Systems and methods for secure transaction management and electronic rights protection

Abstract

The present invention provides systems and methods for secure transaction management and electronic rights protection. Electronic appliances such as computers equipped in accordance with the present invention help to ensure that information is accessed and used only in authorized ways, and maintain the integrity, availability, and/or confidentiality of the information. Such electronic appliances provide a distributed virtual distribution environment (VDE) that may enforce a secure chain of handling and control, for example, to control and/or meter or otherwise monitor use of electronically stored or disseminated information. Such a virtual distribution environment may be used to protect rights of various participants in electronic commerce and other electronic or electronic-facilitated transactions. Distributed and other operating systems, environments and architectures, such as, for example, those using tamper-resistant hardware-based processors, may establish security at each node. These techniques may be used to support an all-electronic information distribution, for example, utilizing the “electronic highway.”

1 . A method comprising:
 sending, via an electronic network, a request for a piece of electronic content to a remote site;   receiving, via the electronic network, first information regarding a first location at which a first portion of the piece of electronic content is located and second information regarding a second location at which a second portion of the piece of electronic content is located;   obtaining, via the electronic network, the first portion from the first location in a first secure electronic container;   obtaining the second portion from the second location in a second secure electronic container; and   using the piece of electronic content in accordance with control information associated therewith.   
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 combining the first portion and the second portion to form the piece of electronic content.   
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 downloading software from the remote site, the software being configured for use in performing the steps of obtaining the first portion, obtaining the second portion, and combining the first portion and the second portion.   
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 connecting to the remote site using browser software;   providing authentication information to the remote site;   browsing a content catalog, the content catalog including a reference to the first piece of electronic content.   
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising:
 sending usage information to the remote site regarding use of the piece of electronic content.   
   
   
       6 . A method performed by an electronic appliance, the method comprising:
 receiving a secure electronic container comprising one or more content objects;   separately receiving first electronic control information configured for use in governing access to or other use of the one or more content objects, the first electronic control information comprising second control information specified by a first entity, and third control information specified by a second entity; and   using tamper-resistant hardware and/or software to make use of at least one of the one or more content objects in accordance with the first electronic control information wherein the tamper-resistant hardware and/or software is resistant to tampering by a user of the electronic appliance.   
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 receiving fourth electronic control information, the fourth electronic control information configured for use in governing access to or other use of the one or more content objects, the fourth electronic control information being specified by a third entity; and   selecting the first electronic control information over the fourth electronic control information to govern use of the one or more content objects.   
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 6 , in which the first electronic control information comprises an electronic object including permission information and an encrypted first key, the first key being configured to decrypt at least one of the one or more content objects. 
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 8 , in which a second key associated with the electronic appliance is configured for use in decrypting the first key. 
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 6 , in which the second control information comprises information specifying a quantity-based usage limitation, and in which the third control information comprises a time-based usage limitation. 
   
   
       11 . A method performed by a first electronic appliance, the method comprising:
 receiving first electronic control information configured for use in governing access to or other use of an electronic content object;   determining that the first electronic control information permits modifications to the first electronic control information to be made;   modifying the first electronic control information to yield second electronic control information; and   sending the second electronic control information to a second electronic appliance, the second electronic appliance comprising tamper-resistant hardware and/or software for enabling use of the electronic content object in accordance with electronic control information, the tamper-resistant hardware and/or software being resistant to tampering by users of the second electronic appliance.   
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 11 , in which the first electronic control information comprises an electronic object including an encrypted first key, the first key being configured to decrypt the electronic content object, the method further comprising:
 decrypting the first key using a second key associated with the first electronic appliance;   encrypting the first key using a third key associated with the second electronic appliance and including the result in the second electronic control information.   
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 11 , in which the step of determining that the first electronic control information permits modifications to the first electronic control information to be made comprises determining that the first electronic control information requires modifications to the first electronic control information to be made. 
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 12 , in which the decrypting and encrypting steps are performed using a secure processing unit. 
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 11 , in which the first control information includes a first limitation relating to usage of the electronic content object, and in which the second control information includes a second, more restrictive limitation relating to usage of the electronic content object. 
   
   
       16 - 25 . (canceled)