Abstract: A system and method for the secure distribution and consumption of electronic documents using a standard rendering engine. The documents can usage rights associated therewith. A server stores at least one of the documents in computer readable form. A client having a standard application program including a rendering engine capable of rendering unencrypted documents for viewing is operated by a user. The client and the server are coupled by a communications network. A security module controls requested for at least one of the documents on the server from the client and delivers the document and a set of rights associated with the document to the client.

Abstract: A system and method for controlling a rights expression specifying a manner of use of an item, including specifying by a provider of an item a rights expression indicating a manner of use of the item by a recipient of the item and a condition for use of the item by the recipient, the condition indicating that the use by the recipient of the item is subject to control; associating the rights expression with the item; and controlling the use by the recipient of the item based on the condition in the rights expression. In further exemplary embodiments, the use by the recipient of the item is subject to control by a stakeholder and/or a provider of the item and can be used to provide consumer protection based on parameters of use.

Abstract: Usage rights for a digital work are established prior to creation of the corresponding content. The rights can be associated with the content after the content is created. A content creation, such as a video recorder or a still camera, device can store labels of the rights and can associate usage rights with content in real time as the content is created.

Abstract: The invention relates to method for deriving a sub-right from a right, the right comprising a plurality of components, each of which specifies an aspect of the right. A component may be, for example, a principal, an action, a resource, and a condition. The invention also relates to a method for integrating a first right with a second right. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method of sharing rights by deriving a sub-right from a right, allowing use of the sub-right, and integrating the sub-right with the right.

Abstract: A method, system and software for permitting use of digital works having rights associated therewith in a system having repositories configured to enable use of the digital work in accordance with the rights, including associating a transfer right with a digital work, the transfer right specifying that the digital work is transferred from a first repository to a second repository; transferring the digital work from the first repository to the second repository in accordance with the transfer right; and in response to the transferring, step updating transfer right information in respect of the digital work.

Abstract: A method, system and software for permitting use of digital works having rights associated therewith in a system having repositories configured to enable use of the digital work in accordance with the rights, including associating a transfer right with a digital work, the transfer right specifying that the digital work is transferred from a first repository to a second repository; transferring the digital work from the first repository to the second repository in accordance with the transfer right; and in response to the transferring, step updating transfer right information in respect of the digital work.

Abstract: A system and method for controlling a rights expression specifying a manner of use of an item, including specifying by a provider of an item a rights expression indicating a manner of use of the item by a recipient of the item and a condition for use of the item by the recipient, the condition indicating that the use by the recipient of the item is subject to control; associating the rights expression with the item; and controlling the use by the recipient of the item based on the condition in the rights expression. In further exemplary embodiments, the use by the recipient of the item is subject to control by a stakeholder and/or a provider of the item and can be used to provide consumer protection based on parameters of use.

Abstract: A system and method for distribution of digital works in a tree-like structure of devices. A hierarchical right may include a first usage right governing a use for the digital work and a first delegation right governing distribution of the digital work to child nodes of the tree-like structure. A second usage right and/or a second delegation right may be generated based on the hierarchical right, the second usage right governing a use for the digital work and the second delegation right governing distribution of the digital work to child nodes of a first child node of the tree-like structure. The second usage right and/or the second delegation right may be assigned to a version of the digital work, and the second usage right and/or the second delegation right and the version of the digital work may be forwarded to the first child node.

Abstract: A method, system and software for controlling the number of times that a usage right associated with a digital work can be exercised, including creating a digital work; determining a usage right for the digital work, the usage right specifying a digital ticket, the digital ticket indicating a number of times the usage right may be exercised; requesting access to the digital work including an identification of the usage right; determining the validity of the usage right based on a number of times the digital ticket has been used; granting or denying access to the digital work based on the result of the determining step; and updating the digital ticket if access to the digital work is granted.

Abstract: A trusted rendering system for use in a system for controlling the distribution and use of digital works. A trusted rendering system facilitates the protection of rendered digital works which have been rendered on a system which controls the distribution and use of digital works through the use of dynamically generated watermark information that is embedded in the rendered output. The watermark data typically provides information relating to the owner of the digital work, the rights associated with the rendered copy of the digital work and when and where the digital work was rendered. This information will typically aid in deterring or preventing unauthorized copying of the rendered work to be made. The system for controlling distribution and use of digital works provides for attaching persistent usage rights to a digital work. Digital works are transferred between repositories which are used to request and grant access to digital works.

Abstract: A multi-stage watermarking system and process that creates a watermark specification which describes how to generate a watermark, generates a template specification which describes how to merge the watermark into a target document, generates the watermark based on the watermark specification, and merges the watermark into the target document based on the template specification to provide a watermarked document.

Abstract: A multi-stage watermarking system and process that creates a watermark specification which describes how to generate a watermark, generates a template specification which describes how to merge the watermark into a target document, generates the watermark based on the watermark specification, and merges the watermark into the target document based on the template specification to provide a watermarked document.

Abstract: A system for managing use of digital content within a trusted community. An access list defines the trusted community. License requests for use of content made from outside the trusted community are handled in accordance with a license request policy process.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for managing and accomplishing on-line transactions while preserving the privacy of user information. User information is stored at a trusted Web site. A user logs on to a transacting Web site with a user device and requests a transaction from the transacting Web site. The user is verified through the trusted Web site using an anonymous identifier corresponding to the user information and the transaction is accomplished between the user device and the transacting Web site using the anonymous identifier without transferring the user information to the transacting Web site.

Abstract: System and methods for manipulating rights expressions for use in connection with a rights management system include one or more tokenized templates. Each tokenized template includes one or more rights expression language statements and one or more tokens associated with at least one of the rights expression language statements. Further, the tokens can be place holders for data items or rights expression elements. The system further includes a license template module that creates the tokenized templates, and a license instance creation module that replaces at least one of the tokens in one or more selected license templates with one or more of the data items or rights expression elements to generate a license instance. Additionally, the system includes a license instance analysis module having sub-modules for validating and interpreting license instances, and a data parsing module for extracting data from created license instances.

Abstract: A method, system and software for securely rendering digital documents, including storing a digital document in a document platform; and storing a usage right associated with the digital document. The usage right specifies a manner of use indicating the manner in which the digital document can be rendered by the document platform. The digital document comprises plural parts of digital content. The usage right includes plural usage rights respectively associated with each of the plural parts of digital content. Whether one of the parts of the digital document may be rendered by the document platform is determined based a respective usage right. If the respective usage right allows the digital document to be rendered on the document platform, the corresponding part of the digital document is rendered by the document platform.

Abstract: A system and method for encrypting content in an adaptive manner. Portions of data to be encrypted are identified and an encryption ratio that specifies the one or more portions of data to encrypt and other portions of data to not encrypt is determined. The data is then encrypted based on the encryption ratio.

Abstract: A method, system and software for securely rendering digital documents, including storing a digital document in a document platform; and storing a usage right associated with the digital document. The usage right specifies a manner of use indicating the manner in which the digital document can be rendered by the document platform. The digital document comprises plural parts of digital content. The usage right includes plural usage rights respectively associated with each of the plural parts of digital content. Whether one of the parts of the digital document may be rendered by the document platform is determined based a respective usage right. If the respective usage right allows the digital document to be rendered on the document platform, the corresponding part of the digital document is rendered by the document platform.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product for exercising rights based on determining trust in an issuance of a rights expression, including issuing rights expressions by a chain of servers, forming a chain of rights expressions issued from server to server and finally from the last server to a client, such that each of the rights expressions except the last includes a specification of rights for the next server to issue the rights in the next rights expression; determining whether or not each of the servers has a right to issue the respective rights expression; exercising by the client the rights expressed in the last rights expression as being trusted, if it is determined that each of the servers had a right to issue the respective rights expression; and not exercising by the client the rights expressed in the last rights expression as not being trusted, if it is determined that at least one of the servers did not have the right to issue the respective rights expression.

Abstract: A system and method for processing a rights expression for association with an item for use in a system for controlling use of the item in accordance with the rights expression. A rights expression is specified in a conventional manner in an original format. An intermediate format of the rights expression is generated based on at least one of syntax information and semantics information associated with the original format. The rights expression specifies a manner of use of said item for enforcement on a device. The intermediate format can be converted to a device specific format or a simplified format for resource constrained devices to permit rights enforcement on various devices.