Sharing and lending of digital content

摘要

An individual may wish to make a gift of digital media to a designated recipient. The digital media may be previously purchased by the individual or may be new, unused digital media purchased specifically as a gift for the recipient. The sender of the gift sends a gift notification. The sender is then verified to ensure that the sender is authorized to make the gift by matching an identifier of the digital media with an identifier associated with the sender. The digital media may be associated with a set of rights and privileges. Further rights and privileges associated with the digital media may be offered to the recipient.

主权项

1. A method for sharing digital media, the method comprising:
storing information regarding a plurality of digital media in memory of a server, the stored information indicating that each digital medium is associated with an owner and that ownership of the digital medium is associated with a set of rights and privileges exercisable in relation to the digital medium; receiving at the server a communication from a client device associated with a sender, the communication concerning granting a designated recipient limited access to a designated digital medium, the limited access including lesser rights and privileges than the set of rights and privileges associated with ownership; executing instructions stored in memory of the server, wherein execution of the instructions by a processor at the server:
identifies that the sender owns the designated digital medium based on matching an identifier associated with the sender to stored information regarding an owner of the designated digital medium,charges the sender for the limited access by the designated recipient to the designated digital medium upon determination that the designated digital medium has been previously used by the sender, wherein the sender possess the set of exercisable rights and privileges in relation to the previously used designated digital medium, andprovides the designated recipient with limited access to the previously used designated digital medium based on the status of the designated digital medium being previously used; and sending to the designated recipient by way of the server:a message concerning the limited access to the previously used designated digital medium based on the status of the designated digital medium being previously used, the message including information concerning the lesser rights and privileges afforded to the designated recipient that are associated with the previously used digital medium, andan offer concerning upgrading the lesser rights and privileges afforded to the designated recipient associated with the previously used designated digital medium in exchange for payment by the designated recipient.