Method and apparatus for transferring usage rights and digital work having transferrable usage rights

US7222104B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• CONTENTGUARD HOLDINGS, INC. · US

Inventors

• Bijan Tadayon · Germantown, US
• Aram Nahidipour · Mill Creek, US
• Xin Wang · Los Angeles, US
• Michael Raley · Downey, US
• Guillermo Lao · Torrance, US
• Thanh Ta · Tecate Mission Road, US
• Charles Gilliam · Darien, US

Key dates

• Filing date: May 31, 2001
• Grant date: May 22, 2007
• Expiry date: Nov 30, 2023

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10S707/99939
• WIPO field: IT methods for management
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A method and apparatus for facilitating transfer of usage rights for digital content. The system comprises digital content, a usage rights module containing usage rights information associated with the content for a user, a transfer permission module containing transfer permission information for the content, a current user identification module containing identity information indicating the identity of the user, and means for manipulating the current user identification module to change the identity information. The content can be transferred form one user to another and the current user identification module can be manipulated to reflect the current user and to permit the current user to have usage rights in the document.