DRM Proxy Server Agent for Incompatible License Format Conversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Interoperability issues between different Digital Rights Management (DRM) systems and Conditional Access (CA) systems prevent user terminals from accessing DRM content from service providers that use incompatible systems, leading to service disruptions and complexity in implementation.
Innovation Solution
A user terminal apparatus with a DRM proxy server agent that converts common licenses to compatible formats, enabling seamless access to DRM content across multiple incompatible DRM systems without requiring service providers to support all DRM systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a user terminal is equipped with a specific DRM system, then it can access DRM content from service providers using the same system, but it cannot access DRM content from service providers using different DRM systems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a DRM Proxy Server that acts as an intermediary between service providers and user terminals. The proxy server receives DRM content from service providers using any DRM system, converts it to a standardized format, and delivers it to user terminals. This mediator resolves the incompatibility issue without requiring changes to either the service provider's DRM system or the user terminal's DRM system, thereby improving adaptability while maintaining service access reliability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If service providers support multiple DRM systems, then user terminals can access DRM content from various service providers, but it increases overhead and complexity for service providers
Solution Approach 1:
The DRM Proxy Server consolidates the complexity of supporting multiple DRM systems into a single centralized component. Service providers only need to interface with the proxy server using their native DRM system, while the proxy server handles all format conversions and compatibility issues. This approach maintains high adaptability for users while keeping service provider complexity low.
Solution Approach 2:
The DRM Proxy Server is designed as a universal interface that can handle multiple DRM systems through a single platform. It provides multi-functional capabilities by supporting various DRM formats (OMA DRM, Marlin DRM, Widevine DRM, etc.) while presenting a unified interface to both service providers and user terminals, thereby reducing the overhead for service providers.
3Reliability
If DRM content is encrypted with different encryption methods for different DRM systems, then each DRM system can protect its content securely, but user terminals cannot decrypt DRM content from incompatible DRM systems
Solution Approach 1:
The DRM Proxy Server acts as a decryption and re-encryption intermediary. It receives encrypted DRM content from service providers, decrypts it using the appropriate key for that DRM system, re-encrypts it using a standardized encryption method, and delivers it to user terminals. This process maintains the security of the original content protection while enabling broad accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the encryption parameters of DRM content through the proxy server. The content is transformed from one encryption format (specific to a DRM system) to another encryption format (standardized for universal compatibility). This parameter change enables user terminals with different DRM systems to decrypt and access the content while maintaining security through proper encryption standards.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatus are provided for providing a DRM service by a user terminal apparatus consuming DRM content in a service environment that provides the DRM content using a plurality of incompatible DRM systems. A license corresponding to the DRM content is acquired from a service providing apparatus that provides the DRM content. It is determined whether the license is a common license having a common DRM interface format. The common DRM interface format of the common license is converted to a format of a first DRM system installed in the user terminal apparatus, when the license is the common license. The license having the format of the first DRM system is applied in reproducing the DRM content. The common license is provided from the service providing apparatus to the user terminal apparatus through a common DRM interface when the service providing apparatus does not support the first DRM system.