Secure Digital Registration of Contracts Governing Media Content Use

Number: 20250315542
Published: 2025-10-09
Filed: 2025-03-31
Assignee: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
Inventors: Whitehead; Jonathan et al.
CPC: G06F21/1063; G06F21/10; G06F21/6218; G06F21/16; G06Q30/0279
Verdict: Set aside contract registration/DRM, business
Source: Google Patents · FreePatentsOnline

Abstract

A system includes a memory storing software code, and a hardware processor executing the software code to receive media content including a media content ID, identify, using the media content ID, one or more rule(s) governing use of the media content, the rule(s) including at least one of: (a) one or more first rules restricting use of the media content, or (b) one or more second rules permitting use of the media content, and generate, based on the rule(s), a digital contract specifying at least one of: (i) one or more constraints on use of the media content, or (ii) one or more enablements on use of the media content. The software code also registers the digital contract with the media content ID in a secure database, generates, using data identifying the secure database, a first watermark, and embeds the first watermark identifying the secure database into the media content.

Background

BACKGROUND

In the conventional art, rules describing how, where, when, and by whom media content can be used typically accompany the media content, in the form of metadata embedded or appended to or based on or generated from the media content, or by licensing information accompanying the media content, for example. A significant disadvantage of this conventional approach to communicating restrictions and/or permissions regarding the use of media content is that when usage rules change, as they often do, each instantiation of effected media content, i.e., each unit of distributed media content, must have its individual associated usage rules updated. Consequently, there is a need in the art for a solution enabling contracts governing media content use to be updated dynamically and globally for some or all instantiations of media content contemporaneously without requiring direct access to the media content itself.

Claims

1. A system comprising: a memory storing a software code; and a hardware processor configured to execute the software code to: receive media content including a media content identification (ID); identify, using the media content ID, one or more rules governing use of the media content, the one or more rules including at least one of: (a) one or more first rules restricting use of the media content, or (b) one or more second rules permitting use of the media content; generate, based on the one or more rules governing use of the media content, a digital contract specifying at least one of: (i) one or more constraints on use of the media content, or (ii) one or more enablements on use of the media content; register the digital contract with the media content ID in a secure database accessible over a communication network; generate, using data identifying the secure database, a first watermark; and embed the first watermark into the media content, the first watermark identifying the secure database. || 11. A system comprising: a memory storing a software code; and a hardware processor configured to execute the software code to: receive media content including a media content identification (ID); identify, using the media content ID, one or more rules governing use of the media content, the one or more rules including at least one of: (a) one or more first rules restricting use of the media content, or (b) one or more second rules permitting use of the media content; generate, based on the one or more rules governing use of the media content, a digital contract specifying at least one of: (i) one or more constraints on use of the media content or (ii) one or more enablements on use of the media content; register the digital contract with the media content ID in a secure database accessible over a communication network; generate, using the media content, a digital fingerprint of the media content; link the digital fingerprint with data identifying the secure database; and store the digital fingerprint and the linked data identifying the secure database in a media content fingerprint database accessible over the communication network.