Patent ID: 7917749

Claim:
A method performed by a first electronic appliance by which two entities, a first entity seeking rights to information and a second entity owning rights to the information, electronically bargain toward an agreement concerning the information, the first electronic appliance comprising a processor and a memory encoded with program instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the electronic appliance to perform the method, the method comprising: evaluating a first control set representing initial terms offered by the first entity in exchange for obtaining rights to the information; evaluating a second control set representing initial terms that the second entity is willing to accept in exchange for granting rights to the information, wherein the second control set is generated based on the second entity rejecting at least one of the initial terms of the first control set and proposing at least one alternative term to the first entity; generating a third control set of agreed upon terms; and sending, to a second electronic appliance associated with the first entity, an electronic indication granting rights to the information to the first entity in accordance with the terms of the third control set.