Smart contracts, blockchains (distributed ledgers), and rights management broadly construed are the themes of today's Spotlight Patents. Assigned to Red Hat, the first patent addresses techniques for encrypted multi-stage smart contracts that is to be performed by a contract executor in a plurality of successive stages. Assigned to TBS, the second patent addresses techniques for providing media content to content consumers for playback and consumption.
11,316,660, "Multi-stage secure smart contracts," assigned to Red Hat, Inc.
Abstract
Encrypted multi-stage smart contracts are disclosed. A smart contract that is to be performed by a contract executor in a plurality of successive stages is generated. For each respective stage of at least some stages, a package of data is encrypted with at least one key to generate an encrypted package that corresponds to the respective stage, and an envelope that corresponds to the respective stage is generated. The envelope includes a condition precedent confirmable by an oracle, and an encrypted package-decryption key that is encrypted with a key of the contract executor. The encrypted package-decryption key, when decrypted, is configured to facilitate the decryption of the encrypted package that corresponds to the respective stage. For at least some of the stages, the encrypted package comprises an envelope and an encrypted package that corresponds to a next successive stage.
11,317,153, "Providing media content to content consumers for playback and consumption," assigned to Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
Abstract
Media content items is provided to content consumers for playback and consumption includes plurality of nodes interacting with each other in accordance with defined protocol in communication network. A first node receives a request for playback of a media content from a content consumer. A second node owns the requested media content and provides media content rights to the first participant and/or the content consumer. The first node further provides media content metadata to the consumer device for consumption. A plurality of instances of a distributed media rights transaction ledger, associated with respective node, includes a plurality of media content rights transactions corresponding to an acquisition of the media content rights by the first participant and/or content consumer prior to the consumption of the media content. The plurality of media content rights transactions is categorized, defined, and managed by plurality of nodes in accordance with the defined protocol.
