Abstract: A portable digital vault and related methods are disclosed that can provide a digital equivalent to the physical act of lending copyrighted content (such as a book or CD) while also providing security to prevent copying of the content. The vault acts as a self-contained authority that contains permissions relating to actions that can be taken with respect to the vault and vault contents. Vault contents can be moved between vaults, vaults can be moved between computing devices, and a vault and its contents can be moved together as a single unit. A vault can store any type of content, such as digital books, audio and video. In some embodiments, the vault can be issued by a government authority and contain currency note information that allows the vault to be used as cash. A vault can also serve as a receipt of a digital legal contract.

Abstract: A portable digital vault and related methods are disclosed that can provide a digital equivalent to the physical act of lending copyrighted content (such as a book or CD) while also providing security to prevent copying of the content. The vault acts as a self-contained authority that contains permissions relating to actions that can be taken with respect to the vault and vault contents. Vault contents can be moved between vaults, vaults can be moved between computing devices, and a vault and its contents can be moved together as a single unit. A vault can store any type of content, such as digital books, audio and video. In some embodiments, the vault can be issued by a government authority and contain currency note information that allows the vault to be used as cash. A vault can also serve as a receipt of a digital legal contract.