Method and apparatus for preventing unauthorized copying and distributing of electronic messages transmitted over a network

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing protection from unauthorized use of messages received by a system is described. The receiving system can receive a message from a sending system, for example, over a network or from local media. The message can be an e-mail message, the contents of a Web page, music, or software, etc. The receiving system stores the digital information in a storage device in a manner designed to conceal the message from unauthorized access. When a user of the receiving system wants to view the message, the digital information is accessed, the message is generated from the digital information and displayed at the receiving system. Use of this generated message is restricted. In another embodiment, this use is limited to outputting (i.e., displaying and producing sound) the generated message at the receiving system. The receiving system cannot copy, modify, save, forward, or capture any portion of the generated message. In another embodiment, restrictions on the use of the generated message are relaxed to allow printing a copy of the generated message.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method for providing protection from unauthorized use of messages received by a system, comprising the steps of: 
 receiving at the system digital information representing a message;    storing the digital information in a storage device in a manner designed to conceal the message from unauthorized access;    accessing the digital information stored in the storage device;    generating the message from the stored digital information at the system; and    restricting use of the generated message.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the step of restricting limits use of the generated message to outputting the generated message at the system and printing a copy of the generated message.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  further comprising the step of limiting printed copies of the message to one copy.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the step of restricting limits use of the generated message to outputting the generated message at the system.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising the step of encoding the digital information before storing the digital information in the storage device.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the step of storing the digital information includes distributing the digital information at randomly determined address locations of the storage device.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising the steps of: 
 outputting the message at the system;  
 monitoring the system for process changes that occur on the system while the message is being output at the system; and  
 terminating the outputting of the message at the system when a process change is detected.  
 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising the steps of: 
 outputting a display of the generated message on a display screen of the system; and  
 maximizing the display to fill the display screen and completely cover all other graphical images displayed on the display screen.  
 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising the steps of: 
 executing an application program for outputting the message at the system; and  
 successfully authenticating the application program before outputting the message at the system.  
 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising the steps of: 
 outputting the generated message at the system; and  
 deleting the digital information from the storage device when a user of the system indicates an intention to terminate outputting the generated message.  
 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising the step of electronically designating the digital information for deletion.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11  wherein the system is a receiving system and the step of electronically designating for deletion is performed by another system sending the digital information to the receiving system.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11  wherein the step of electronically designating for deletion is performed at the system.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising the step of electronically designating the digital information for copy protection.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising the step of outputting the generated message to an audio output device.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising the step of outputting the generated message to a CD-ROM writer.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  further comprising the step of deleting the digital information from the storage device after outputting the generated message to the CD-ROM writer.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the message is software, and the step of generating the message includes installing the software at the system.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18  comprising the steps of: 
 distributing the software to a plurality of systems;  
 providing a limit to a number of systems that can concurrently execute the distributed software; and  
 preventing one of the plurality of systems from executing the software when installed on that system if such execution causes the number of systems concurrently executing the software to exceed the limit.  
 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18  comprising the steps of: 
 providing a limit to a number of systems that can install the software; and  
 permitting the software to be installed on the system if after such installation the number of systems that have installed the software complies with the limit.  
 
     
     
         21 . A computer system for providing protection from unauthorized use of digital information representing a message, comprising: 
 a storage device;    a processor storing the digital information in the storage device in a manner designed to conceal the message from unauthorized access;    a message generator accessing the digital information stored in the storage device to generate the message from the stored digital information at the system but restricting use of the generated message.    
     
     
         22 . The computer system of  claim 21  further comprising: 
 an output device in communication with the message generator, and wherein the message generator limits use of the generated message to outputting the generated message at the output device.  
 
     
     
         23 . The computer system of  claim 21 , wherein the output device is a CD-ROM writer for programming CD-ROMs with the generated message.  
     
     
         24 . The computer system of  claim 21  further comprising: 
 an output device in communication with the message generator, and wherein the message generator limits use of the generated message to outputting the generated message at the output device and at a printing device.  
 
     
     
         25 . The computer system of  claim 21  further comprising: 
 a process monitor monitoring the computer system for process change that occur on the computer system while the message is being output at the output device, and terminating the outputting of the message at the system upon detecting a process change.  
 
     
     
         26 . The computer system of  claim 21  further comprising: 
 an encoder providing the manner designed to conceal the message from unauthorized access by encoding the digital information before the processor stores the digital information in the storage device.  
 
     
     
         27 . The computer system of  claim 21  wherein the processor provides the manner designed to conceal the message from unauthorized access by storing the digital information at randomly determined address locations of the storage device.  
     
     
         28 . The computer system of  claim 21  wherein the message is software, and the message generator includes an installation program for execution by the processor to install the software on the computer system.  
     
     
         29 . A system for managing installation and usage of computer software over a network comprising: 
 a server system connected to the network including a database having user information, the user information including a limit to a number of permitted installations of the computer software and a count of current installations of the computer software; and    a computer system connected to the network receiving digital information representing the computer software, the computer system including a processor executing an application program that communicates with the database of the server system to determine from the limit and the count whether the computer software can be installed on the computer system.    
     
     
         30 . The system of  claim 28  further comprising: 
 a plurality of computer systems receiving digital information representing the computer software, each computer system including a processor executing an application program that installs the computer software at that computer system; and wherein 
 the database includes a second limit to a number of computer systems that can concurrently execute the computer software and a second count of computer systems that are concurrently executing the computer software, and wherein 
 the processor of one of such computer systems communicates with the database of the server system to determine from the second limit and the second count whether the computer software can be executed by that computer system.  
 
 
 
     
     
         31 . A system for managing distribution of computer software over a network comprising: 
 a server system connected to the network including a database having user information, the user information including a limit to a number of computer systems to which the computer software can be distributed and a count of current computer systems to which the computer software is distributed; and    a computer system connected to the network receiving digital information representing the computer software, the computer system including a processor executing an application program that communicates with the database of the server system to determine from the limit and the count whether the computer software can be distributed to another computer system.