A system and method for securely streaming encrypted digital media content out of a digital container to a user's media player. This streaming occurs after the digital container has been delivered to the user's machine and after the user has been authorized to access the encrypted content. The user's operating system and media player treat the data stream as if it were a being delivered over the Internet (or other network) from a streaming web server. However, no Internet connection is required after the container has been delivered to the user and the data stream suffers no quality loss due to network traffic or web server access problems. In this process of the invention, the encrypted content files are decrypted and fed to the user's media player in real time and are never written to the user's hard drive or storage device. This process makes unauthorized copying of the digital content contained in the digital container virtually impossible.

Secure streaming container

A method for entertaining individuals according to a community having similar tastes. Information derived from user accounts form the basis of a community and collateral preferences allow other subscribing individuals to enjoy the benefit of wider-ranging tastes according to the preferences expressed by the other members of the community. Additionally, assuming that individuals sharing one preference in common may be likely to share others, the present method allows those who choose to listen to the “fan station” the ability to enjoy similar music or other data streams according to preferences expressed by the fan community as a whole.

Online playback system with community bias

A system and method for providing personalized music playback over a network (110). A user (10) may cause a browser on his/her computer (12) to connect to a server (200) via which the user (10) may tune to one of a plurality of radio stations by selecting a hypertext link for the desired radio station. After certain registration, login, and other administrative procedures are completed, the user (10) may receive from the server (200) a playlist of songs in the musical style of the radio station selected by the user(10). The playlist includes a plurality of unique identifiers for each song that indicate to the user's media player, a location on the Internet (110) from which the song may be streamingly transmitted to the media player for playback on the user's computer (12). In addition to selecting a radio station and receiving a playlist, each registered user (10) may submit requests for songs which that user (10) desires to be included on a future playlist. For each radio station, requests from a plurality of users (10) are aggregated over a predetermined time period to determine which songs are most requested. A user request for a song may be time-delayed or satisfied in real-time.

Method and system for providing listener-requested music over a network

A media server (302) in a Universal Plug and Play network (300) includes a resource sharing service (322) to govern the distribution of resource information regarding resources to rendering devices (304-312). In one case, the resource sharing service (322) consults a creiterion to determine whether an identified network device is authorized to receive resource information. In another case, the resource sharing service (322) consults another criterion to determine whether a specified individual associated with the media server (302) must consent to the transfer of the resource information in order for the transfer to occur. The resource information may include resource metadata that describes high level information regarding resources, as well as resource content. The media server (302) includes various user interface presentations that allow the media server user to specify shared resources and distribution criteria.

Routing of resource information in a network

A method and system for controlling access to stored data is provided. The storage access control system leverages a preexisting security infrastructure of a system to inform the proper access control that should be applied to data stored outside of its original location, such as a data backup. The storage access control system may place similar access control restrictions on the backup files that existed on the original files. In this way, the backed up data is given similar protection as that of the original data.

System and method for storage operation access security

Systems and methods of distributing digital content are described. In one aspect, a portable media device includes a memory, a wireless transceiver, an output, and a controller. The memory is configured to store digital content. The wireless transceiver is configured to wirelessly transmit and receive digital content. The output is configured to render digital content. The controller is coupled to the memory, the wireless transceiver and the output, and is configured to control wireless transmission of digital content based upon meta-data associated with the digital content. In another aspect, a digital content distribution system includes two or more portable media devices and a license manager. Each of the portable media devices comprises a memory for storing digital content and a transceiver for wirelessly transmitting digital content to and wirelessly receiving digital content from another portable media device. The license manager is configured to associate digital content with meta-data for controlling wireless transmission and rendering of digital content from one portable media device to another. A content tracking and incentives system that encourages commercial distributors, broadcasters and users to distribute digital content to new potential customers also is described.

Mathieu Hans

Papers

Distributing digital content