Patent ID: 7503076

Claim:
A method of storing a digital asset in a data repository coupled to a network, said method comprising: receiving, at the data repository, a broadcast cryptographic hash descriptor file identifier that identifies the digital asset; determining whether the broadcast cryptographic hash descriptor file identifier is a cryptographic hash descriptor file identifier known to the data repository; when the broadcast cryptographic hash descriptor file is not known to the data repository, adding the broadcast cryptographic hash descriptor file identifier to a list of desired broadcast cryptographic hash descriptor file identifiers; receiving, at the data repository, the digital asset identified by the broadcast cryptographic hash descriptor file identifier; generating a second cryptographic hash descriptor file identifier from the received digital asset; and verifying that the second cryptographic hash descriptor file identifier for the received digital asset matches the broadcast cryptographic hash descriptor file identifier, wherein adding the broadcast cryptographic hash descriptor file identifier to the list includes: determining the number of times the broadcast cryptographic hash descriptor file identifier has been received at the data repository; and determining whether to add the cryptographic hash descriptor file identifier to said list based upon said number of times.