Patent ID: 8793808

Claim:
A method of packaging a first piece of electronic content, the method being performed on a system comprising at least one processor, the method comprising: creating, using the processor, a first zone map defining a plurality of zones in the first piece of electronic content; and associating an electronic license with the first piece of electronic content, the license comprising at least one control program, the license defining one or more conditions associated with access to or other use of at least part of the first piece of electronic content on a device, the control program being operable, when executed on the device, to determine that a first predefined condition associated with a first zone defined in the first zone map is met, and, after the first predefined condition is met, to impose a first obligation on access to or other use of the first zone; in which the first zone map further comprises a reference to at least one external zone, the external zone comprising a second piece of electronic content, the second piece of electronic content being separate from the first piece of electronic content, the second piece of electronic content having a second zone map associated therewith, the second zone map defining at least one zone in the second piece of electronic content, and in which the second zone map is signed with a first key derived, using a one-way function, from a second key for decrypting at least part of the first piece of electronic content.