Data processing: financial – business practice – management – or co – Business processing using cryptography – Usage protection of distributed data files
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-03
2001-03-13
Teska, Kevin J. (Department: 2161)
Data processing: financial, business practice, management, or co
Business processing using cryptography
Usage protection of distributed data files
C705S044000, C709S238000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06202056
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to computer networks for data transfer and to monitoring use of such data for example for fee accounting for usage rights.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Publishers of information in digital form desire to prevent the unauthorized and unaccounted distribution or usage of electronically published materials. Electronically published materials are typically distributed in a digital form and recreated on a computer based system. Audio and video recordings, computer programs, books, and multimedia are examples of works that are suitable for publishing electronically. The sales revenue for companies in the electronic publishing and information systems industries includes payments based on an accounting for delivery of information in digital form, for example the sale of an audio CD at a retail outlet. Any unaccounted distribution of a work results in decreased revenue to the distributor and decreased royalty for the owner of usage rights in the work. For example, being able to copy an audio recording CD to another digital medium from which the audio can be retrieved and played circumvents payment for distribution from which royalty for copyright may have been due to the owner of rights in the work.
Owners of rights in electronically published works also desire to prevent the unauthorized and unaccounted distribution or usage of such materials. When records of the distribution and usage of a work are held exclusively by the distributor, falsification of records results in increased profit for the distributor and loss of royalty income for the owner of rights.
Unauthorized and unaccounted distribution can be curbed by preventing unauthorized copying of the work onto digital storage media and unauthorized transmission of the work over computer networks. Unauthorized and unaccounted usage can be curbed by preventing storage of the work for reuse or by monitoring the use of stored copies.
Existing systems and methods for preventing storage, transmission, and unmonitored use of digital works place a heavy burden of cost on the consumer desiring access to a work in digital form. The continued expansion of publication and use of works in digital form cannot remain within the policies for intellectual property protection (such as providing incentives to authors and publishers) without systems and methods for computer network operation that provide an accurate basis for usage fees.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A system for the control of distribution and use of digital works includes a distribution and usage reporting mechanism for accurately calculating fees associated with such distribution and use. The system operates according to a method for transferring data from a content providing node to a content requesting node. The method includes the steps of: (a) transmitting a first request to the content providing node, the first request for notifying an authorizing node; (b) receiving a permit from the authorizing node in response to the notification; (c) determining a file name in response to the permit; (d) transmitting to the content providing node a second request comprising the file name; (e) transmitting to an event reporting node a first report in response to receiving the permit; (f) receiving data from the file; and (g) transmitting to the event reporting node a second report in response to receiving the file.
By obtaining the permit without direct communication between the content requesting node and the authorizing node, manipulation of the authorizing node by the content requesting node is prevented. The content requesting node has an incentive to manipulate the authorizing node in order to receive unlimited authorization. The content providing node has an incentive to maintain proper authorization because revenues to the content providing node may be based on the number of authorized transfers.
Although a work may be identified in the request received at the content providing node, the content providing node may be prevented from obtaining information leading to the filenames that comprise the work. The content providing node may have an incentive to provide free transfers of the work for other commercial or personal use; however, by determining the file name in response to the permit and preventing access to the permit from the content providing node, the content providing node cannot identify particular files that correspond to a particular work.
By transmitting reports from the content requesting node to an event reporting node, modification of data transfer reports by the content providing node is prevented. Accurate records provide basis, for example, for fees payable to owners of rights in the work.
By transmitting a first report prior to data transfer and a second report after data transfer, a duration of the usage of the data may be used as a basis, for example, for revenues to distributors and payments to owners of rights. Falsification of the duration of usage by the content requesting node is prevented.
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patent: WO 9809209 (1998-03-01), None
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Bernstein, et al., “Copyrights, Distribution Chains, Integrity and Piracy: The Need for a Standards-based Solution”,, Proceedings of the Knowright Conference, Proceedings of the International Congress on Intellectual Property Rights for Specialized Information, Knowledge and New Technology, p. 344, p. 350.
Audiosoft, Inc.
Bachand William R.
Lechter Michael A.
Smith Demetra R.
Squire Sanders & Dempsey L.L.P.
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