Method and apparatus for distributing electronic content

摘要

A method of distributing electronic content such as music or books via the internet involves transmitting licence data with the content. The licence data includes status information indicative of whether the licence is a full licence for content purchased from a content distributor, or temporary for content passed from a fill licence owner to a new consumer who has not yet paid for the content. Content is transmitted from one consumer to another for example by PDA wireless transmission, with appropriate licence status data. Connection of a PDA on which content having only temporary licence status is stored to the internet automatically activates the content management program on the PDA to connect to the content distributor and transmit all stored licence status information. Detection of temporary licences by the content distributor triggers a request for payment of the content, and payment results in transmission of replacement licence data having a full licence status back to the consumer. Upon receipt of payment a reward is sent from the distributor to the person who transmitted the content (thus creating the temporary licence) to another consumer, as a kind of sale commission.