Patent ID: 7050586

Claim:
A system for managing the use of electronic content, the system including: an electronic appliance for (a) receiving encoded content and encoded control information, the encoded control information specifying, at least in part, how a decoded version of the encoded content may be used, and (b) rendering the encoded content and the encoded control information through an output of the electronic appliance, the output of the electronic appliance being designed to be coupled to an output device for presenting content to a user of the electronic appliance; a retrofitting appliance including an input electrically connected to the output of the electronic appliance, the retrofitting appliance being operable to (a) accepting the encoded content and the encoded control information from the output of the electronic appliance, (b) decoding, at least in part, the encoded control information to obtain a decoded version of the encoded control information, and (c) using the decoded control information to at least in part govern the use of decoded content corresponding to the encoded content; and an output device electrically coupled to an output of the retrofitting appliance for presenting decoded audio/or visual content to a user of the electronic appliance.