Abstract:
A method is disclosed for transacting, purchasing and publishing copyrighted digital content that solves problems of the digital copyright that could not protect by methods of the prior art. The present invention allows various sales methods and licensing methods by using a copyrighted digital content description file, and effectively controls the user&#39;s use of the copyrighted digital content.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention is related to multiple methods for transacting, publishing and purchasing copyrighted digital content, and more particularly, to a copyrighted digital content publishing and management mechanism that provides a method for cooperation between different actors. The present invention achieves various sales methods and licensing methods through publishing copyrighted digital content description files, and effectually controlling the user&#39;s legal right to use copyrighted digital content.  
         [0003]     2. Description of Related Art  
         [0004]     A digital content provider currently has two methods in which they can publish digital content. Firstly, the digital content provider can provide a full copyright publishing mechanism including searching for, paying for and publishing the content. Otherwise the digital content provider can give a digital content file to a content publishing platform service provider and the content publishing platform service provider provides the publishing services. Either way, a full copyright publishing mechanism is provided from a single digital content provider.  
         [0005]     Up until recently, each digital content provider manufactured their original content and designed and marketed the product. Following the development of the digital content industry, a professional division of labor has become established. Currently different digital content providers maintain their individual advantages in their own fields. However, without cooperating with other groups, most are incapable of finishing or publishing digital content by themselves.  
         [0006]     A digital content provider provides an account and password for a user. To create an authorization-ID, the digital content provider utilizes a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) framework. The PKI framework is a scheme to sign and verify digital signatures. The digital content provider provides content and services only as described and permitted by the copyright owner. Some digital content providers do describe to their users the various rights and limitations placed on their usage of the content. However, a digital content provider cannot limit the user&#39;s actual use of the content and services after they have accessed it. These digital content providers utilize digital copyright description language and match a digital content accessing program with the content in an attempt to limits use by users that falls outside of the copyright. In general, a user must first connect to the application server of the digital content provider through a network. Next, the application server must be in accordance with the login account and password to create the authorization-ID so that the digital content file may be accessed.  
         [0007]     There are several disadvantages to the above method designed for accessing different digital content programs. If the user wants to use a particular piece of digital content, the user must install the appropriate accessing program. This is inconvenient for the user. This method only provides a prepaid copyright online use method, while the original copyright owner cannot directly control the digital content publishing rights and define the license range rights. Before the content provider can use copyrighted material, they must define and reach an agreement with the copyright owner. It is a part of the software that cannot be modified by the user.  
         [0008]     TW Publication No. 200302424, “System and method for controlling distribution of digital copyrighted material”, discloses a system and a method for direct peer-to-peer marketing of copyrighted digital products in which the seller and the purchaser of a copyrighted digital product are rewarded or compensated. Illegal distribution of the copyrighted product is meanwhile substantially prevented.  
         [0009]     TW patent No. 515955, “System and read method of license data”, discloses a system and a read method of licensing data for a server&#39;s user utilities application software.  
         [0010]     TW patent No. 528956, “Resource access license method and system”, discloses a novel method for a resource access license method and system. The method decreases the licensing fees that corporations pay to software service providers for developing software.  
         [0011]     TW patent No. 571218, “Copyrighted digital content management system and method”, discloses a novel method for how license usage services apply for download digital content. The method makes certain digital content incapable of being used by illegal users.  
         [0012]     US. Publication No. 20020108050 “System and Method for digital rights management using a standard rendering engine”, discloses a method and apparatus for facilitating distribution of protected documents displayed with the rendering engine of a standard application program, such as an Internet web browser.  
         [0013]     U.S. Pat. No. 6,754,642 “Method and apparatus for dynamically assigning usage rights to digital works” discloses a method and an apparatus that monitors usage and adjusts usage rights in a predetermined method based upon the status of dynamic conditions.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0014]     For eliminating the defects in the prior art, the applicant proposes a method for transacting and publishing copyright digital content.  
         [0015]     The main objective of the present invention is to provide a copyrighted digital content publishing and management mechanism that provides a method of co-operation between different actors. The present satisfies various sales and licensing methods.  
         [0016]     For achieving the objectives above, the present invention provides a manufacturing process for a method for transacting and publishing of copyrighted digital content, including the steps of: registering at least one digital content provider&#39;s account information on a transaction platform; registering at least one digital content provider&#39;s information on a retrieval platform; uploading at least one digital content file to the retrieval platform, the digital content being provided by the at least one digital content provider or a copyright owner; a user searching for the digital content on the retrieval platform; the retrieval platform searching the digital content(s) for registered digital contents; matching the digital content file and license method provided by the digital content provider; User select the desired digital content and an authorization method from the retrieval platform; obtaining a payment receipt for the digital content with the user paying the fee to a transaction platform; the user sends payment receipt to the digital content provider who published the digital content; the digital content provider publishes a new copyrighted digital content description file for the user after verifying the payment receipt&#39;s validity; When a period time pass, the digital content provider collects all users&#39; payment receipts and sends it to the transaction platform to charge the fees. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0017]     The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be more readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
         [0018]      FIG. 1A  shows a flowchart for the method for transacting, publishing and for paying for the use of copyrighted digital content of the present invention;  
         [0019]      FIG. 1B  shows an architecture time-domain diagram of  FIG. 1A ;  
         [0020]      FIG. 2A  shows a flowchart for the method for paying for the use of copyrighted digital content using the method of purchasing the copyright from the producer online of the present invention;  
         [0021]      FIG. 2B  shows an architecture time-domain diagram of  FIG. 2A ;  
         [0022]      FIG. 3A  shows a flowchart for the method for paying for the use of copyrighted digital content using the online pay-per-use method of the present invention;  
         [0023]      FIG. 3B  shows an architecture time-domain diagram of  FIG. 3A ;  
         [0024]      FIG. 4A  shows a flowchart for the method for paying for the use of copyrighted digital content a fixed number of times or for a fixed time period online after the user has finished using the copyrighted digital content of the present invention;  
         [0025]      FIG. 4B  shows an architecture time-domain diagram of  FIG. 4A ;  
         [0026]      FIG. 5A  shows a flowchart for the method for paying for the use of copyrighted digital content using the prepaid offline method of the present invention;  
         [0027]      FIG. 5B  shows an architecture time-domain diagram of  FIG. 5A ;  
         [0028]      FIG. 6A  shows a flowchart for the method for ransoming the user purchased copyrighted digital content of the present invention;  
         [0029]      FIG. 6B  shows an architecture time-domain diagram of  FIG. 6A ;  
         [0030]      FIG. 7A  shows a flowchart for the method for transferring purchased digital content&#39;s copyright to someone of the present invention; and  
         [0031]      FIG. 7B  shows an architecture time-domain diagram of  FIG. 7A . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0032]      FIG. 1A  shows a flowchart for the method for transacting and publishing copyrighted digital content of the present invention.  FIG. 1B  shows an architecture time-domain diagram of  FIG. 1A . The method comprises of: registering at least one digital content provider&#39;s  14  bank account information on a transaction platform  16  and registering at least one digital content provider&#39;s information on a retrieval platform  10  (S 100 ); uploading at least one digital content file to a retrieval platform  10  (S 102 ), the digital content being provided by the at least one digital content provider  14 , wherein the digital content file includes a digital copyright description file. The digital copyright description file includes a copyright declaration and authorization method(s) information. The digital content can be stored, demonstrated or applied using digital methods, wherein the digital file can be software, a game, music, a video image or a digital picture.  
         [0033]     A user  12  searches for desired digital content on the retrieval platform  10  and the retrieval platform  10  provides the digital content and authorization method(s) (S 104 ), wherein the user is a person or a digital content provider. The authorization method includes a prepaid copyright online use method, a pay per online use method, a fixed number of times postpaid online use method, a fixed time period postpaid online use method and a prepaid copyright offline use method. The user  12  pays fee to the transaction platform  16  and obtains a payment receipt for the digital content (S 106 ). The user  12  obtains a usage authorization for the digital content in accordance with the payment receipt so that the user may connect with the digital content provider  14  (S 108 ) to use the digital content, after the digital content provider  14  has received and verified payment receipt&#39;s validity, the digital content provider issues a new digital content copyright description file for the user  12  only which description file is different with the one including in the registered in the retrieval platform; the digital content provider collects of all user&#39;s payment receipt and sends all payment receipts to the transaction platform to get the charges (S 110 ).  
         [0034]      FIG. 2A  shows a flowchart for the method of transacting and publishing copyrighted digital content with the prepaid copyright online use method of the present invention.  FIG. 2B  shows an architecture time-domain diagram of  FIG. 2A . The method comprises of registering at least one of digital content provider&#39;s  14  bank account information on a transaction platform  16  and registering at least one digital content provider&#39;s information on a retrieval platform  10  (S 200 ); uploading at least one digital content file to a retrieval platform  10  (S 202 ), the digital content being provided by at least one digital content provider  14 , wherein the digital content file includes a digital content copyright description file. The digital copyright description file includes a copyright declaration and authorization methods information. The digital content can be stored, demonstrated or applied using digital methods, wherein the digital file can be software, a game, music, a video image or a digital picture.  
         [0035]     A user  12  searches for desired digital content on the retrieval platform  10  (S 204 ), the user can be a person or a digital content provider; the retrieval platform  10  provides the digital content information and supported authorization methods to the user  12  (S 206 ); the user  12  decides to buy the digital content in the online prepaid using method; transmitting a copyright description file of the digital content selected by the user  12  from the retrieval platform  10  to the transaction platform  16  (S 208 ); connecting the transaction platform to the user  12  for payment (S 210 ), wherein the method of payment could use a credit card, an Internet banking service, a micro payment, an ATM service or any new type of payment methods developed in the future; Sign a digital signature to be a payment receipt and transmits it to the user  12  from the transaction platform  16  (S 212 ). The digital signature further includes the copyrighted digital content description file, the user selected licensing method and a record of the time of purchase.  
         [0036]     The user applies to the digital content provider  14  for the legal usage rights to the digital content with the payment receipt; the digital content provider verifies the digital signature and issues a new digital content copyright description file according to the user&#39;s information, the new digital content copyright description file is for the user  12  only and is different with the one including in the registered in the retrieval platform (S 214 ); accessing or using the digital content according to the prepaid copyright online use licensing method (S 216 ); the digital content provider  14  collects all payment receipts to the transaction platform  16  to get charges (S 218 ).  
         [0037]      FIG. 3A  shows a flowchart for the method for transacting, purchasing and publishing of copyrighted digital content using the online pay-per-use method of the present invention.  FIG. 3B  shows an architecture time-domain diagram of  FIG. 3A . The method comprises of: registering at least one digital content provider&#39;s  14  bank account information to a transaction platform  16  and registering at least one digital content provider&#39;s information to a retrieval platform  10  (S 300 ); uploading at least one digital content file to a retrieval platform  10  (S 302 ), the digital content being provided by at least one digital content provider  14 , wherein the digital content file includes a digital content copyright description file. The digital copyright description file includes a copyright declaration and authorization methods information. The digital content can be stored, demonstrated or applied using digital methods, wherein the digital file can be software, a game, music, a video image or a digital picture.  
         [0038]     A user  12  searches for desired digital content on the retrieval platform  10  (S 304 ), wherein the user can be a person or a digital content provider, the retrieval platform  10  provides the digital content information and authorization methods to the user  12 ; the user  12  then selects to buy digital content in the online pay-per-use method of the present invention (S 306 ); transmitting a copyright description file of the digital content and some information about the digital content which selected by the user  12  from the retrieval platform  16  to the transaction platform  10  (S 308 ); connecting the transaction platform  10  to the user  12  for purchasing electronic money (S 310 ), wherein the method of payment is a credit card, an internet banking service, a micro payment, an ATM service or any new type of payment that may be developed in the future. The electronic money could be a cash card points card or a micro payment; sign a digital signature to be payment receipt and transmits  10  with the electronic money to the user  12  from the transaction platform (S 312 ); the digital content provider  14  verifies the digital signature and the electronic money and signing a new digital content copyright description file to the user  12  based on the licensed digital content (S 314 ); every time the user accesses or uses the digital content, the user  12  needs to make an electronic payment to the digital content provider  14  (S 316 ); the digital content provider  14  collects all electronic payments and payment receipt and sends to the transaction platform  10  (S 318 ), wherein the predetermined value is a fixed number of times (for example, every 1000 times) or a fixed time period (for example, one week or one month).  
         [0039]      FIG. 4A  shows a flowchart for the method for paying for the use of copyrighted digital content a fixed number of times or for a fixed time period online, after the user has finished using the copyrighted digital content.  FIG. 4B  shows an architecture time-domain diagram of  FIG. 4A . The method comprises of registering at least one digital content provider&#39;s  14  bank account information to a transaction platform  16  and registering at least one digital content provider&#39;s information to a retrieval platform  10  (S 400 ); uploading at least one digital content file to a retrieval platform  10  (S 402 ); the digital content being provided by at least one digital content provider  14 , wherein the digital content file includes a digital content copyright description file. The digital copyright description file includes a copyright declaration and authorization methods information. The digital content can be stored, demonstrated or applied using digital methods, wherein the digital file can be software, a game, music, a video image or a digital picture.  
         [0040]     A user  12  searches for desired digital content on the retrieval platform  10  (S 404 ), wherein the user can be a person or a digital content provider. The retrieval platform  10  provides the digital content information and supported authorization methods searched by the user  12  (S 406 ); the user  12  selects to buy the digital content using the method for paying for the use of copyrighted digital content a fixed number of times or for a fixed time period online, after the user has finished using the copyrighted digital content; transmitting a copyright description file of the digital content and a licensed digital content selected by the user  12  from the retrieval platform  10  to the digital content provider (S 408 ); issuing a new copyright description file of the selected licensed digital content by the digital content provider  14  and transferring the new copyright description file to the user  12  (S 410 ), wherein the new copyright description file includes ticket information; transmitting a signed payment letter of authorization from the user  12  to the digital content provider  14  (S 412 ), wherein the payment letter of authorization comprises a digital content description file, payment information and a record of the time of the transaction; the user  12  legal uses the digital content in accordance with the new copyright description file (S 414 ), wherein the digital content provider  14  in accordance with the ticket information records the number of times and the time of any usage of the digital content by the user  12 ; the digital content provider  14  presets a predetermined value to make collection of payments from users to the transaction platform  16  to get charges (S 416 ); payment from the user to the transaction platform (S 418 ), wherein the method of payment can be a credit card, an Internet banking service, a micro payment, an ATM service or any new type of payment method developed in the future.  
         [0041]      FIG. 5A  shows a flowchart for the method for paying for the use of copyrighted digital content using the prepaid offline method of the present invention.  FIG. 5B  shows an architecture time-domain diagram of  FIG. 5A . The method comprises of registering at least one digital content provider&#39;s  14  bank account information to a transaction platform  16  and registering at least one digital content provider&#39;s information to a retrieval platform  10  (S 500 ); uploading at least one digital content file to a retrieval platform  10  (S 502 ); the digital content being provided by at least one digital content provider  14 , wherein the digital content file includes a digital content copyright description file; the digital copyright description file includes a copyright declaration and authorization methods information. The digital content can be stored, demonstrated or applied using digital methods, wherein the digital file can be software, a game, music, a video image or a digital picture.  
         [0042]     A user  12  searches for desired digital content on the retrieval platform  10  (S 504 ), wherein the user can be a person or a digital content provider, The retrieval platform  10  provides the digital content information and supported authorization methods searched by the user  12 ; the user  12  selects to buy the digital content using the prepaid offline method of the present invention (S 506 ); connecting the transaction platform  16  to the user  12  for payment (S 508 ), wherein the method of payment can be a credit card, an Internet banking service, a micro payment, an ATM service or any new type of payment method developed in the future; signs and transmits a digital signature to be payment receipt from the transaction platform  16  to the user  12  (S 510 ); the digital signature comprises of a copyrighted digital content description file, the method of licensing as selected by the user and a record of the time of the transaction transmitted from the retrieval platform  10 .  
         [0043]     The user  12  requires a legal usage licensing from the digital content provider  14  in accordance with the payment receipt (S 512 ); the digital content provider  14  signs a new digital content copyright description file after verified the digital signature (S 514 ); the digital content provider  14  packet the digital content, wherein the packet step encrypts the digital content using a session key with a symmetric key encryption algorithm. The session key is encrypted using the user&#39;s public key and put in the new digital content copyright description file which is the user use only; different with the one in the retrieval platform  10 . The user  12  downloads the packeted digital content and de-packets the digital content (S 516 ), wherein the de-packet step decrypts the session key using user&#39;s private key and decrypts the digital content using the session key; use the digital content based on the licensing method with a browser program or a hardware device which can control and manage the access of user (S 518 ); the digital content provider collects of all user&#39;s payment receipt and sends to the transaction platform to get the charges (S 520 ).  
         [0044]      FIG. 6A  shows a flowchart for the method for ransoming for purchased copyrighted digital content online of the present invention.  FIG. 6B  shows an architecture time-domain diagram of  FIG. 6A .  
         [0045]     The method comprises of a user  12  sends ransom request to the digital content provider  14  (S 600 ), wherein a usage licensing agreement for the copyrighted digital content must available to the user  12 , wherein the user can be a person or a digital content provider; revoking digital content copyright description file by the user which stops the user from accessing or using the copyrighted digital content anymore (S 602 ); the digital content provider  14  signs a digital signature for the user  12  for a refund voucher (S 604 ), wherein the digital signature comprises of a copyright description file, refund information and a record of the time of the transaction; the user  12  requires a transaction platform  10  payment in accordance with the refund voucher (S 606 ); the digital content provider select a fixed time period or a real-time payment method and calculates the amount of money to be paid to the transaction platform  10  through the transaction platform (S 608 ), wherein the method of payment is a credit card, an Internet banking service, or any new type of payment method developed in the future.  
         [0046]      FIG. 7A  shows a flowchart for the method for purchasing and transferring copyrighted digital content online of the present invention.  FIG. 7B  shows an architecture time-domain diagram of the  FIG. 7A . The method comprises of the user  12  prepaying a small amount of money or gift certificate from a transaction platform  16  thereby becoming anew legal copyright user  18  (S 700 ), wherein the user can be a person or a digital content provider and the method of payment is a credit card, an Internet banking service or any new type of payment method developed in the future. The user  12  requests for a copyright transfer and provides new user information from the legal copyright user  18  to the digital content provider  14  (S 702 ); the digital content provider  14  issues a new digital content copyright description file to the legal copyright user  18  allowing the legal copyright user  18  to access and use the copyrighted digital content, at the same time revokes the user&#39;s  12  copyright description file to stop accessing or using the copyrighted digital content (S 704 ); payment is made from the at least one digital content provider  14  to the transaction platform  16  in accordance with the small amount of money or gift certificate (S 706 ). To sum up, in this method the user  12  is stopped from accessing or using the copyrighted digital content and the old copyrighted digital content description file becomes useless. As such, the user  12  cannot access or use it anymore. The legal copyright user  18  can legally access and use the digital content in accordance with the new copyrighted digital content description file.  
         [0047]     The present invention provides a copyrighted digital content publishing and management mechanism that provides for co-operation between different actors. The present invention makes possible the transacting, publishing and paying for the rights to use copyrighted digital content using the following methods: 
        1) purchasing the copyright from the producer online,     2) using the online pay-per-use method,     3) paying for the use of copyrighted digital content a fixed number of times or for a fixed time period online after the user has finished using the copyrighted digital content,     4) paying for the use of copyrighted digital content using the prepaid offline method,     5) ransoming for purchased copyrighted digital content online, and     6) purchasing and transferring copyrighted digital content online.        
 
         [0054]     Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the details thereof. Various substitutions and modifications have been suggested in the foregoing description, and other will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, all such substitutions and modifications are intended to be embraced within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.