Digital rights management negotiation for streaming media over a network

1. A method for initiating delivery of a digital rights management (DRM) encoded content item over a digital network between a client and a target server, said method comprising the steps of:

said client identifying a link to said target server for accessing said DRM encoded content item, said target server being capable of providing said DRM encoded content item in a plurality of respective DRM methods;

said client initiating a network session with said target server;

said client sending an offer message to said target server containing a list of at least one supported DRM method;

said target server sending an answer message to said client containing a corresponding answer list 1) indicating whether each DRM method listed in said offer message is supported by said target server, and 2) providing a respective network address of a DRM license server for each supported DRM method;

said client selecting a supported DRM method from said answer list;

said client obtaining a DRM license using said respective network address listed for said selected DRM method; and

said target server delivering said DRM encoded content item to said client using said selected DRM method.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein each said network address comprises a respective IP address and a respective port number for a respective DRM license server.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said answer message further includes a network transport method for each said supported DRM method.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said answer message comprises a zero value for each DRM method not supported by said target server.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said offer message lists a plurality of DRM methods in order of preferred acceptance.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said selected DRM method is comprised of a DRM method supported by said target server that is listed earliest in said order of said offer message.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said offer message and said answer message are exchanged using a session description protocol.

8. Software for distribution of digital rights management (DRM) encoded content items over a digital network between a client and a target server, wherein said target server is capable of providing said DRM encoded content item in a plurality of respective DRM methods, said software embodied on a computer readable storage medium and, when executed by said client, operable to perform steps comprising:

selecting a link to said target server for accessing a desired DRM encoded content item;

initiating a network session with said target server;

sending an offer message to said target server containing a list of at least one supported DRM method;

receiving an answer message from said target server containing a corresponding answer list 1) indicating whether each DRM method listed in said offer message is supported by said target server, and 2) providing a respective network address of a DRM license server for each supported DRM method;

selecting a supported DRM method from said answer list;

obtaining a DRM license using said respective network address listed for said selected DRM method; and

retrieving said DRM encoded content item from said target server using said selected DRM method.

9. The software of claim 8 operable to list a plurality of DRM methods in said offer message in order of preferred acceptance.

10. The software of claim 9 operable to select a DRM method supported by said target server that is listed earliest in said order of said offer message.

11. The software of claim 8 wherein said offer message and said answer message are exchanged using a session description protocol.