Patent ID: 7149722

Claim:
A method of issuing digital licenses from a licensor for a corresponding piece of digital content, the content originally having been issued by a retailer, the method comprising performing a plurality of transactions, each transaction comprising: the licensor receiving a first license request for a first license from a first customer in connection with the content and issuing a first license in response thereto, the first customer having received a copy of the content from the retailer, the first request including retailer information associated with the corresponding piece of digital content and identifying the retailer; the licensor receiving a payment from the first customer in connection with the first license request; the licensor retrieving the retailer information from the first license request and identifying the retailer therefrom; the licensor crediting the identified retailer for a portion of the payment received in connection with the first license request; the licensor receiving a second license request for a second license from a second customer in connection with the content and issuing a second license in response thereto, the second customer having received a copy of the content from the first customer, the second request including first customer information associated with the corresponding piece of digital content and identifying the first customer; the licensor receiving a payment from the second customer in connection with the second license request; the licensor retrieving the first customer information from the license request and identifying the first customer therefrom; and the licensor crediting the first customer for a portion of the payment received in connection with the second license request, wherein crediting the first customer comprises recording the first customer information in a database for accounting purposes, the database including an entry for each first customer information, each entry including a count for counting the number of times a license has been issued for the specific first customer information combination, such recording comprising: finding the first customer information entry in the database corresponding to the first customer information of the second request, or creating such sub-entry if none is present; and incrementing the count in such entry, whereby over the plurality of transactions the count in the entry is accumulated, the method further comprising providing the portions of the payments to the first customer based on the accumulated count.