Patent ID: 8645869

Claim:
A system for selective playback at a local terminal of resident and nonresident digital works, comprising: a digital database at a location remote from the local terminal; a first plurality of digital works being stored in said digital database, said digital works being individually accessible; a first processor for building from the digital database a first list of at least a portion of said first plurality of digital works; a communications link for conveying at least a portion of said first list to the local terminal; a digital storage medium at said local terminal; a second plurality of digital works being stored in said digital storage medium, said digital works being individually accessible; a second processor for building at said local terminal a second list of at least a portion of said second plurality of digital works; a display for displaying at least portions of said first and second lists; said second processor being responsive to user input for selecting digital works from said displayed list to build an executable playlist; said display further displaying at least a portion of said playlist; said second processor being further responsive to user input for selecting at least one digital work from said playlist for playback; when said selected digital work is stored in said digital storage medium, said selected digital work being automatically accessed from said medium for playback; when said selection is stored in said digital database, the identity of said selected digital work being automatically communicated to said digital database by said communications link whereby at least a portion of said selected digital work is accessed from said digital database and communicated by said communications link to said local terminal for playback; and wherein said first processor is capable of executing instructions pertaining to the administration of access to said first plurality of digital works by said local terminal.