Abstract: A method for lawfully intercepting communication IP packets exchanged between terminals is provided. The method involves assigning an IP address associated with a telecommunication service provider to, for example, a sending terminal for use as its IP address in communications with a receiving terminal, the telecommunication service provider providing SIP proxy services for establishing communication between the sending and receiving terminals. The communication IP packets are intercepted in such a way that the terminals are unaware of the interception.

Abstract: A method of filtering multicast packets received in a first network interface of a router is provided. The router receives multicast traffic in the first network interface from sources that send multicast packets to at least a first multicast group address. The router also having second and third network interfaces for receiving multicast traffic requests.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a method of transmitting a file having an advertising portion and a requested portion different from the advertising portion. The method includes receiving a request to transmit the file, via a streaming protocol allowing non-sequential access, transmitting the advertising portion of the file, receiving a request to transmit a portion of the requested portion of the file prior to completing transmitting the advertising portion of the file, completing the transmission of the advertising portion of the file, and transmitting the requested portion of the file.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a method of transmitting a file having an advertising portion and a requested portion different from the advertising portion. The method includes receiving a request to transmit the file, via a streaming protocol allowing non-sequential access, transmitting the advertising portion of the file, receiving a request to transmit a portion of the requested portion of the file prior to completing transmitting the advertising portion of the file, completing the transmission of the advertising portion of the file, and transmitting the requested portion of the file.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for distributing files, having the steps of receiving at least one digital file, transmitting the digital file to a location, and selecting at least one content provider. The process also has the steps of updating a content of the content provider to provide a reference to the digital file at the location, generating an updated digital file by adding information which identifies the content provider to the digital file when the reference to the digital file is selected at the content provider, and transmitting at least a portion of the at least one updated digital file to a client network.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for distributing files, having the steps of receiving at least one digital file, transmitting the digital file to a location, and selecting at least one content provider. The process also has the steps of updating a content of the content provider to provide a reference to the digital file at the location, generating an updated digital file by adding information which identifies the content provider to the digital file when the reference to the digital file is selected at the content provider, and transmitting at least a portion of the at least one updated digital file to a client network.

Abstract: A method for lawfully intercepting communication IP packets exchanged between terminals is provided. The method involves assigning an IP address associated with a telecommunication service provider to, for example, a sending terminal for use as its IP address in communications with a receiving terminal, the telecommunication service provider providing SIP proxy services for establishing communication between the sending and receiving terminals. The communication IP packets are intercepted in such a way that the terminals are unaware of the interception.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus to transmit multicast IP packets. In one implementation a router receives, by a first interface, a message with a first request for a first type of multicast traffic. In one implementation the router determines at least a second type of multicast traffic and sends messages in a multicast routing protocol and receives multicast IP packets and modifies the IP packets of the second type of traffic so that they have the same source and destination IP addresses as the IP packets of the first type of traffic and transmits the modified IP packets of the second type of traffic by the first network interface. In one implementation an application generates in a host a first request for a first type of multicast traffic and the host associates the first type of multicast traffic with a second type of multicast traffic. In one implementation the hosts generates a second request for the second type of multicast traffic and transmits the first and second requests.

Abstract: Online sale of software product use licenses through a data network by offering software products (SOFT) through vendor sites, purchasing a license on-line on one of said vendor sites, and activating said license on-line by a different licensing site. A specific component (COMP) is provided with the software product (SOFT) and identifying data (IDV) of the vendor site are transmitted during the download of the software product (SOFT). When the component (COMP) is executed in an equipment, the component (COMP) locally accesses said data (IDV) and identifying data (IDL) of the licensing site and activates the license by setting up an on-line communication with the licensing site.

Abstract: A method for managing multicast traffic in a data network, and devices using said method. The hosts store for each multicast group an included source record and an excluded source record, and the network interfaces of the hosts send to the router a message containing information about the included source record and information about the excluded source record. The router also stores for each multicast group an included source record and an excluded source record, and updates them when it receives through its network interface a message from the hosts containing information about an included source list and/or information about an excluded source list. The devices are a router, host equipment and network equipment compatible with the method.

Abstract: Online sale of software product use licenses through a data network by offering software products (SOFT) through vendor sites, purchasing a license on-line on one of said vendor sites, and activating said license on-line by a different licensing site. A specific component (COMP) is provided with the software product (SOFT) and identifying data (IDV) of the vendor site are transmitted during the download of the software product (SOFT). When the component (COMP) is executed in an equipment, the component (COMP) locally accesses said data (IDV) and identifying data (IDL) of the licensing site and activates the license by setting up an on-line communication with the licensing site.

Abstract: Processes and apparatus for the on-line distribution of digital files with advertisements, advertisement management systems, digital rights management systems, and a user computing devices are provided. In some implementations, a method involves transmitting a digital file to a computing device upon receiving a request originating from the computing device to download the digital file to the computing device, the digital file having a set of executable instructions and transmitting one or more advertisements associated with the digital file to the computing device. In one implementation the set of executable instructions when executed in the computing device are useable to detect if one or more of the associated advertisements have not been received or properly played in the computing device.

Abstract: A method for managing multicast traffic through a switch operating in the layer 2 of the OSI model, and routers and switches involved in the method. In one implementation a router sends to a switch a message containing identification of specific equipment which has requested specific multicast traffic, and also containing a specification of the specific traffic, and when the switch receives data carrying multicast traffic, based on the destination and origin addresses of the data, and based on the identification of the specific equipment and of the specification of the specific multicast traffic that it has received in the message, the switch deduces if the data carry the specific traffic that has been requested by the specific equipment, and decides through which of its ports it transmits the data.

Abstract: A method for managing multicast traffic through a switch operating in the layer 2 of the OSI model, and routers and switches involved in the method. In one implementation a router sends to a switch a message containing identification of specific equipment which has requested specific multicast traffic, and also containing a specification of the specific traffic, and when the switch receives data carrying multicast traffic, based on the destination and origin addresses of the data, and based on the identification of the specific equipment and of the specification of the specific multicast traffic that it has received in the message, the switch deduces if the data carry the specific traffic that has been requested by the specific equipment, and decides through which of its ports it transmits the data.

Abstract: A method for filtering in a network interface of a computer system multicast packets in a manner that reduces or obviates altogether the processing of unwanted multicast packets by the processing unit of the computer system. Filtering in the network interface is accomplished by the network interface accessing multicast traffic request information originating in the computer system and comparing the accessed information with the multicast destination address and IP source address of packets received in the network interface.

Abstract: A router having one or more downstream interfaces and situated in a data network system between sources that send multicast data packets to at least one multicast group address and multiple hosts that request data from the multicast group address and sources. In one implementation the router has a management system agent and an associated management system agent database and stores for each network interface, each multicast group address and each host information in the management system agent database derived from one or more data requests made by the hosts.

Abstract: A method and equipment for transmitting data packets in a data network originating from a mobile node. In one embodiment a method involves the mobile node transmitting immediately after a handover from a first router to a second router data packets having a source address that includes a local level 3 source address in the OSI model.

Abstract: Methods for transmitting packets using a Mobile IP protocol between a mobile node and a first node in a data network after the mobile node has transmitted data packets to the first node via a first router from a first CoA or CCoA address and by a first security association with the first node. One method includes the mobile node, sending to the first node via a second router using a second CoA or CCoA address, data packets that include an identifier of the mobile node that enables the first node to identify the mobile node as the sender of the data packets during an initial time period after transmission of the data packets via the second router has started, and during the initial time period, the mobile node authenticates the data packets it transmits to the first node using the first security association with the first node.

Abstract: Method and apparatus to transmit over a data network, advertising content inserted in multimedia content associated with an event.

Abstract: In one implementation a method of transmitting a multimedia file over a data network is provided that involves receiving from a device in a data network a first message in a first protocol that request first data associated with the multimedia file, the first data being useable by the device to establish a streaming session that involves a transmission of the multimedia file. The first message includes identifying data of a referring site. The method also involves transmitting to the device the first data and optionally the identifying data of the referring site and then receiving from the device a second message in a second protocol for the purpose of creating a streaming session associated with the multimedia file. A streaming session is then created for transmitting the multimedia file to the device.