Digital content rights management method and system

Abstract

A digital content rights management method and system belongs to the digital content rights management technique field. The method of the invention includes the steps: registering the system, generating the time stamp, verifying the time stamp when the system starts up, acquiring the certificate, verifying the time before accessing the digital content. The system of the invention comprises a device for accessing the digital content and a server, wherein the device for accessing the digital content comprises: a registering module, a time stamp generating module, a time stamp verification module, a certificate of authorization acquiring module, and a time verification module. The method and system have solved the problem that the digital content can still be used beyond the time limit.

1 .- 17 . (canceled) 
     
     
         18 . A digital content rights management device comprising:
 a processor configured to:
 obtain, by a program to be executed by the processor, a digital content; 
 generate a time stamp associated with the digital content, the time stamp including time information of the device; 
 compare a current system time of the device with the time information of the device in the time stamp to determine whether the device is allowed to access the digital content. 
   
     
     
         19 . The digital content rights management device of  claim 18 , wherein the processor is further configured to obtain at least one certificate of authorization, which specifies a starting time and an ending time of allowing to access the digital content. 
     
     
         20 . The digital content rights management device of  claim 19 , wherein the time stamp includes a latest time for acquiring the certificate of authorization, and wherein the processor is further configured to:
 extract starting times from a number of certificates of authorization, and if the latest time of acquiring the certificate of authorization in the time stamp is earlier than any of the extracted starting times, determine that there is an error of the time stamp.   
     
     
         21 . The digital content rights management device of  claim 19 , wherein the time stamp includes a latest time for acquiring the certificate of authorization and wherein the processor is further configured to determine whether the current system time of the device is earlier than the latest time for acquiring a certificate of authorization in the time stamp, and if the determination result is yes, determine the current system time as an error and disallow the access of the digital content. 
     
     
         22 . The digital content rights management device of  claim 18 , wherein the time information of the device includes a starting time of the program recorded based a clock on the device. 
     
     
         23 . The digital content rights management device of  claim 22 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine whether the current system time is earlier than the program starting time in the time stamp, and if the determination result is yes, determine the current system time as an error. 
     
     
         24 . The digital content rights management device of  claim 18 , wherein the processor is further configured to verify, when the program starts to access a digital content, whether a time stamp associated with the digital content exists, and
 if the time stamp does not exists, disallow the access of the digital content.   
     
     
         25 . A digital content rights management method comprising:
 obtaining, by a program executed by a processor on a device, a digital content;   generating a time stamp associated with the digital content, the time stamp including time information of the device; and   comparing a current system time of the device with the time information of the device in the time stamp to determine whether the device is allowed to access the digital content.   
     
     
         26 . The digital content rights management method of  claim 25  further comprising obtaining at least one certificate of authorization, which specifies a starting time and an ending time of allowing to access the digital content. 
     
     
         27 . The digital content rights management method of  claim 26 , wherein the time stamp includes a latest time for acquiring the certificate of authorization and wherein the method further comprises determining whether the current system time of the device is earlier than the latest time for acquiring a certificate of authorization in the time stamp, and if the determination result is yes, determining the current system time as an error and disallow the access of the digital content. 
     
     
         28 . The digital content rights management method of  claim 26 , wherein the time stamp includes a latest time for acquiring the certificate of authorization, and wherein the method further comprises:
 extracting starting times from a number of certificates of authorization, and if the latest time of acquiring the certificate of authorization in the time stamp is earlier than any of the extracted starting times, determining that there is an error of the time stamp.   
     
     
         29 . The digital content rights management method of  claim 25 , wherein the time information of the device includes a starting time of the program recorded based a clock on the device. 
     
     
         30 . The digital content rights management method of  claim 29 , wherein the comparing a current system time of the device with the time information of the device comprises comparing the current system time with the starting time of the program, and determining whether the current system time is earlier than the starting time of the program, and if the determination result is yes, determining the current system time as an error. 
     
     
         31 . The digital content rights management method of  claim 25 , further comprising verifying, when the program starts to access a digital content, whether a time stamp associated with the digital content exists, and
 if the time stamp does not exists, disallowing the access of the digital content.