DRM System Publisher Confirmation and Access Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing digital rights management systems do not provide confirmation to document publishers about the distribution of protected digital documents or grant them access to the documents, even if they are not listed in the original policy.
Innovation Solution
A method that generates a unique document ID, embeds it in metadata, encrypts the document, and stores the publisher's user ID in the DRM database, allowing for confirmation notifications and access to the protected document, including a web-based policy modification tool for publishers to manage user access rights.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the DRM system distributes protected documents only to users listed in the policy, then access control security is improved, but the document publisher cannot receive confirmation or access to distributed documents
Solution Approach 1:
The system sends a confirmation notification back to the document publisher containing the distribution list and a copy of the protected document. This feedback mechanism allows the publisher to verify distribution while maintaining security controls, as the confirmation is generated automatically by the DRM server based on the policy enforcement data.
2Reliability
If the publisher is not listed in the DRM policy, then strict access control is maintained, but the publisher cannot access or confirm distribution of their own document
Solution Approach 1:
The DRM server acts as an intermediary that mediates between the strict policy enforcement and the publisher's need for access. The server generates a confirmation notification that includes a downloadable copy of the protected document, allowing the publisher to access the document through this intermediary mechanism without modifying the original policy restrictions.
3Reliability
If the DRM system embeds document ID in metadata and encrypts documents, then document protection is improved, but the publisher receives no notification or confirmation of distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by automatically generating and sending the confirmation notification immediately after distribution is completed. This ensures the publisher receives timely information about distribution without requiring manual verification, and the notification is prepared in advance using the distribution data already available in the system.
Data Source
AI summary
A digital rights management (DRM) method for protecting digital documents, implemented in a DRM system. When an operator (document publisher) scans a document on a scanner to generates a digital document and specifies a list of users who will be granted access rights to the document, the DRM system applies digital rights protection to the document according to the specified access rights, and distributes the document to the specified users; the system also sends a confirmation notification such as an email to the document publisher, which contains a list of the receiving users, a copy of the protected digital document, and a link to a web-based tool that will allow the publisher to modify the access rights granted to the users. In addition, when applying digital rights protection, the DRM system specifies the publisher as a user who will have access rights to the document.