Patent ID: 7512987

Claim:
In a system for controlling access to and usage of digital content within a domain that includes multiple receiving devices, a method for determining a risk index for a target domain, comprising: characterizing a domain state for a target domain, the domain state representing a measure of at least one domain parameter selected from (a) a quantity of receiving devices connected to the domain, or (b) a quantity of data transactions performed by devices connected to the domain, wherein the target domain comprises a group of interconnected receiving devices for a defined content subscriber; comparing the domain state for the target domain to a domain benchmark, the domain benchmark representing an aggregate measure of the at least one domain parameter for each of a plurality of independent device domains that are independent of the target domain; and developing a risk index for the target domain in response to the comparing of the domain state to the domain benchmark, the risk index representing an assessment of relative risk of unauthorized use of copyrighted data in the target domain.