Application rights enabling

A method for providing content to be operated on by a user software application, comprising:

• generating content in a format compatible with a user software application, the user software application including a set of disabled operations;
• generating application rights information for the content, the application rights information being operable to enable an operation in the set of disabled operations to operate on the content within a context specified in the application rights information;
• and
• distributing the content and the application rights information to one or more users.

A method for providing a configurable, context-dependent user software application, comprising:

• (a) providing a user software application, the user software application including a set of disabled operations, the user software application being operable to enable an operation in the set of disabled operations to operate on received content based on application rights information;
• (b) providing a content generation tool, the content generation tool being operable to:
• generate content in a format compatible with the user software application;
• and
• generate application rights information for the content, the application rights information identifying one or more operations in the set of disabled operations and being operable to cause the user software application to enable the identified operations;
• (c) distributing the user software application to one or more users;
• and
• (d) distributing the content generation tool to one or more content providers for use in generating content and application rights information to be distributed to one or more of the users.

A user software application, tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium, the user software application including a set of disabled operations and comprising instructions operable to cause a programmable processor to:

• receive content capable of being operated on by one or more of the disabled operations in the set of disabled operations;
• receive application rights information operable to enable an operation in the set of disabled operations to operate on content within a context specified in the application rights information;
• and
• enable the operation in the set of disabled operations to operate on the received content.

A system for providing a configurable, context-dependent user software application, comprising:

• (a) means for providing a user software application, the user software application including a set of disabled operations, the user software application being operable to enable an operation in the set of disabled operations to operate on received content based on application rights information;
• (b) means for providing a content generation tool, the content generation tool being operable to:
• generate content in a format compatible with the user software application;
• and
• generate application rights information for the content, the application rights information identifying one or more operations in the set of disabled operations and being operable to cause the user software application to enable the identified operations;
• (c) means for distributing the user software application to one or more users;
• and
• (d) means for distributing the content generation tool to one or more content providers for use in generating content and application rights information to be distributed to one or more of the users.

A method for providing and using configurable, context-dependent user software application, comprising:

• (a) providing a user software application including a set of disabled operations;
• (b) providing a content generation tool, the content generation tool being operable to generate content and application rights information for the content in a format compatible with the user software application;
• (c) distributing the user software application to one or more users;
• (d) distributing the content generation tool to one or more content providers;
• (e) generating content in a format compatible with a user software application and capable of being operated on by one or more of the disabled operations in the set of disabled operations;
• (f) generating application rights information for the content operable to enable an operation in the set of disabled operations to operate on content within a context specified in the application rights information;
• (g) distributing the content and the application rights information to one or more users;
• (h) receiving the generated content;
• (i) receiving the application rights information;
• (j) enabling the operation in the set of disabled operations to operate on the received content;
• and
• (k) performing the enabled operation on the received content using the user software application.