Preview License Domain Architecture for Offline DRM
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing digital rights management (DRM) systems face challenges in allowing content providers to offer previews of digital content to users without requiring network connectivity and enabling seamless sharing of licensed content across multiple devices, while ensuring protection against unauthorized copying or sharing.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a member-based domain architecture that allows content-consuming devices to join domains, share licenses, and consume digital content within those domains, using preview licenses that specify allowed usage periods or plays, and embedding licenses within content packages to enable secure and efficient preview experiences.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the content provider sends only the portion of the digital work down to the device with a license, then the device can preview the content, but the user cannot purchase the entire digital work without reconnecting to the network
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the digital work into multiple portions (preview portion and full work portion) and creates separate license types (preview license and full license) for each. The preview license is bound to specific devices and allows offline preview, while the full license enables offline purchase and playback of the complete work. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by allowing preview functionality without network connection while maintaining the ability to purchase and play the full work offline.
2Reliability
If the license binds to a single device, then the device can consume the content, but the second device cannot preview the content without acquiring another license
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements domain-bound licenses that function universally across multiple devices within a domain. Instead of binding licenses to individual devices, the license binds to a domain identifier that multiple devices can share. This allows the same license to enable content consumption on any device that has joined the domain, resolving the contradiction between maintaining license security and enabling multi-device preview functionality.
3Ease of operation
If the content provider encrypts only a portion of the work, then the device can preview the unencrypted portion, but that portion remains unprotected and may be copied
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamic encryption where the encryption state of content portions changes based on the license type. Preview portions are encrypted with preview licenses that restrict copying, while full work portions remain encrypted until a full license is acquired. The encryption/decryption behavior dynamically adapts to the license conditions, allowing preview functionality while maintaining protection against unauthorized copying through license-enforced restrictions.
4Reliability
If the content provider separately streams a portion of the digital work, then the device can consume only that portion, but additional overhead is created
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple content portions and their associated licenses into a single integrated content package. Instead of separately streaming preview portions and full work portions as distinct files, the patent combines them into one package with a unified license structure. This reduces overhead by eliminating redundant metadata and file structures while maintaining the ability to enforce different access rights for different portions through the integrated license system.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques enable creation of a preview license for digital content. In some instances, the preview license indicates that it allows a content-consuming device to consume less than all of the content. This preview license may create a list specifying multiple portions of the digital content that the content-consuming device may consume. These techniques may also present to a device user an offer to purchase rights to consume all of the digital content after consumption of the preview-licensed portion(s). In other instances, a content server may embed the preview license into a content package that contains the digital content, allowing the server to distribute the package to multiple devices. In still other instances, the preview license may be bound to a domain rather than to individual devices. This allows member devices to share the digital content and the preview license, such that each member device may enjoy the preview experience.