Managing Rights Management

DISH and Prescient Innovations Blockchain and DRM Patent Applications

New pending patent applications are published by the USPTO on Thursdays. This week's Spotlight Applications continue the theme of blockchains (distributed ledgers, smart contracts) and rights management broadly construed. Assigned to DISH, the first application discloses a content anti-piracy management system and method. Assigned to Prescient Innovations (CA), the second application discloses techniques for providing reliable and authoritative attribution of digital media works at the time of submission to a media distribution service using distributed ledger and machine learning technology.

Tencent and Waldo Photos DRM Patent Applications

New pending patent applications are published by the USPTO on Thursdays. Both of today's Spotlight Applications concern aspects of digital rights management. Assigned to Tencent (CN), the first application discloses techniques for a video detection method, server and storage medium. Assigned to Waldo Photos, the second application discloses techniques for facilitating the sale of digital images while preventing theft thereof.

Huawei and Smart Security Systems Blockchain and DRM Patent Applications

New pending patent applications are published by the USPTO on Thursdays. Today's Spotlight Applications continue our theme of blockchain (distributed ledger, smart contracts) and digital rights management broadly construed. Assigned to Huawei (CN), the first application discloses techniques for copyright management. Assigned to Smart Security Systems, the second application discloses techniques for protecting enterprise communications and data.

HGST Techologies and Toshiba DRM Patents

New patents are issued by the USPTO on Tuesdays. Both of today's Spotlight Patents concern aspects of digital rights management. Assigned to Hitachi, the first of today's patents addresses a digital rights management system that includes a storage module that stores a usage right for digital content in a tamper-resistant portion of a memory. Assigned to Toshiba, the second patent addresses an electronic device and method of transmitting a content item.

Sony and TAI Technologies DRM Patents

New patents are issued by the USPTO on Tuesdays. Both of this week's Spotlight Patents concern aspects of digital rights management. Assigned to Sony, the first patent addresses techniques for statutory license restricted digital media playback on portable devices. Assigned to TAI Technologies, the second patent addresses techniques for targeted messaging, workflow management, and digital rights management for geofeeds.

IBM and Omnifone DRM Patents

New patents are issued by the USPTO on Tuesdays. Both of today's Spotlight Patents concern aspects of digital rights management. Assigned to IBM, the first patent addresses techniques for detecting usage of copyrighted video content using object recognition. Assigned to Omniphone (GB), the second patent addresses techniques for enabling digital music content to be downloaded to and used on a portable wireless computing device.

Intel and Elixsys Blockchain and DRM Patent Applications

We continue the theme of blockchain (block chain, distributed ledger) and digital rights management broadly construed. Assigned to Intel, the first Spotlight Application discloses techniques for blockchain-based shadow images to facilitate copyright protection of digital content. Assigned to Elixsys, the second application discloses techniques for using smart contracts to control the trade, supply, manufacture, and distribution of commodities.

IBM and EMC DRM Patents

New patents are issued by the USPTO on Tuesdays. Both of today's Spotlight Patents concern aspects of digital rights management. Assigned to IBM, the first patent addresses techniques for copyright infringement prevention. Assigned to EMC, the second patent addresses techniques for secure search.

Disney and Wrzesinski DRM Patent Applications

New pending patent applications are published by the USPTO on Thursdays. Both of today's Spotlight Applications concern aspects of digital rights management. Assigned to Disney, the first application discloses techniques for a cloud-based automated content curation system. Assigned to the inventor, Bryan Joseph Wrzesinski, the second application discloses techniques for copyright content monetization..

Wire IP and Concurrent Computer DRM Patents

New patents are issued by the USPTO on Tuesdays. This week's Spotlight Patents concern aspects of digital rights management. Assigned to Wire I.P, (IE), the first patent addresses techniques for controlling access to copyrighted data. Assigned to Concurrent Computer Corporation, the second patent addresses techniques for hierarchical key management for digital rights management.

Pulselocker and IBM DRM Patent Applications

New pending patent applications are published by the USPTO on Thursdays. Both of today's Spotlight Applications concern aspects of digital rights management. Assigned to Pulselocker, the first application discloses techniques for limiting access to data by process or computer function with stateless encryption. Assigned to IBM, the second application discloses techniques for detecting usage of copyrighted video content using object recognition.

Intel and CSC Holdings DRM Patents

New patents are issued by the USPTO on Tuesdays. Both of today's Spotlight Patents concern aspects of digital rights management. Assigned to Intel, the first of today's patents addresses technologies for supporting multiple digital rights management protocols on a client device. Assigned to CSC Holdings, the second patent addresses techniques for a flexible video-on-demand viewing period that is varied depending on whether the customer has completed viewing the entire program, allowing the viewing period to be extended if the customer has not completed viewing the entire program.

Microsoft and Toshiba DRM Patents

New patents are issued by the USPTO on Tuesdays. Both of this week's Spotlight Patents concern aspects of digital rights management. Assigned to Microsoft, the first patent addresses techniques for social network media sharing with client library. Assigned to Toshiba (JP), the second patent addresses a content transmitter that 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.

Accenture and LVRT DRM Patent Applications

New pending patent applications are published on Thursdays.  Both of today's Spotlight Applications concern aspects of digital rights management. Assigned to Accenture, the first application discloses techniques for 3-D printing protected by digital rights management. Assigned to LVRT, the second application discloses techniques for a database system for dynamic retrieval of nested data items [including copyrighted items and derivatives].

Intel and Broadcom DRM Patents

New patents are issued by the USPTO on Tuesdays. Both of today's Spotlight Patents concern aspects of digital rights management. Assigned to Intel, the first patent addresses technologies for digital rights management of 3D printable models. Assigned to Broadcom, the second patent addresses techniques for  social media video encoding.

Google and Cellco Partnership DRM Patents

New patents are issued by the USPTO on Tuesdays. Both of today's Spotlight Patents concern aspects of digital rights management. Assigned to Google, the first patent addresses techniques for identify one or more copyright-infringing time slices in a plurality of audio sequential time slices. Assigned to Cellco Partnership, the second patent addresses techniques for secure element-centric digital rights management.

Alibaba and Toshiba DRM Patent Applications

New pending patent applications are published on Thursdays by the USPTO. Both of this week's Spotlight Applications concern aspects of digital rights management. Assigned to Alibaba, the first application discloses techniques for implementing digital rights management. Assigned to Toshiba, the second application discloses techniques for transmitting content items with copyright protection.

Infosys and Ericsson DRM Patents

New patents are issued by the USPTO on Tuesdays. Both of today's Spotlight Patents concern aspects of digital rights management. Assigned to Infosys (IN), the first patent addresses techniques for a portable digital vault and lending of same. Assigned to Ericsson, the second patent addresses a device using secure processing zone to establish trust for digital rights management.

Adrea and Microsoft DRM Patent Applications

New pending patent applications are published on Thursdays. Both of today's Spotlight Applications concern aspects of digital rights management. Assigned to Adrea, the first application discloses an electronic book security and copyright protection system. Assigned to Microsoft, the second application discloses techniques for media decoding control with hardware-protected digital rights management.

Google and Panasonic DRM Patent Applications

New pending patent applications are published by the USPTO on Thursdays. Both of today's Spotlight Applications concern aspects of digital rights management. Assigned to Google, the first application discloses a secure challenge system for verifying access rights to media content. Assigned to Panasonic (JP), the second application discloses  a content distribution method which allows a source device to safely distribute copyrighted content.

Arris Enterprises and Thomson DRM Patent Applications

Thursdays the USPTO publishes new pending patent applications. Both of this posting's Spotlight Applications concern aspects of digital rights management. Assigned to Arris Enterprises, the first application discloses techniques for fault-tolerant configuration and orchestration among multiple DRM systems.  Assigned to Thomson (FR), the second application discloses techniques for bonding contents on separate storage media by creating a virtual file system.

Intertrust and Toshiba DRM Patents

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.

Precisionist Fund and Toshiba DRM Patent Applications

New pending patent applications are published on Thursdays by the USPTO. Both of today's Spotlight Applications concern aspects of digital rights management. Assigned to the Precisionist Fund, the first application discloses an electronic media distribution system with DRM.  Assigned to Toshiba, the second application discloses a semiconductor device with copyright protection function,.

IP Squared and Adobe DRM Patent Applications

Thursdays the PTO publishes new pending patent applications. Both of the Spotlight Applications presented address aspects of digital rights management. Assigned to IP Squared Technologies, the first application discloses techniques for managing data assets associated with peer-to-peer networks. Assigned to Adobe, the second application discloses a digital rights management retrieval system.

CFPH and United Video DRM Patent Applications

The PTO publishes new pending patent applications on Thursdays. Both of today's Spotlight Applications concern aspects of digital rights management. Assigned to CFPH, LLC, the first of today's applications discloses techniques for electronic file use and management. Assigned to United Video Properties, the second application discloses techniques for enabling an automatic license for mashups.

Toshiba and LG DRM Patents

The PTO issues new patents on Tuesdays.Both of this week's Spotlight Patents concern aspects of digital rights management. Assigned to Toshiba (JP), the first patent addresses techniques for a content delivery service. Assigned to LG Electronics, the second patent addresses techniques for sharing rights object in digital rights management.

Two Sony DRM Patent Applications

Thursdays the Patent Office publishes new pending patent applications. Both of today's Spotlight Applications concern aspects of digital rights management and both are assigned to Sony. The first application discloses DRM techniques for live streaming based on trusted relationships. The second application discloses a security module that is provided in a data recording medium, data to be written to the data recording medium is encrypted with an content key different from one data to another, and the content key is safely stored in the security module.

Audible Magic and Digital Keystone DRM Patents

Tuesdays the patent office issues new patents. Both of today's Spotlight Patents concern aspects of digital rights management. Assigned to Audible Magic, the first of today's patents concerns techniques for copyright detection and protection. Assigned to Digital Keystone, the second patent concerns techniques for conditional access and digital rights management.

Samsung and eBay DRM Patent Applications

Thursdays the Patent Office publishes new pending patent applications. Both of today's Spotlight Applications concern aspects of digital rights management. Assigned to Samsung (KR), the first application discloses techniques for using contents information in digital rights management. Assigned to eBay, the second application discloses techniques for sending and receiving digital goods through a service provider.

SAP and NTT DoCoMo DRM Patents

On Tuesdays the USPTO issues new patents. Both of today's Spotlight Patents concern aspects of digital rights management. Assigned to SAP (DE), the first patent addresses techniques for a secure distributed item-level discovery service using secret sharing. Assigned to NTT DoCoMo (JP), the second patent addresses a content transmission system and techniques for protecting copyrighted works.

Samsung and CFPH Copyright-related Patents

On Tuesdays the USPTO issues new patents.Today's Spotlight Patents concern aspects of digital rights management and copyright protection. Assigned to Samsung (KR), the first of today's patents concerns techniques for utilizing DVD content through a home network that address the concerns of copyright holders. Assigned to CFPH, LLC, the second patent concerns techniques for electronic file use and management without violating copyrights that copyright holders have in the files.

Adobe and Hitachi DRM Patents

On Tuesdays the USPTO isues new patents. Both of today's Spotlight Patents concern aspects of digital rights management. Assigned to Adobe, the first patent addresses techniques for locally caching digital rights information. Assigned to Hitachi (JP), the second patent addresses techniques for an interface that can prevent video signals from being copied easily and which uses a luminance/color difference signal transmission scheme with an excellent harmony with a television circuit.

HP and Sunplus Technology DRM Patents

On Tuesdays the USPTO issues new patents. Both of today's Spotlight Patents address aspects of digital rights management. Assigned to HP, the first patent concerns techniques for determining whether a digital rights management system's native license is valid. Assigned to Sunplus Technology (TW), the second patent concerns a proprietary portable audio player system for protecting digital content copyrights.

Two 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 Digital Chocolate, the first application discloses networked computer game systems and methods with social network functions. The second application discloses techniques for determining copyright infringement and collecting royalties," no assignee given.

Ebyline and Ia Ia media 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 Ebyline, the first applicaiton discloses an online marketplace portal for content publishers and content creators. Assigned to Ia Ia media, the second application discloses a network based digital rights management system.

Sprint and Panasonic DRM Patents

On Tuesdays the USPTO issues new patents. Both of today's Spotlight Patents concerns aspects of digital rights management. Assigned to Sprint Communications, the first of today's patents addresses digital rights management negotiation for streaming media over a network. Assigned to Panasonic, the second patent addresses systems and methods for deleting a content so as to be restorable in the future while protecting a copyright of the content.

Microsoft and LG 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 Microsoft, the first application discloses techniques for controlling access to resources by hosted entities. Assigned to LG Electronics, the second application discloses techniques for controlling a mobile terminal.

Sony Ericsson and Yamaha DRM Patents

On Tuesdays the USPTO issues new patents. Today's Spotlight Patents address aspects of digital rights management. Assigned to Sony Ericsson, the first patent concerns techniques for multimedia distribution and/or playing using separate resolution-enhancing supplemental data. Assigned to Yamaha, the second patent concerns techniques based on copyright for inhibiting music recording.

Sony and Qurio DRM Issued Patents

On Tuesdays the USPTO issues new patents. Both of today's Spotlight Patents concern aspects of Digital Rights Management. Assigned to Sony, the first patent in part addresses techniques for protecting copyrighted materials on a home network. Assigned to Qurio Holdings, the second patent addresses techniques for synchronizing multiple playback device timing utilizing DRM encoding.

Two Sony DRM Patents

On Tuesdays the USPTO issues new patents. Both of today's Spotlight Patents address aspects of digital rights management and both are assigned to Sony. The first patent concerns display devices and copy protection technologies.  The second patent concerns a security module provided in a data recording medium.

Sandisk and Samsung DRM Patent Applications

On Thursdays the USPTO publishes new pending patent applications. Both of today's Spotlight Applications address aspects of DRM. Assigned to Sandisk, the first application discloses techniques for the protection of copyrighted digital content. The second application discloses techniques for processing forward- locked DRM contents, and portable device adapted thereto.

Yahoo and Microsoft DRM Patent Applications

On Thursdays the USPTO publishes new pending patent applications. Today's Spotlight Applications concern aspects of DRM and copyright protection. Assigned to Yahoo!, the first application discloses techniques for detecting the source of media content with application to business rules. Assigned to Microsoft, the second application discloses an educational content presentation system.

Yahoo and Panasonic DRM Issued Patents

Back from vacation. On Tuesdays the USPTO issues new patents. Today's Spotlight Patents concern aspects of DRM and copyright. Assigned to Yahoo!, the first patent concerns techniques for controllable track-skipping. Assigned to Panasonic (JP), the second patent concerns a rights management terminal, server apparatus and usage information collection system.

The CCIA On Interoperability and DRM

As noted, the Federal Trade Commission will hold a public hearing in Seattle on DRM and it's impact on consumers. More than 800 submissions were received, including several from various vendors and trade associations. Among the latter submitting written comments from the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA), a trade association dedicated to open markets, open systems, and open networks.

Among the arguments presented by the CCIA is that legal restrictions on reverse engineering under the Digital Millenium Copy Right Act (DMCA) are too severe and are being used by some vendors to place restrictions on competitors and to prevent interoperability.

Hearing In RIAA Copyright Case Postponed - RIAA Appeals

The hearing previously scheduled for today in the RIAA instigated law suit against Joel Tennebaum (Sony BMG Music Entertainment v. Tenenbaum) has been postponed to allow the RIAA to appeal Judge Nancy Gertner's decision to allow the hearing to be webcast.

FTC Publishes Proposed Topic List For March DRM Town Hall Discussion

The Federal Trade Commission has now published a list of proposed topics for the DRM Town Hall to be held (and webcast) on March 25 in Seattle.  The topic outline is both broad and detailed and worth reviewing.

The legal section proposes these topics:

Legal Landscape of DRM:

• The Copyright Act and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act
• Copyright Office triennial rulemaking
• Impact of DRM on fair use and the first sale doctrine
• End User License Agreements / Terms and Conditions
• FTC Act – Section 5

Hearing In RIAA Copyright Case To Be Televised

The Boston Globe reports that Federal  District Court Judge Nancy Gertner has agreed to allow next week's hearing in the RIAA's copyright suit against BU student Joel Tenenbaum to be televised. Tennebaum's legal defense team includes Harvard Law School professor Charles Nessom.

[Judge Gertner] dismissed as "specious" the recording industry's objections that publicity will influence potential jurors and said she has received assurances that the video stream will be unedited and available to all non-commercial users.

Gertner also said streaming court proceedings online will also serve the recording industry's stated objective of discouraging people from sharing music online.

The video will be streamed from the website of Harvard's Berkmen Center for Internet and Society. The hearing is scheduled for Thursday, January 22nd.

NetBarrage and Samsung DRM Patent Applications

On Thursdays the USPTO publishes new pending patent applications. Both of today's Spotlight applications address various aspects of DRM and copyright protection in mobile contexts. Assigned to NetBarrage (IL), the first application discloses a Peer to Peer file sharing mobile system with copyright protection. Assigned to Samsung, the second application discloses techniques for managing digital rights management contents in portable terminal.

Judge postpones hearing in key RIAA lawsuit

CNet reports that a hearing regarding the RIAA initiated copyright infringement suit in Rhode Island federal court against Joel Tenenbaum has been postponed until January 6. As reported here and elsewhere, Harvard professor Charles Nesson and Law School students have intervened in Massachusetts Federal Court to get the copyright law under which the RIAA brings suit declared unconstitutional.

U.S. District Judge Nancy Gertner's courtroom in Boston is where most of the action has been taking place; the Rhode Island proceedings are a sideshow to the main event.

One hint at her possible receptivity to the Harvard students' argument can be found in her remarks at a hearing earlier this year: "There is a huge imbalance in these cases. The record companies are represented by large law firms with substantial resources. The law is also overwhelmingly on their side. They bring cases against individuals, individuals who don't have lawyers and who don't understand their legal rights...the formalities of this are basically bankrupting people...At a certain point after 133 cases in my court and countless around the country, the plaintiffs are going to realize this is making no sense and making them look bad."

Prof. Charles Nesson: The RIAA’s prosecution of copyright law is unconstitutional

As noted earlier, Prof. Charles Nesson has filed a suit in Boston federal court alleging that the RIAA's copyright enforcement campaign against music downloaders is unconstitutional. Now Mass High Tech has an article by Nesson in which he explains his views.

The tension remains that our antiquated legal system has not caught up to the social reality of digital natives, a term my colleague John Palfrey coined to describe the generation that grew up immersed in digital technologies and for whom a life fully integrated with digital devices that are, by design, free and open is the norm. Surely, just because the laws of copyright have not yet fully addressed the ubiquity by which protected information is readily — and freely — available on the Internet, it does not make good law moot. But this case illustrates a civil sea change rooted in the transformative nature of technology, of code as law. Better understanding of how today’s generations interact with digital media will help us shape our regulatory and educational frameworks in a way that advances the public interest.

The business model of the music labels is broken and will not be fixed by the RIAA's overly aggressive litigation strategy.