Patent ID: 8725841

Claim:
A computer-implemented method comprising: storing, at a server system, a master media file, the master media file containing content at a first quality level; accessing, by the server system, characteristic data that indicates characteristics of multiple media files that are stored for a user on a user device, wherein the characteristic data is generated based on a scan of the multiple media files that was conducted to determine media files to be associated with a media library stored at the server system for the user, the scan being conducted prior to the multiple media files being associated with the media library, wherein the media library is a subset of all media files made available by the server, and the subset being media files for which the user has a right to access; as a result of the scan, associating, at the server system, the multiple media files with the media library; determining, at the server system and based on the characteristic data, that at least one of the multiple media files is a matching media file that includes content matching the content contained in the master media file; determining, at the server system, that the content contained in the matching media file is of a second quality level that is lower than the first quality level of the content contained in the master media file; determining if the user has provided payment for access to the master media file; if the user has provided payment for access to the master media file, associating the master media file with the media library and providing the user with access to the master media file stored at the server system; receiving, after associating the multiple media files with the media library, a request from a second user device to receive at least one of the multiple media files associated with the media library; determining that the user of the second user device is the user of the user device; and in response to determining that the user of the second user device is the user of the user device, transmitting the at least one of the multiple media files from the server system to the second user device, and storing, at the second user device, the at least one of the multiple media files.