New patents are issued by the USPTO on Tuesdays. Both of today's Spotlight Patents concern aspects of digital rights management. Assigned to Intertrust, the first patent addresses techniques using cryptography to protect secure computing environments. Assigned to Toshiba, the second patent addresses techniques for transmitting content items.
9,165,135, "Systems and methods using cryptography to protect secure computing environments," assigned to Intertrust Technologies.
Abstract
Secure computation environments are protected from bogus or rogue load modules, executables and other data elements through use of digital signatures, seals and certificates issued by a verifying authority. A verifying authority--which may be a trusted independent third party--tests the load modules or other executables to verify that their corresponding specifications are accurate and complete, and then digitally signs the load module or other executable based on tamper resistance work factor classification. Secure computation environments with different tamper resistance work factors use different verification digital signature authentication techniques (e.g., different signature algorithms and/or signature verification keys)--allowing one tamper resistance work factor environment to protect itself against load modules from another, different tamper resistance work factor environment. Several dissimilar digital signature algorithms may be used to reduce vulnerability from algorithm compromise, and subsets of multiple digital signatures may be used to reduce the scope of any specific compromise.9,167,293, "Electronic device and method of transmitting content item," assigned to Toshiba (JP)
Abstract
According to one embodiment, an electronic device includes a content transmitter. The content transmitter is configured to output a content item including first data and second data to one transmission path, by applying a first copyright protection system to copyright protection of the first data and applying a second copyright protection system to copyright protection of the second data. The first copyright protection system involves encryption of data to be copyright-protected. The second copyright protection system involves no encryption of data to be copyright-protected.
