Limited-rights local playback of digital content

Abstract

A method of playing a digital content item includes downloading the digital content item from a removable data-holding medium to a local data-holding medium of a media playing system and sending a licensing request to a network-accessible, digital-content service. The method further includes receiving a limited-rights license for the digital content item from the digital-content service, where the limited-rights license grants a right to play the digital content item from the local data-holding medium of the media playing system without the removable data-holding medium being present under one or more conditions. The method further includes receiving a request to play the digital content item and verifying the limited-rights license for the digital content item. The method further includes playing the digital content item from the local data-holding medium if the limited-rights license verifies, without the removable data-holding medium being present.

1 . A gaming system, comprising:
 one or more networked game-playing devices, each game-playing device including a local data-storage medium and a drive configured to read a game medium;   a network-accessible gaming service configured to:
 receive a licensing request from one of the networked game-playing devices, the licensing request including information associated with a game installed from a game medium to the local data-storage medium of that game-playing device; 
 verify that a limited-rights license can be granted for the game; 
 create the limited-rights license, the limited-rights license granting a right for the game-playing device from which the request was received to play the game from the local data-storage medium of that game-playing device without the game medium being present under one or more conditions; and 
 send the limited-rights license to that game-playing device. 
   
   
   
       2 . The system of  claim 1 , where the licensing request includes a device ID identifying the game-playing device from which the licensing request was received, a user ID identifying a user of that game-playing device, a game ID identifying the game, and a version ID identifying a version of the game. 
   
   
       3 . The system of  claim 1 , where the gaming service is configured to verify that the limited-rights license can be granted for the game by receiving a game ID identifying the game and a user ID identifying a user of that game-playing device and determining if the limited-rights license has already been granted for the game ID to the user. 
   
   
       4 . The system of  claim 1 , where the gaming service is configured to verify that the limited-rights license can be granted by verifying equivalence of a known root hash generated from a secure version of the game and a root hash hashed from the game on the local data-storage medium. 
   
   
       5 . The system of  claim 1 , where a condition on the limited-rights license includes a fixed-duration period of time during which the limited-rights license grants the right to play the game from the local data-storage medium of the game-playing device without the game medium being present. 
   
   
       6 . A method of playing a digital content item, the method comprising:
 downloading the digital content item from a removable data-holding medium to a local data-holding medium of a media playing system;   sending a licensing request to a network-accessible, digital-content service;   receiving a limited-rights license for the digital content item from the digital-content service, the limited-rights license granting a right to play the digital content item from the local data-holding medium of the media playing system without the removable data-holding medium being present under one or more conditions;   receiving a request to play the digital content item;   verifying the limited-rights license for the digital content item; and   playing the digital content item from the local data-holding medium if the limited-rights license verifies.   
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 6 , where the removable data-holding medium is a game disc and the media playing system is a game-playing device. 
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 6 , where the licensing request requests the digital-content service to grant the limited-rights license, the licensing request including information identifying a user of the media playing system and the digital content item. 
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 8 , where the licensing request includes a user ID identifying a user of the media playing system, a device ID identifying the media playing system, an item ID identifying the digital content item, and a version ID identifying a version of the digital content item. 
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 6 , where sending the licensing request includes sending an item ID identifying the digital content item and a user ID identifying a user of the media playing system, so the digital-content service is able to determine if the limited-rights license has already been granted for the item ID to the user. 
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 6 , where verifying the limited-rights license includes performing a security check to determine that the digital content item is secure. 
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising verifying equivalence of a root hash hashed from the digital content item on the local data-holding medium and a known root hash generated from a secure version of the digital content item. 
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 6 , where a condition on the limited-rights license includes a fixed-duration period of time during which the limited-rights license grants the right to play the digital content item from the local data-holding medium of the media playing system without the removable data-holding medium being present. 
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising determining a date of the request to play the digital content item and verifying that the date of the request to play the digital content item falls within the fixed-duration period of the limited-rights license. 
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 6 , where the limited-rights license is digitally signed with a digital signature, the digital signature encrypted with a private key. 
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 15 , where verifying the limited-rights license for the digital content item includes decrypting the digital signature with a public key on the media playing system, the public key corresponding to the private key used to encrypt the limited-rights license. 
   
   
       17 . A game-playing device comprising:
 a logic subsystem;   a data-holding subsystem holding instructions executable by the logic subsystem to:
 download a game from a game disc to the data-holding subsystem; 
 send a licensing request to a network-accessible gaming service, the licensing request including a user ID identifying a user of the game-playing device, a device ID identifying the game-playing device, a game ID identifying the game, and a version ID identifying a version of the game; 
 receive a limited-rights license for the game from the game-playing service, the limited-rights license granting a right to play the game from the data-holding subsystem of the game-playing device without the game disc being present under one or more conditions and the limited-rights license digitally signed with a digital signature encrypted by a private key corresponding to the game-playing service; 
 receive a request to play the game; 
 access the limited-rights license for the game; 
 decrypt the digital signature with a public key associated with the private key of the game-playing service; 
 verify the game on the game-playing device is secure based on the limited-rights license; and 
 play the game from the data-holding subsystem if the limited-rights license verifies. 
   
   
   
       18 . The device of  claim 17 , where a condition on the limited-rights license includes a fixed-duration period of time during which the limited-rights license grants the right to play the game from the data-holding subsystem of the game-playing device without the game disc being present. 
   
   
       19 . The device of  claim 18 , wherein the instructions are further executable to determine a date of the request to play the game and verify the date of the request to play the game falls within the fixed-duration period of the limited-rights license. 
   
   
       20 . The device of  claim 17 , where the instructions are further executable to verify the limited-rights license is secure by verifying equivalence of a root hash hashed from the game on the data-holding subsystem and a known root hash generated from a secure version of the game.