Patent ID: 7756842
Filing Date: 2010-07-13
Classification: G06F,G06Q,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A method for tracking a number of copies of a digital asset in a distributed computing environment, the distributed computing environment having a central computing device that stores meta-data for at least one digital asset, and the distributed computing environment having one or more client devices that locally store digital assets and meta-data associated with the digital assets, the method comprising: (a) receiving at a client device within a distributed computing environment, an instruction to copy an original digital asset, the original digital asset associated with an original meta-data entry; (b) determining, responsive to receiving the copy instruction, the client device created a copy of the original digital asset; (c) generating, by the client device in response to the determination that the digital asset copy was created, an additional meta-data entry indicating the copy of the original digital asset was created by the client device; (d) adding the additional meta-data entry to the original meta-data entry to update the original meta-data entry associated with the original digital asset; and (e) associating the original meta-data entry with the original digital asset copy; wherein the original digital asset resides in the client device; wherein determining that the client device created a copy of the original digital asset includes: wherein generating the additional meta-data entry indicating that the copy of the original digital asset was created by the client device includes: wherein adding the additional meta-data entry to the original meta-data entry includes: wherein associating the original meta-data entry with the original digital asset copy includes: