Domain Manager for Digital Media DRM Device Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Digital rights management systems face challenges in preventing unauthorized copying and distribution of digital content due to the ease of creating exact duplicates without quality loss, often leading to frustrating user experiences or restricting legitimate access.
Innovation Solution
A system for centrally managing user device domains in a digital rights management environment, where independent content providers issue domain-bound licenses managed by a trusted third-party domain manager, allowing device registration, removal, and decryption key distribution, ensuring compliance with license terms without requiring direct interaction with the content provider.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If digital content is protected using traditional DRM methods, then unauthorized copying is prevented, but user experience deteriorates and legitimate access is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a domain manager as an intermediary between content providers and user devices. The domain manager issues domain-bound licenses that allow multiple devices to access content without requiring each device to independently verify with the content provider. This mediator approach maintains content protection while simplifying user access across devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the DRM functionality into separate components: content providers focus on content delivery, domain managers handle license issuance and device registration, and user devices execute licensed content. This segmentation allows each component to specialize, improving both security and user experience.
2Adaptability or versatility
If domain-bound licenses are issued to multiple devices, then content accessibility improves, but key management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The domain manager serves multiple functions: it issues domain-bound licenses, manages device registration and removal, and handles key distribution. This universal approach consolidates key management complexity into a single entity rather than distributing it across multiple content providers and devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-issuing domain-bound licenses to authorized devices before content access is needed. Devices are pre-registered with the domain manager, so when content needs to be accessed, the licensing and key distribution have already been established, reducing real-time complexity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If devices are added to user device domains, then content accessibility improves, but security risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The domain manager implements feedback mechanisms by requiring devices to register and receive domain-bound licenses before accessing content. The system continuously monitors device registration status and can revoke access by removing devices from the domain or invalidating their licenses, providing ongoing security feedback.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies preliminary anti-action by requiring domain manager authorization before any device can access protected content. The domain-bound licenses include security constraints and the domain manager can preemptively block unauthorized devices from joining the domain or accessing content.
Data Source
AI summary
A system is disclosed for providing trusted third-party management of user device domains in a digital rights management environment. The system includes a plurality of content providers that distribute digital content items via user accounts having associated user device domains. The user device domains are managed by an independent domain manager. The domain manager includes a device registrar which is operative, for a given user device domain, to receive a request to add a device to the user device domain. If the request is grantable, a domain controller of the domain manager is operative to cause a domain private key to be transmitted to the device being added to the user device domain. The domain private key is usable at the device to decrypt a content key which was previously released to the user device domain for decrypting protected digital content.