A device directory server in communication with one or more user devices and a license service , comprising: a memory configured to maintain one or more digital rights management lists from the license service, each of which one or more digital rights management lists associates a group of user devices with an online account for a user having a content license for a digital content item; a communication interface configured to receive a status update indicating a user device in the group of user devices is still in use by the user when sent by the user device in the group of user devices associated with each of the plurality of digital rights management lists; and a processing core having at least one processor configured to: determine whether the status update has been received from the user device in the group of user devices and to deactivate the user device in the group of user devices on one of the digital rights management lists when no status update has been received within a pruning period for the user device in the group of user devices to be associated with the online account, wherein the pruning period describes a device specific length of time for the user to be associated with the digital rights management list; and wherein the digital content item includes a predetermined number of slots representing a number of devices that may play, present, or execute the digital content item; wherein when all the slots have been used a response is generated indicating that the user has used the available slots for the user device; and wherein a slot is freed up if all available slots are used based on a device removal within the pruning period. a memory configured to maintain one or more digital rights management lists from the license service, each of which one or more digital rights management lists associates a group of user devices with an online account for a user having a content license for a digital content item; a communication interface configured to receive a status update indicating a user device in the group of user devices is still in use by the user when sent by the user device in the group of user devices associated with each of the plurality of digital rights management lists; and a processing core having at least one processor configured to: determine whether the status update has been received from the user device in the group of user devices and to deactivate the user device in the group of user devices on one of the digital rights management lists when no status update has been received within a pruning period for the user device in the group of user devices to be associated with the online account, wherein the pruning period describes a device specific length of time for the user to be associated with the digital rights management list; and wherein the digital content item includes a predetermined number of slots representing a number of devices that may play, present, or execute the digital content item; wherein when all the slots have been used a response is generated indicating that the user has used the available slots for the user device; and wherein a slot is freed up if all available slots are used based on a device removal within the pruning period. <EOS>