Patent ID: 8707404

Claim:
A computer-implemented method comprising: issuing a first credential from a digital rights management provider to a content provider, the first credential indicating that the content provider is trusted by the digital rights management provider to generate an authentication token relating to content that is to be distributed by the content provider; receiving, by the digital rights management provider from a remote computer system, an activation request that includes the authentication token generated by the content provider, wherein the authentication token has been (a) digitally signed by the content provider using the first credential and (b) sent to the remote computer system when the remote computer system accesses the content provider for its content; verifying, by the digital rights management provider, the authentication token by determining that the authentication token was at least partially generated based on the first credential issued to the content provider to confirm that the content provider is authorized by the digital rights management provider to distribute the content; and in response to verifying the authentication token, issuing, by the digital rights management provider, to the remote computer system one or more user credentials for performing one or more of: communication with the content provider or decryption of the content that is distributed by the content provider.