Patent ID: 8918908

Claim:
A user device, comprising: a processor; a network interface; and memory configured to store: an electronic ticket that includes a torn status indicating whether the electronic ticket has been associated with a user account by a DRM server, where the electronic ticket enables playback of digital content when the torn status is TORN as opposed to UNTORN; and a ticket token; wherein the processor is configured by an application to: send a request for digital content to a merchant server; receive a ticket token from a merchant server sent in response to the request for digital content, wherein the ticket token is generated by a DRM server that is not the merchant server and associated with an electronic ticket that enables playback of the requested digital content; send the ticket token to a DRM server, where the DRM server is not the merchant server; receive an electronic ticket from the DRM server sent in response to the ticket token, where the electronic ticket is initiated with an UNTORN status indicating that it is not yet associated with any particular user account and the electronic ticket enables playback of requested digital content; change the torn status of the electronic ticket to TORN based upon a DRM server having associated the electronic ticket with a user account; request the digital content associated with the electronic ticket; and play back the requested digital content using the electronic ticket when the electronic ticket has a torn status of TORN.