초록 ▼

In a media protection system and method, an original media item is encrypted before it is distributed. At the point of sale (POS) or point of distribution, the consumer presents his personal smart token to the clerk who inserts it into a POS reader along with a companion digital identifier (CDI짰).

In a media protection system and method, an original media item is encrypted before it is distributed. At the point of sale (POS) or point of distribution, the consumer presents his personal smart token to the clerk who inserts it into a POS reader along with a companion digital identifier (CDI짰). The POS reader extracts a digital key from the CDI짰 and merges it with the player list in the consumer's smart token. The POS reader then destroys the CDI짰 and returns the smart token to the consumer. The digital key for the media item is now stored on the consumer's personal smart token, merged with the player identifiers for the players possessed by the user. When the user returns home, he inserts the media item into his player along with his smart token, and the digital key is extracted and used to decrypt the encryption key for the material that is stored on the media item itself. Then, the player decrypts the media item as it is played. The consumer may remove the smart token, and the encryption key is stored in the player. If the consumer wants to play the media item in a player other than the one on his list at the time he bought the media item, he inserts his smart token in the new player and its public key is transferred to his smart token. He then inserts the smart token into one of his currently authorized players and activates a "new player" function, which generates a new set of records on the smart token encrypted with the public key of the new player and accessible only to the new player.

대표청구항 ▼

The invention claimed is: 1. A method for protecting intellectual property, comprising the steps of: generating a unique media key; generating a public media key; encrypting the intellectual property using the unique media key; encrypting the unique media key using the public media key; combining

The invention claimed is: 1. A method for protecting intellectual property, comprising the steps of: generating a unique media key; generating a public media key; encrypting the intellectual property using the unique media key; encrypting the unique media key using the public media key; combining the encrypted intellectual property and the encrypted unique media key for distribution to a user; generating a private media key for use by the user in decrypting the unique media key; generating a media label; and combining the media label and the private media key to form a companion digital identifier; wherein the companion digital identifier is stored on a disposable medium and is copied to a smart token of the user at a point of distribution, and wherein the disposable medium is destroyed at the point of distribution after copying of the companion digital identifier to the smart token of the user. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of: providing the private media key to the user separately from the combined encrypted intellectual property and encrypted unique media key. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the uses the decrypted unique media key to decrypt the intellectual property. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the encrypted intellectual property and the encrypted unique media key are stored on a media item, and wherein the private media key is stored on a separate medium for distribution with the media item. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the separate medium is attached to packaging in which the media item is placed for distribution. 6. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of generating a media label, and wherein the media label is stored with the private media key on the separate medium. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the companion digital identifier is provided to the user separately from the combined encrypted intellectual property and encrypted unique media key. 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of encrypting the companion digital identifier at the point of distribution prior to distribution to the user. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the companion digital identifier is encrypted using a public key unique to a player of the user, the public key being contained on and read from a smart token provided by the user. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the user plays the intellectual property in the player of the user by inserting the smart token into the player, and wherein the player uses a private key of the player to decrypt the companion digital identifier, thereby obtaining the media label and the private media key. 11. A system for protecting intellectual property, comprising: a smart token carried by a user and containing a public key; a media item containing intellectual property which is encrypted using a unique media key prior to storage on the media item, wherein the unique media key is encrypted using a public media key and is distributed with the intellectual property; a storage medium which contains a companion digital identifier including a private media key for decrypting the unique media key, and which is distributed with, but separate from, the media item; and a reader for reading information from the smart token and the storage medium, for processing the information read from the smart token and the storage medium to obtain resultant data, and for storing the resultant data on the smart token; wherein the storage medium containing the companion digital identifier is disposable, the companion digital identifier is copied to the smart token at a point of distribution, and the disposable storage medium is destroyed at the point of distribution after copying of the companion digital identifier to the smart token. 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the smart token also contains information relative to at least one media player possessed by the user, the reader reads the public key from the smart token and the companion digital identifier from the storage medium, and encrypts the companion digital identifier using the public key to generate at least one encrypted media key, one each said at least one player possessed by the user. 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the reader writes said generated at least one encrypted media key to said smart token of the user. 14. A method for distributing a private media encryption key used for protection of intellectual property, comprising the step of: generating the private media encryption key used for protection of the intellectual property; providing a companion digital identifier containing the private media encryption key; storing the companion digital identifier on a disposable medium; copying the companion digital identifier, including the private medium encryption key, onto a smart token of a user at a point of distribution for distribution thereof; and destroying the disposable medium at the point of distribution after the companion digital identifier is copied onto the smart token of the user. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the companion digital identifier is provided to the user separately from encrypted intellectual property and an encrypted unique media key. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the companion digital identifier is encrypted using a public key unique to a player of the user, the public key being contained on and read from a smart token provided by the user. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the user plays the intellectual property in the player of the user by inserting the smart token into the player, and wherein the player uses a private key of the player to decrypt the companion digital identifier, thereby obtaining a media label and the private media encryption key.