Apparatus and methods for rights-managed content and data delivery

摘要

Methods and apparatus for providing access to content across a plurality of devices and environments. In one embodiment, a downloadable rights profile is utilized in order for a user device to determine whether to provide content to a subscriber. The user device is first registered to content delivery the network; the device then requests a rights profile indicating the rights of the subscriber associated with the device to access content. The rights profile is transmitted to the device. The rights profile may be configured to be valid only for a pre-determined time, thus enabling a subscriber's rights to be updated (including revoked). Security mechanisms may also be utilized to ensure access to content is limited only to authorized subscribers. In another embodiment, a user-based authentication procedure is utilized, thereby making the rights determination and content provision process completely agnostic to the underlying hardware.

主权项

1. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising at least one computer program, said computer program comprising a plurality of computer readable instructions which are configured to, when executed on a host device:
access a rights profile associated with a network-based account of a user, said rights profile being encrypted using a public key of a public/private key pair and said host device comprising said private key configured to enable said program to decrypt said rights profile, said rights profile comprising at least a number of times content may be accessed or outputted to a display device; determine, based at least in part on said rights profile, use rights that said user has with respect to a first content element; access, based at least in part on said use rights, said first content element for playback to said user of said host device; transfer said rights profile to a second host device, said second host device associated with said user; enable playback of said first content element at said second device based at least in part on said transferred rights profile; and display a list of recommended content, the list of recommended content generated by a network recommendation process and based at least in part on data associated with the network-based account and relating to at least one of: (i) user-specific content preference data, and/or (ii) data relating to historical content selection activity, the list further being generated substantially irrespective of a device being used to access content for playback.