodiment the first and second devices may already be a member of the same domain (24). In this other embodiment the first and second devices are prevented from simultaneously consuming the same content. In a further embodiment, the first and second devices are not members of the same domain. In this further embodiment, the first device obtains permission from the rights issuer (23) to enable the second device to consume the content.

A method is provided for granting a digital rights management license between a server and a plurality of devices. Content is transmitted from the server to at least one of the plurality of devices, wherein the content contains license information that includes identifiers for at least two of the plurality of devices capable of reproducing the content respectively. The identifiers included in the license information are extracted from the received content, and if the extracted identifier corresponds to an own identifier of the device, the content is reproduced by the device.

A hard disk (530) of a personal computer has a content list file (150) and an encrypted private file (162). A license administration device (520) stores a binding key Kb in a license region (5215B) of a memory. The encrypted private file (162) can be decrypted and encrypted with the binding key Kb stored in the license administration device (520). The license of the obtained and encrypted content data is stored as private information in the encrypted private file (162). Consequently, the encrypted content data and the license distributed by software can be shifted to another data terminal device.

A multiple party system for distributing content. In one embodiment, four parties are involved in the system: a consumer, a service provider, an authenticator, and a content provider. The distribution of content from the content provider to the consumer is carried out using a predefined protocol, mutating IDs, and licenses. The authenticator controls the distribution of mutating IDs and verifies the identity of one or more participating parties.

A method for confirming a licence for an application program downloadable into a terminal device, a software product implementing the method, and a terminal device. An application program without a confirmed licence is downloaded into a terminal device having a camera operationally connected thereto. In response to the activation of the application program, an application managing application program licences is also activated. On the terminal device display, at least one alternative for making a payment for the licence is presented to the user. When the user selects a payment card, an image file of the card is created. From the image file, payment card identifier data are determined and, in response to a successful determining of the identifier data, a licence is received from licence management functionality to confirm the right to use the application program in the terminal.

A method, system and computer program product are shown for transferring encrypted content (1) and a corresponding license (4) that are contained in a first device (3) that uses a first Digital Rights Management (DRM) system of a first or second type to a second device (7) that uses a second DRM system of a first or second type, wherein the encrypted content (1) obeys a content format of the first DRM system; wherein the corresponding license (4) obeys the Rights Expression Language of the first DRM system; wherein one of the devices (3) provides an Application Programming Interface (API) (6) for importing and / or exporting the encrypted content (1) and the corresponding license (4); and wherein the other device (7) provides an application (8) for transferring (13, 14) the encrypted content (1) and the corresponding license (4).

Automated software provisioning based upon a set of role definitions for a user of a configurable device such as a computer or personal digital assistant. The present invention may be realized as an enhancement or extension to currently available software distribution tools which are used to distribute software to remote and local machines, and to permit unattended software installation and maintenance. The invention provides role-based software provisioning which automatically distributes the appropriate software programs and updates to computers that are owned by users based on the role of each user, thereby avoiding the need for intensive manual efforts to determine which computers need what software. The invention may also be interfaced to a License Management system in order to accomplish automatic recovery of unused software licenses, and to obtain permission for installing new licenses, based on user role changes.

A method, device, and system including a digital rights management (DRM) license manager to protect software applications from unauthorized use. The DRM license manager system binds essential application data to a software license. This binding is achieved by adding an encryption key to a software license and encrypting the application data with that key. The essential application data is any kind of data which is required for proper operation of the program, such as media files, game levels or state tables. The DRM license manager system performs a check and decrypt operation of the essential application data during program run time. It requires that the license is available on the system. It also ensures that the decryption operation can only take place if the conditions defined in the license are met.

A license management apparatus which is capable of automatically updating a license for an application. A license information installation section stores license information concerning the license for the application. A license information update configuration section sets automatic update information concerning automatic update of the license for the application according to a input by a user. A license information management section determines, based on the license information stored by the license information installation section and the automatic update information set by the license information update configuration section, whether or not it is time for updating the license. An automatic license information issuance-requesting section requests update of the license when the license information management section determines that it is time for updating the license.

A license for a first component of a protectable content is verified and a license for a second component of the protectable content is verified. A license for the protectable content is then verified based at least in part on the verification of the license for the first component and the verification of the license for the second component.

A system, method and computer program product for a digital content player having a DRM agent to perform rights management operations on a digital content package, including loading rights management instructions to be executed by the digital content player, the rights management instructions being associated with the digital content package, executing the rights management instructions on the digital content player, and loading supporting licenses associated with the digital content package for processing by the DRM agent. The DRM agent deciding whether to permit the rights management operations requested by the rights management instructions. Further exemplary embodiments include systems, methods and computer program products for associating usage rights with digital content packages, managing of digital rights tokens, managing of digital content packages having predetermined broadcast dates, preserving of usage rights when content is transferred between DRM environments, and distributing content packages.

A system and method for managing use of items having usage rights associated therewith. The system includes an activation device adapted to issue a software package having a public and private key pair, the public key being associated with a user, a license device adapted to issue a license, a usage device adapted to receive the software package, receive the license and allow the user to access the item in accordance with the license, and a subscription managing device adapted to maintain a subscription list including the public key associated with the user. License's is issued by the license device upon verifying presence of the public key in the subscription list corresponding to requested content.

Exemplary embodiments provide a license-authentication functioned output system which enables data protection positive and enhances and / or improves a user's convenience, further being suited to reduce processing load. A printer receives document data and a user ID and sends design resource-data authentication information and the user ID included in the document data, together with an authentication request, to a data authentication server. When a use-permitting information is received, it prints a design resource within a use-permitted scope depending upon the use-permitting information and design resource data. A data authentication server searches through a license information register table on the basis of the authentication information and reads out license information concerned. The data authentification server decides whether or not the received user ID is included in the license information. When it is decided that the user ID is included, the use-permitting information included in the license information is sent to the printer.

A media player is presented that is capable of playing time-limited media files such as those made available through subscription-type digital rights management schemes. Upon accessing a protected media file, the present invention analyzes the appropriate license. If the license has not expired, but will expire soon, the media player will provide a notification of impending expiration to the user immediately before or during the playing of the media file. This notification can be audible, visual, or physical, such as through an audible beep, a visual notification on a display screen, or the activation of a vibration device.

A license control module manages the downloading of a software application so the software application can be executed without requiring a separate activation key. In addition, the license control module can incorporate into the software application vendor-defined user customization information to customize the software application. A client computer makes a request to download a software application, and the request is received by a server. The server incorporates licensing information into a download manager to generate a customized download manager that is specific to the download request and that is downloaded by and delivered to the client. The client executes the customized download manager, which in turn downloads the software application and associates the licensing information with the software application, altering the functionality of the application upon execution (e.g., allows it to operate or customizes it to the user, etc.).

The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and method, a program storage medium, and a program for distributing usage rights for individual smaller details without placing a burden on a client. A usage right held by a content holder server 6 is provided to a license server 4. The license server 4 divides the usage right provided by the content holder server 6 into, for example, a playback-only usage right and a playback-and-checkout usage right. A client 1 pays 10 yen to obtain the playback usage right. The client 1 pays additional 30 yen to obtain the playback-and-checkout usage right. In other words, the playback-only usage right is upgraded to the playback-and-checkout usage right. The present invention is applicable to a server for providing content via a network.

A computer software license management system wrapper for use in a local computer is described. The software wrapper includes a wrapper interface that provides controlled access to a computer software application file. The software application file is encapsulated by security software code to protect it from unauthorized access. The software wrapper also includes a software license key identifying a license policy specifying a use limitation within a geographic boundary. In addition, the software wrapper includes a license validation mechanism that periodically determines compliance with the license policy. The license validation mechanism permits access by another process operating on the local computer through the wrapper interface in response to a valid license confirmation signal received from the license server. A license server that utilizes and an electronic storefront that sells software license wrappers having software use limitations within a geographic boundary also are described.

An online database of patient-to-patient healthcare provider recommendations is provided. This database may provide a resource for choosing a physician, and a community of support for those facing medical challenges. Patients who have had a positive experience with a physician can register this physician online, and subsequent patients can search for a physician by a variety of categories, such as, e.g., location, specialty, or physician name. Registrants may have the ability to recommend more than one physician if they so choose. All registrations may be verified by the online service for current license status, correct contact information, and for positive recommendations. This database may be provided and maintained by a central server and accessed by users over the world wide web using a conventional browser application.

A method and system are provided for facilitating the purchase of a license for a downloaded file of a copyrighted work. In one embodiment, a method for licensing a digital copy of a copyrighted work includes determining an identity of the digital copy by using at least one computer program, calculating a fee for a license for the digital copy by the at least one computer program. The step of calculating includes the step of measuring at least one metric of the digital copy. A license is then provided for the copy after receiving payment of the fee.

Methods and systems are disclosed for managing software licenses in a distributed computer network. The number of software licenses allocated to software users can be determined on a node-by-node basis in realtime with little or no additional processing overhead incurred by the network. Upon of the occurrence of a node failure, software licenses are efficiently reallocated to new users. In one implementation, users are periodically counted at each network node and transmitted to a master node with a sanity scan result message. A license allocation condition is periodically evaluated using the sum of the counts. If the condition is met, a license lockout can be performed upon the expiration of a grace period.