Managing Rights Management

Two Irdeto Conditonal Access Patent Applications

On Thursdays the USPTO publishes new pending patent applications. Both of today's Spotlight Applications concern aspects of conditional access systems typically used in cable, satellite, and IPTV systems and both are assigned to Irdeto (NL). The first application discloses techniques for disabling a cleartext control word loading mechanism in a conditional access system. The second application discloses broadcasting variants of digital signals in a conditional access system.

Two ETRI Conditional Access Patent Applications

On Thursdays the USPTO publishes new pending patent applications. Both of today's Spotlight Applications are assigned to the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (KR), and both deal with aspects of conditional access systems. The first application discloses a DCAS headend system and method for processing error of secure micro client software. The second application discloses techniques fo downloading conditional access images.

ETRI and Nagravision Conditional Access Patent Applications

On Thursdays the USPTO publishes new pending patent applications. Both of today's Spotlight Applications concern aspects of conditional access systems used primarily in cable and satellite television distribution systems.

Two Sony DRM Patents

On Tuesdays the USPTO issues new patents. Both of today's Spotlight Patents deal with aspects of digital rights management and both are assigned to Sony (JP). The first patent concerns techniques to distribute content over a network. The second patent concerns an encryption system for satellite delivered television.

DirectTV and Trident Microsystems Conditional Access Patents

On Tuesdays the USPTO publishes newly issued patents. Both of today's Spotlight Patents concern aspects of conditonal access systems used mainly in cable, IPTV, and satellite content distribution and access systems. Assigned to DirecTV, the first patent concerns techniques for processing content signals from multiple signal sources. Assigned to Trident Microsystems, the second patent concerns techniques for constructing MPEG program streams from encrypted MPEG transport streams.

General Instrument and ZTE Conditional Access Patent Applications

On Thursdays the USPTO publishes new pending patent applications. Both of today's Spotlight Applications concern aspects of conditional access systems. Assigned to General Instrument, the first application discloses techniques for processing, handling, and forwarding conditional access messages to devices. Assigned to ZTE Corporation, the second application discloses techniques for updating plug-in of multimedia broadcast conditional access.

LG and Morega DRM Patents

On Tuesdays the USPTO issues new patents. Both of today's Spotlight Patents concern aspects of digital rights management. Assigned to LG Electronics (KR), the first patent focuses on techniques for managing a DRM agent in user domain in digital rights management. Assigned to Morega Systems Inc. (CA), the second patent focuses on techniques for using a set top box with digital rights management for multiple devices.

Pantech and Verimatrix DRM Patent Applications

On Thursdays the USPTO publishes new pending patent applications. Both of today's Spotlight Applications concern aspects of digital rights management. Assigned to Pantech (KR), the first application discloses techniques for digital rights management for use in mobile communication terminal. Assigned to Varimatrix, the second applcation discloses technques for detecting clone playback devices.

Qualcomm and Irdeto Conditional Access Patent Applications

On Thursdays the USPTO publishes new pending patent applications. Both of today's Spotlight Applications concern aspects of conditional access systems. Assigned to Qualcomm, the first application discloses techniques for connectivity dependent application security for remote devices. Assigned to Irdeto, the second applicaton discloses techniques for controlling the validity period of a decryption key.

Wegener and DirecTV Conditional Access Patents

On Tuesdays the USPTO issues new patents. Both of today's Spotlight Patents concern aspects of conditional access systems used in satellite and cable TV systems. Apparently assigned to Wegener Communications, the first patent is a reissue patent that concerns the rapid decryption of data by key synchronization and indexing. RE patents are those in which the patent office was asked to reexamine a patent after it has issued in light of prior art that had not been taken into account earlier. Assigned to DirecTV, the second patent concerns techniques for embedded blacklisting for digital broadcast system security.

Embarq Holdings and Content Directions DRM Patent Applications

On Thursdays the USPTO publishes pending patent applications. Both of today's Spotlight Applications concern aspects of digital rights management. Assigned to Embarq Holdings, the first application discloses techniques for sharing user content through a set-top box. Assinged to Content Directions, the second application discloses techniques for accessing DRM information.

Comcast and Broadcom Conditional Access Patents

On Tuesdays the USPTO issues new patents. Both of today's Spotlight Patents are related to aspects of conditional access systems. Assigned to Comcast, the first patent addresses techniques for provisioning a set-top box without essential involvement of the conditional access system. Assigned to Broadcom, the second patent addresses techniques that facilitate the efficient implementation of trick modes in a personal video recording system.

Cisco and ETRI Conditional Access Patent Applications

On Thursdays the USPTO publishes new pending patent applications. Both of today's Spotlight Applications concern aspects of conditional access systems. Assigned to Cisco, the first application discloses techniques for delivering secure IPTV services to PC platforms. Assigned to the Electronics And Telecommunications Research Institute (KR), the second application discloses techniques for 'a downloadable Conditional Access System, secure micro, and transport processor, and security authentication.

Sony Copy Protection and Conditional Access Patents

On Tuesdays the USPTO issues new patents. Both of today's Spotlight Patents are assigned to Sony. The first patent addresses techniques for sharing copy protection information and for executing copy protected information. The second patent addresses techniques for using conditional access modules.

Philips and Nagravision Conditional Access Patent Applications

On Thursdays the USPTO publishes new pending patent applications. Both of today's Spotlight Applications concern conditional access systems typically used in streaming video services. Assigned to Philips, the first application discloses a conditional access system in which a host and a conditional access module are configured to engage in an authentication protocol with each other upon detection of a code embedded in the output stream. Assigned to Nagravision, the second application discloses techniques for updating and managing an audiovisual data processing application included in a multimedia unit by means of a conditional access module.

CES 2010: DRM Is Alive And Well - Part 1

The 2010 Consumer Electronics Show was very upbeat, perhaps more so than two years ago (last year doesn't count given the economic implosion resulting in widespread malaise and depression). Of course the purpose of the these shows is to drum up excitement. 3D TV (not quite ready for prime time in my view, but I did not spend much time looking), Mobile, and Auto seemed to be the principal sectors leading the charge.

Having seen a lot of the show (at the expense of my feet), one conclusion is that rights management, broadly construed, is everywhere. In saying this, I'm taking a very expansive view of rights management to include both technical and non-technical--largely business model factors--means of protecting digital content. I'm excluding from consideration music CDs and related issues since there does not seem to be a good solution specific to the CD problem that is acceptable to privacy and consumer advocates.

In giving a few selected examples of how rights management is being further insinuated into services and business models, I'm leaving out many vendors (apologies to those not mentioned). I'm sure that critics will be able to find counter examples  My goal here is simply to identify trends.

Various parties with DRM and related solutions were at the show, including Irdeto and Digital Containers. HDMI Licensing had a booth as well. Metadata company Gracenote had a  booth that also highlighted customer applications. Executives from Widevine were in town but did not have a booth.

Media futurist Gerd Leonhard (among others) have long argued that the future of media is and should be streaming rather than downloading files. The 2010 CES makes it perfectly clear that the world is moving substantially toward media streaming. More in the next installment. 

TiVo and SmarDTV and Conditional Access Patents

On Tuesdays the USPTO issues new patents. Today's Spotlight Patents address conditional access systems used in video distribution. Assigned to TiVo, the first patent concerns conditional access techniques including those that prevent replay attacks. Assigned to SmarDTV SA, the second patent concerns techniques for selective multimedia encryption.

Microsoft and Nokia DRM Patents

On Tuesdays the USPTO publishes new patents. Both of today's Spotlight Patents concern aspects of DRM. Assigned to Microsoft, the first patent concerns techniques for converting content protection from conditional access to DRM systems. Assigned to Nokia, the second patent concerns techniques for dynamically enforcing digital rights management rules.

Microsoft and Alcatel Lucent DRM Patent Applications

On Thursdays the USPTO publishes new patent applications. Both of today's Spotlight Applications concern DRM. Assigned to Microsoft, the first application discloses techniques for conditional access to digital rights management conversion. Assigned to Alcatel Lucent (FR), the second application discloses techniques for network-based DRM enforcement.

DirecTV and LG Conditional Access Patent Applications

On Thursdays the USPTO publishes new pending patent applications. Both of today's Spotlight Applications concern various aspects of conditional access systems commonly found in cable and satellite broadcast systems. Assigned to DirecTV, the first application discloses techniques for securely requesting download of content to a user device from another device.  Assigned to LG Electronics (KR), the second application discloses a digital broadcasting system and method of processing data.

LG Copy Protection and Nagravision Conditional Access Issued Patents

On Tuesdays the USPTO issues new patents. Today's Spotlight Patents concern techniques for copy protection and for conditional access. Assigned to LG Electronics (KR), the first patent concerns a copy protection method for digital media. Assigned to Nagravision (CH), the second patent concerns a process for managing the handling of conditional access data by at least two decoders.

Conditional Access and Copy Protection Patent Applications

On Thursdays the USPTO publishes new patent applications. Today's Spotlight Applications concern various aspects of conditional access and copy protection systems. Assigned to DirectTV, the first application discloses techniques for forming a formatted content stream. The second application discloses techniques for copy protection of analog signals from computing devices, no assignee given.

Vudu and LG Conditional Access Patent Applications

On Thursdays the USPTO publishes new pending patent applications. Both of today's Spotlight Patent Applications address various aspects of conditional access systems. Assigned to Vudu (nee Vvond), the first application discloses techniques for access control of media services over an open network. Assigned to LG Electronics (KR), the second application discloses a host device interface with a point of deployment (POD) and a method of processing broadcast data.

Interoperable DRM and Multi-device DRM Patent Applications

On Thursdays the USPTO publishes new patent applications. Both of today's Spotlight Applications address various aspects of DRM. The first application discloses interoperable DRM systems, no assignee given. Assigned to Microsoft, the second application discloses portable digital rights for multiple devices.

Irdeto Conditional Access and Samsung Copy Protection Patents

On Tuesdays the USTPO issues new patents. Today's Spotlight Patents concern aspects of conditional access systems and copy protection techniques for video. Assigned to Irdeto (NL), the first patent addresses conditional access techniques. Assigned to Samsung (KR), the second patent address copy protection techniques.

Sony Conditional Access and HP Copy Protection Issued Patents

On Tuesdays the USPTO publishes newly issued patents. Today's Spotlight Patents address various aspects of cable conditional access systems and copy protection. Assigned to Sony, the first patent concerns a configurable cableCARD. Assigned to HP, the second patent concerns copy protection for analog video signals from computing devices.