Protecting content on medium from unfettered distribution

A digital storage medium having stored thereon:

• a piece of digital content encrypted according to a content key (CK) to form (CK(content));
• a license generator for generating for a particular entity a digital license corresponding to the content, the generated license from the license generator including the content key (CK) therein encrypted in a form decryptable by the particular entity, the generated license from the license generator also including rules that the particular entity must follow in order to decrypt the encrypted content key (CK) and apply the decrypted content key to CK content)) so as to reveal the content, the license generator having embedded therein a private key for signing the digital license;
• a start-up file read and executed when the medium is mounted to a computing device, the executed start-up file executing the license generator;
• and
• license generating information including the content key (CK) and the rules to be included in the license.

A method for generating a license for a computing device for a piece of digital content stored on a digital storage medium, the content being encrypted according to a content key (CK) to form (CK(content)), the method comprising:

• mounting the medium to the computing device;
• performing, by the computing device, an initial scan to detect a start-up file on the medium;
• executing, by the computing device, the detected start-up file;
• executing, by the start-up file, a license generator on the medium;
• obtaining, by the license generator, license-generating information on the medium including the content key (CK) and rules for rendering the content, the license generator having embedded therein a private key for signing a digital license;
• generating, by the license generator, for the computing device, a digital license corresponding to the content on the medium, the generated license from the license generator including having the content key (CK) encrypted in a form decryptable by the computing device and the rules for rendering the content as specified by the obtained license-generating information;
• and
• placing the generated license on the computing device, whereby the content may be rendered by retrieving the license, determining based on the rules in the license whether rendering is permitted, and if rendering is in fact permitted retrieving the encrypted (CK) from the license and decrypting same, obtaining (CK(content)), applying (CK) to (CK(content)) to result in the content in a decrypted form, and rendering the decrypted content.

A method for packaging digital content on a digital storage medium, the method comprising:

• placing the content on the medium in a Yellow Book format, the Yellow Book content being encrypted according to a content key (CK) to form (CK(content)), the Yellow Book content once decrypted being renderable by a computing device;
• placing the content on the medium in a Red Book format, the Red Book content being protected such that the Red Book content is non-renderable by the computing device;
• placing a license generator on the medium, the license generator for generating for a particular entity a digital license corresponding to the placed Yellow Book content, the generated license from the license generator including the content key (CK) therein encrypted in a form decryptable by the particular entity, the generated license from the license generator also including rules that the particular entity must follow in order to decrypt the encrypted content key (CK) and apply the decrypted content key (CK) to (CK(content)) so as to reveal the content, the license generator having embedded therein a private key for signing the digital license;
• placing a start-up file on the medium, the start-up file being read and executed when the medium is mounted to the computing device, the executed start-up file executing the license generator;
• and
• placing license-generating information on the medium, the license generating information including the content key (CK) and the rules to be included in the license.

A digital storage medium having stored thereon:

• a piece of digital content encrypted according to a content key (CK) to form (CK(content)) and placed on the medium in a Yellow Book format, the Yellow Book content once decrypted being renderable by a computing device;
• the piece of digital content placed on the medium in a Red Book format, the Red Book content being protected such that the Red Book content is non-renderable by the computing device;
• a license generator for generating for a particular entity a digital license corresponding to the Yellow Book content, the generated license from the license generator including the content key (CK) therein encrypted in a form decryptable by the particular entity, the generated license from the license generator also including rules that the particular entity must follow in order to decrypt the encrypted content key (CK) and apply the decrypted content key (CK) to (CK(content)) so as to reveal the content, the license generator having embedded therein a private key for signing the digital license;
• a start-up file read and executed when the medium is mounted to a computing device, the executed start-up file executing the license generator;
• and
• license generating information including the content key (CK) and the rules to be included in the license.