Both of this week's Spotlight Patents concern aspects of digital rights management and both are assigned to Intertrust Technologies. The first patent addresses software self-checking mechanisms for improving software tamper resistance and/or reliability. The second patent addresses techniques for managing and protecting electronic content and applications.
9,953,159, "Software self-checking systems and methods," assigned to Intertrust Technologies.
Abstract
Software self-checking mechanisms are described for improving software tamper resistance and/or reliability. Redundant tests are performed to detect modifications to a program while it is running. Modifications are recorded or reported. Embodiments of the software self-checking mechanisms can be implemented such that they are relatively stealthy and robust, and so that it they are compatible with copy-specific static watermarking and other tamper-resistance techniques.
9,946,851, "Systems and methods for managing and protecting electronic content and applications," assigned to Intertrust Technologies.
Abstract
Systems and methods are disclosed for managing and protecting electronic content and applications. Applications, content, and/or users can be given credentials by one or more credentialing authorities upon satisfaction of a set of requirements. Rights management software/hardware is used to attach and detect these credentials, and to enforce rules that indicate how content and applications may be used if certain credentials are present or absent. In one embodiment an application may condition access to a piece of electronic content upon the content's possession of a credential from a first entity, while the content may condition access upon the application's possession of a credential from a second entity and/or the user's possession of a credential from a third entity. Use of credentials in this manner enables a wide variety of relatively complex and flexible control arrangements to be put in place and enforced with relatively simple rights management technology.