Patent ID: 6910022

Claim:
A system for enforcing usage rights associated with digital content, said system comprising: means for creating usage rights from a grammar, said usage rights specifying a manner of use indicating one or more stated purposes of how the digital content can be at least one of used and distributed by an authorized party; means for associating the usage rights with the digital content; means for exchanging information with a first non-centralized repository for storing the digital content and the associated usage rights and for processing a usage transaction specifying the usage rights to determine if access to the digital content can be granted; and means for exchanging information with a second non-centralized repository for generating the usage transaction specifying the usage rights for requesting access to the digital content, wherein the usage rights also specify one or more conditions which must be satisfied before the manner of use may be exercised, said means for creating comprises means for selecting one or more symbols from a first set of predetermined symbols to define a valid sequence of symbols to indicate the manner of use, said means for creating comprises means for selecting one or more symbols from a second set of predetermined symbols to define a valid sequence of symbols to indicate the conditions, the manner of use can be used to specify how an authorized user is able to render the digital content, how an authorized party can use the digital content to create a new digital content, how an authorized party is able to make a back-up copy of the digital content, how an authorized party is able to conceal the corresponding digital content on a device on which the digital content is stored, and how an authorized party is able to delete the digital content from a device on which digital content is stored, and the usage rights identify rendering devices upon which the digital content is authorized to be rendered.