METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MANAGING LICENSES TO CONTENT

Abstract

Process for enabling a content provider and its users to easily manage licenses for intended uses for selected or provided content. Licensing information for content previously provided to a user or acquired by the content provider, a digital fingerprint, and/or a digital identifier are employed to uniquely identify a particular instance of the selected/provided content and manage licenses to use this content Once the selected content is provided for processing, the invention can notify the user of at least one of four conditions: (1) a user is currently licensed for at least one type of use for the selected content; (2) if a previous license to the selected content is expired, a current license does not include the selected use, or the user doesn't have or has an expired license to use the selected content, and identify steps to obtain a current license for at least one type of use; (3) if a license to use the selected content is not available from the content provider; and (4) identify substantially similar content that is available from the content provider for a license for at least one type of the intended use for one or more of conditions (1), (2), and (3).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the following drawings. In the drawings, like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various figures unless otherwise specified.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an overview of the two primary users of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an overview of a user enabled system;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an overview of a provider enabled system; and

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an illustrative operating environment;

FIG. 5 shows one embodiment of a mobile device that may be included in a system implementing the invention; and

FIG. 6 illustrates one embodiment of a network device that may be included in a system, in accordance with the invention.

Claims

1. A method for managing the use of content over a network, comprising: storing at least one of a source digital fingerprint or a source identifier that corresponds to each of a plurality of items of source content, wherein at least one use of a copy of each source content item is licensable;determining if another identifier included with an item of content received from a user affirmatively corresponds to at least one of the stored source identifiers associated with each source content item;if the determination of the other identifier is negative, determining if another digital fingerprint determined for the received content item is substantially similar to at least one of the source digital fingerprints associated with each source content item;determining each license previously provided for a user that corresponds to the received content item based on an affirmative correspondence between at least one of the source identifiers and the other identifier or a substantially similar comparison between the source digital fingerprints and the other digital fingerprint; andif a license for the user for at least one type of use for the received content item is determined to be unavailable, determining at least one source content item that is both substantially equivalent to the received content item and available for licensing for at least one type of use by the user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing the determined equivalent source content item to the user that accepts a license for at least one type of use for the equivalent source content item.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying information for the user regarding at least one of type of use for at least one license that is available to the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein if the license for the received content is unavailable, further comprises a determination that a correspondence is absent between the source identifiers and another determination of a less than substantially similar comparison between the other identifier and the source digital fingerprints and the other digital fingerprint.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each determined license includes at least one of: a current license for the user for at least one type of use for the received content item;an expired license for the user for at least one type of use for the received content item, wherein further information is provided to the user for renewing at least the expired license; oran absent license for the user for at least one type of use for the received content item.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising: offering a renewal to the user for at least one expired license for at least one type of use for the received content item; oroffering a new license to the user associated with the absent license for at least one type of use for the received content item.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the source content item includes at least one of video, picture, illustration, drawing, graphic, symbol, text, or audio recording.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling at least one of the user or a service to provide or select the received content item and at least one intended use for the received content item.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising enabling the received content item to be provided by the user, including: dragging and dropping a selection of received content item into a virtual container;identifying a location for accessing the received content item;employing a control of an application to provide the received content item; orenabling a service to provide the received content item over a network.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the source identifier and the other identifier includes at least one of: a resolvable address;a metadata payload;a universal operability mechanism;an addressable syntax; andan invokable method.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing license information in at least one manner, including email, text message, alert, pop-up window, audio tone, or visual flag.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising employing sales information to determine a current status of the user's license for at least one type of use for the received content item.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing hierarchical levels of trust to determine if a representative of the user is enabled to access information regarding at least one license for at least one type of use for the received content item.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically pre-processing at least a portion of received content item stored in at least one location for at least one license for at least one type of use.

15. A system for managing the use of content over a network, comprising: a server for enabling actions, including:storing at least one of a source digital fingerprint or a source identifier that corresponds to each of a plurality of items of source content, wherein at least one use of a copy of each source content item is licensable;determining if another identifier included with an item of content received from a user affirmatively corresponds to at least one of the stored source identifiers associated with each source content item;if the determination of the other identifier is negative, determining if another digital fingerprint determined for the received content item is substantially similar to at least one of the source digital fingerprints associated with each source content item;determining each license previously provided for a user that corresponds to the received content item based on an affirmative correspondence between at least one of the source identifiers and the other identifier or a substantially similar comparison between the source digital fingerprints and the other digital fingerprint; andif at least one license for the user for at least one type of use for the received content item is determined to be unavailable, determining at least one source content item that is both substantially equivalent to the received content item and available for licensing for at least one type of use by the user; anda client for enabling actions, including offering at least one license for at least one type of use to the user for the at least one determined equivalent source content item.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the client enables further actions comprising providing the determined equivalent source content item to the user that accepts a license for at least one type of use for the equivalent source content item.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the client enables further actions comprising displaying information for review by the user regarding at least one of type of use for at least one license that is available to the user.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the client enables further actions including enabling at least one user to provide or select the received content item and at least one intended use for the received content item.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the server enables further actions comprising: determining a current license for the user for at least one type of use of the received content item;determining an expired license for the user for at least one type of use of the received content item, wherein further information is provided to the user for renewing at least the expired license; ordetermining an absence of at least one license for the user for the received content item.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the server enables further actions including offering a renewal to the user for at least one expired license for at least one type of use of the received content item.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein the server enables further actions including employing sales information to determine a current status of the user's license for at least one type of use for the received content item.

22. The system of claim 15, wherein the server enables further actions including providing hierarchical levels of trust to determine if a representative of the user is enabled to access information regarding the received content item for at least one license for at least one type of use.

23. The system of claim 15, wherein the server enables further actions including automatically pre-processing at least a portion of received content item stored in at least one location for at least one license for at least one type of use.

24. A network device for managing the use of content over a network, comprising: a memory for storing data;a processor for enabling actions based at least in part on the stored data; andan application that includes components, including: a first component for enabling the storing of at least one of a source digital fingerprint or a source identifier that corresponds to each of a plurality of items of source content, wherein at least one use of a copy of each source content item is licensable;a second component for determining if another identifier included with an item of content received from a user affirmatively corresponds to at least one of the stored source identifiers associated with each source content item;a third component for determining if another digital fingerprint determined for the received content item is substantially similar to at least one of the source digital fingerprints associated with each source content item, if the determination of the correspondence of the other identifier to the stored source identifiers is negative;a fourth component for determining each license previously provided for a user that corresponds to the received content item based on an affirmative correspondence between at least one of the source identifiers and the other identifier or a substantially similar comparison between the source digital fingerprints and the other digital fingerprint;a fifth component for if a license for the user for at least one type of use for the received content item is unavailable, determining at least one source content item that is both substantially equivalent to the received content item and available for licensing for at least one type of use by the user; anda sixth component for enabling the offering of the license for at least one type of use to the user for the at least one determined equivalent source content item.

25. The network device of claim 24, further comprising another component for providing the determined equivalent source content item to the user that accepted the offer for the license for at least one type of use for the equivalent source item.

26. The network device of claim 24, further comprising another component for enabling the display of information to the user regarding at least one of type of use for each determined license.

27. The network device of claim 24, further comprising another component for enabling at least one user to provide or select the received content item and at least one intended use for the received content item.

28. The network device of claim 24, wherein the fourth component enables further actions including: determining each current license for the user for at least one type of use of the received content item;determining each expired license for the user for at least one type of use of the received content item; ordetermining an absence of at least one license for the user for the received content item.

29. The network device of claim 28, further comprising another component that enables actions, including: enabling a renewal for the user for at least one expired license for at least one type of use of the received content item; orenabling an offering of a new license to the user for at least one use of the received content item.

30. The network device of claim 24, further comprising another component for employing sales information to determine a current status of the user's license for at least one type of use for the received content item.

31. The network device of claim 24, further comprising another component for providing hierarchical levels of trust to determine if a representative of the user is enabled to access information regarding at least one license for at least one type of use for the received content item.

32. The network device of claim 24, further comprising another component for automatically pre-processing at least a portion of received content item stored in at least one location for at least one license for at least one type of use.

33. The network device of claim 24, wherein the application is a client.

34. The network device of claim 24, wherein the application is a server.

35. A mobile device for managing the use of content over a network, comprising: a transceiver for communicating over a network;a memory for storing data;a processor for enabling actions based at least in part on the stored data; andan application that includes components, including: a first component for enabling the storing of at least one of a source digital fingerprint or a source identifier that corresponds to each of a plurality of items of source content, wherein at least one use of a copy of each source content item is licensable;a second component for determining if another identifier included with an item of content received from a user affirmatively corresponds to at least one of the stored source identifiers associated with each source content item;a third component for determining if another digital fingerprint determined for the received content item is substantially similar to at least one of the source digital fingerprints associated with each source content item, if the determination of the correspondence of the other identifier to the stored source identifiers is negative;a fourth component for determining each license previously provided for a user that corresponds to the received content item based on an affirmative correspondence between at least one of the source identifiers and the other identifier or a substantially similar comparison between the source digital fingerprints and the other digital fingerprint;a fifth component for if a license for the user for at least one type of use for the received content item is unavailable, determining at least one source content item that is both substantially equivalent to the received content item and available for licensing for at least one type of use by the user; anda sixth component for enabling the offering of the license for at least one type of use to the user for the at least one determined equivalent source content item.