Patent ID: 7984168

Claim:
A computer network operating method, the network comprising a plurality of lookup servers and a client station on which specific computer software is installed for accessing digital content, and connecting a rights manager and a network operator, the method comprising: initializing the network using two digital documents signed by the rights manager using a root key, one being a digital certificate of the network and the other being a setup document including information used to access the digital certificate; identifying network topology including: obtaining a list of servers, the list including the plurality of lookup servers, recording a topology document including the list, the topology document being signed by at least one of the network operator and the rights manager using a network key, and assigning a coefficient to each server in the list that represents a processing capability of the server; retrieving a digital document from a selected one of the list of servers, wherein in one operating condition the retrieved digital document is an error document intended for error management and in another operating condition the retrieved digital document is a lookup document including address parameters, the error and lookup documents being signed by at least one of the network operator and the rights manager using the network key; selectively determining an address based on the lookup document; and selectively accessing digital content hosted at the address specified by the address parameters, using the specific computer software, wherein the digital certificate includes information that a user uses to access the network, including a public part of the network key.