Method and apparatus for managing access to electronic content

Abstract

According to at least one example embodiment, a method and corresponding content protection server for managing access to electronic content comprise retrieving access policies, or permissions, associated with a content item from a corresponding content sharing application, or rights issuer. The access policies are translated into a format recognizable by a digital rights management (DRM) engine, and forwarded to the DRM engine. The translated access policies are then provided by the DRM engine to a client device where the translated access policies are enforced in managing any potential access to the content item.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of updating digital rights management (DRM) access rights as applied to a DRM formatted content item, the method comprising:
 receiving, by the content protection server from the DRM engine, a request for access rights for the DRM formatted content item when the user device requests access rights from the DRM engine;   retrieving, by a content protection server from a content sharing application, an updated indicator of access rights associated with the content item, wherein the updated access rights indicator is updated from a first access rights indicator when access rights to the content item are modified using the content sharing application;   translating, by one of the content protection server and the content sharing application, the updated indicator of access rights retrieved into a DRM format recognizable by a DRM engine; and used by the DRM engine to allow permission for access by a user device to the DRM formatted content item.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the user device previously received access rights to the content item through the translation of the first access rights indicator by the DRM engine. 
     
     
         3 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein retrieving the updated indicator of access rights includes: receiving information identifying the content item; requesting, from the corresponding content sharing application, the updated indicator of access rights associated with the content item based on the received information identifying the content item; and receiving the access rights requested. 
     
     
         4 . The method as recited in  claim 3 , further comprising determining the corresponding content sharing application based on information accessible to the content protection server, the accessible information mapping the information identifying the content item to the corresponding content sharing application. 
     
     
         5 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein translating the updated indicator of access rights retrieved into a DRM format recognizable by the DRM engine includes: first translating the updated indicator of access rights retrieved into a format associated with the content protection server; and translating the access rights in the format associated with the content protection server into the DRM format recognizable by the DRM engine. 
     
     
         6 . The method as recited in  claim 1  further comprising: receiving an instance of user credentials; and authenticating the received instance of user credentials based on stored information indicative of a corresponding authentic user of a user device. 
     
     
         7 . The method as recited in  claim 1  further comprising: receiving an instance of user credentials; and forwarding the received instance of user credentials to the content sharing application for authentication of a user of a user device. 
     
     
         8 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the content protection server is a cloud server. 
     
     
         9 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the content protection server resides in a same network as the content sharing application. 
     
     
         10 . The method as recited in  claim 1  wherein the DRM formatted content item is encrypted. 
     
     
         11 . The method as recited in  claim 10 , wherein the DRM formatted content item is encrypted by: receiving the content item from the content sharing application; determining an encryption protocol based on a type of the received content item; pre-processing the content item by employing one or more pre-determined logic based on the content item format encrypting the content item based on the determined encryption protocol; and post-processing the content item by employing one or more pre-determined logic based on the content item format. 
     
     
         12 . An apparatus for managing access to electronic content, the apparatus comprising: a processor; and a memory with computer code instructions stored thereon, the processor and the memory, with the computer code instructions stored thereon, being configured to: receive from the DRM engine, a request for access rights for the DRM formatted content item when the user device requests access rights from the DRM engine;
 retrieve from a content sharing application, an updated indicator of access rights associated with a content item, wherein the updated access rights indicator is updated from a first access rights indicator when access rights to the content item are modified using the content sharing application;   translate the updated indicator of access rights retrieved into a DRM format recognizable by a DRM engine; and used by the DRM engine to a allow permission for access by a user device to the DRM formatted content item.   
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the user device previously received access rights to the content item through the translation of the first access rights indicator by the DRM engine. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 12 , wherein in retrieving the updated indicator of access rights, the processor and the memory, with the computer code instructions stored thereon, being further configured to: receive information identifying the content item; request, from the corresponding content sharing application, the updated indicator of access rights associated with the content item based on the received information identifying the content item; and receive the access rights requested. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 14 , wherein in retrieving the updated indicator of access rights, the processor and the memory, with the computer code instructions stored thereon, being further configured to determine the corresponding content sharing application based on information accessible to the content protection server, the accessible information mapping the information identifying the content item to the corresponding content sharing application. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 12 , wherein in translating the updated indicator of access rights into the DRM format recognizable by the DRM engine, the processor and the memory, with the computer code instructions stored thereon, being further configured to: first translate the updated indicator of access rights retrieved into a format associated with the apparatus; and translating the access rights in the format associated with the apparatus into the DRM format recognizable by the DRM engine. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 12 , wherein the apparatus is a cloud server. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 12 , wherein the apparatus resides in a same network as the content sharing application. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 12 , wherein the DRM formatted content item is encrypted. 
     
     
         20 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 19 , wherein the processor and the memory, with the computer code instructions stored thereon, are configured to: receive the content item from the content sharing application; determine an encryption protocol based on a type of the received content item; and encrypt the content item based on the determined encryption protocol. 
     
     
         21 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 12 , wherein the apparatus being coupled to two or more DRM engines. 
     
     
         22 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 12 , wherein the apparatus being able to be coupled with two or more user devices or content sharing applications.