Patent ID: 7039615
Filing Date: 2006-05-02
Classification: G06F,G06Q

Abstract:
1. A method for a retailer to facilitate issuance of a digital license from a licensor to a customer for a corresponding piece of digital content, the method comprising: receiving, by the retailer from the customer, payment for the license, the payment to be shared with the licensor in a pre-determined manner; obtaining, by the retailer from the customer, customer-based information; composing, by the retailer, an actual license request including the obtained customer-based information, and including retailer-based information identifying the retailer to the licensor and acknowledging to the licensor that the retailer owes a portion of the received payment to the licensor; forwarding, by the retailer to the licensor, the actual license request, and issuing the digital license to the customer; wherein the customer has a digital rights management (DRM) system to ensure that the content is rendered in accordance with the license wherein obtaining the customer-based information comprises: delivering, by the retailer to the customer, a dummy package having license acquisition information containing a site identifier for an interposing site controlled by the retailer, the dummy package absent any functional portion of the corresponding piece of digital content; delivering, by the retailer to the customer, a controller that can control the DRM system of the customer, wherein such controller directs such DRM system to send a dummy license request to the site identifier for the interposing site controlled by the retailer according to the license acquisition information in the dummy package; and receiving, by the retailer at the interposing site from the customer, the dummy license request including customer-based information, and wherein composing the actual license request comprises modifying, by the retailer, the dummy license request to add the retailer-based information; wherein the customer has a digital rights management (DRM) system to ensure that the content is rendered in accordance with the license, the method comprising obtaining the customer-based information by a request directed to the DRM system of the customer; and obtaining the customer-based information by delivering a controller to the customer that directs the DRM system of the customer to send the customer-based information to the retailer.