Patent ID: 8196177

Claim:
A method, operative at a service provider entity, for enforcing a digital rights management (DRM) scheme associated with a piece of content, wherein the piece of content has an associated DRM license consisting of a decryption key, a set of rights, and an identifier of a device associated with an end user and upon which the piece of content is permitted to be rendered, wherein the service provider entity together with an identity provider entity participate in a federation, comprising: receiving a message generated by the identity provider entity that includes a reference to a set of DRM privileges associated with the end user requesting access to the piece of content, the set of DRM privileges being distinct from the DRM license; in response to receiving the message, obtaining and evaluating the DRM privileges associated with the end user against a DRM policy, the DRM policy being distinct from the DRM license; and based on the evaluation, providing the end user a response.