Patent ID: 7861306

Claim:
A method of enabling the use of a digital work on plural computing devices, said method comprising the acts of: receiving at an activation device, from a computing device, a request to enable the use of said digital work on said computing device, said request comprising first data indicative of a user, said digital work being associated with said user and requiring the presence of second data on said computing device in order to be used on said computing device, wherein said second data comprises: a first cryptographic key, which enables use of said digital work; and a second cryptographic key; said first and second cryptographic keys are the private and public keys, respectively, of an asymmetric key pair; said digital work comprises encrypted content and a decryption key which decrypts said encrypted content; and at least a portion of said second data including said second cryptographic key is uploadable to a content provider wherein said decryption key may be included in said digital work in a form encrypted by said second cryptographic key; determining by said activation device whether a user-specific limit associated with said user that limits the use of said digital work on said plural computing devices has been reached, wherein said limit comprises a restriction on the number of computing devices which said user may enable for use of said digital work; and if said user-specific limit associated with said user has not been reached, then providing said second data from said activation device to said computing device.