Patent ID: 8332536

Claim:
A method for the transmission and rendering of digital content, comprising: generating an execution chain descriptor (ECD) corresponding to a digital content, wherein the ECD specifies requirements for a suitable configuration for a transmission and rendering of the digital content; cryptographically binding the ECD to the corresponding digital content; evaluating, with respect to the ECD, a potential path for the transmission and rendering of the digital content to produce a path evaluation; transmitting and rendering the digital content via the potential path if the path evaluation indicates that the potential path meets the requirements specified in the ECD; transmitting a message to a requester of the digital content if the path evaluation indicates that the potential path does not meet the requirements specified in the ECD; and receiving a second ECD cryptographically bound to the digital content once the transmission and rendering has been initiated; evaluating the potential path for the transmission and rendering of the digital content with respect to the second ECD to produce a second path evaluation; and continuing to transmit and render the digital content via the potential path if the second path evaluation indicates that the potential path meets the requirements specified in the second ECD; and discontinuing to transmit and render the digital content via the potential path if the second path evaluation indicates that the potential path does not meet the requirements specified in the second ECD.