Patent ID: 7610332

Claim:
An overlay network comprising: a computer readable medium upon which is stored a virtual content server for representing a content provider in a virtual content network, the virtual content network having an identifier and an associated content profile, the content profile including policy information regarding at least one of allowable transformations, adaptations and digital rights management applicable to the content, and wherein the virtual content server serves content of the content provider only to members of the virtual content network, wherein each member of the virtual content network agrees to act on the content according to the content profile associated with the content; a client having a membership in the virtual content network; and a provider for establishing a content tunnel between the virtual content server and the client for transferring content with trust and integrity at a content level by subscribing intermediate devices between the virtual content server and the client to the virtual content network as members responsive to the intermediate devices agreeing to at least a subset of policies in the content profile; and wherein content is routed between the virtual content server, intermediate devices and client using the content tunnels.