Patent ID: 8321494

Claim:
An apparatus for reporting a download of an item of digital data from a plurality of logged data sources in a content distribution network, wherein the item of digital data is downloadable in one or more sessions and divisible into portions, the apparatus comprising: multiple event logs, wherein at least one of the multiple event logs is associated with one of the plurality of logged data sources; a retrieving device for retrieving from at least one of the logged data sources at least one of the multiple event logs indicating the portions of the item of digital data downloaded in at least one of the one or more sessions to one or more computers of one or more end users distinct from an operator of the content distribution network; and a reporting device for combining the retrieved multiple event logs and producing a report of the download of the item of digital data without relying on the one or more computers of the one or more end users, wherein the report of the download of the item of digital data is sent from the operator of the content distribution network to a content provider that provided the item of digital data, wherein the reporting device further looks up in a database a name for the content provider associated with the item of digital data and produces the report of the download of the item of digital data by grouping log lines obtained from the at least one of the multiple event logs retrieved according to the name for the content provider.