SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR UTILIZING CONTENT IN ACCORDANCE WITH USAGE RIGHTS

1 . An apparatus for utilizing content, the apparatus comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more memories operatively coupled to at least one of the one or more processors and having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause at least one of the one or more processors to:

enable storage on a removable storage device of a description structure comprising one or more usage rights;

enable storage on a removable storage device of content associated with the one or more usage rights;

receive a request for the content, the request corresponding to a utilization of the content;

determine whether the utilization corresponds to at least one of the one or more usage rights; and

utilize the content in accordance with the at least one of the one or more usage rights that is determined to correspond to the utilization, wherein utilization of the content in accordance with the at least one of the one or more usage rights that is determined to correspond to the utilization is subject to fulfillment of a condition.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the description structure and the content are stored as a digital work.

3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the condition corresponds to an expiration date associated with utilization of the content.

4 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the instructions are stored separate from the content.

5 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is implemented as a single computing device.

6 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the utilization is rendering the content.

7 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the utilization is at least one of distributing, viewing, playing, printing, modifying, and copying.

8 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the content is at least one of an electronic book, music, audio information, a multimedia presentation, a movie, a computer program, and video information.

9 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more processors is associated with at least one of a printer, a video system, and an audio system that utilizes the content.

10 . A computer-implemented method executed by a computing device utilizing content, the method comprising:

storing, by the computing device, on a removable storage device, a description structure comprising one or more usage rights;

storing, by the computing device, on a removable storage device, content associated with the one or more usage rights;

receiving, by the computing device, a request for the content, the request corresponding to a utilization of the content;

determining, by the computing device, whether the utilization corresponds to at least one of the one or more usage rights; and

utilizing, by the computing device, the content in accordance with the at least one of the one or more usage rights that is determined to correspond to the utilization, wherein utilization of the content in accordance with the at least one of the one or more usage rights that is determined to correspond to the utilization is subject to fulfillment of a condition.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the description structure and the content are stored as a digital work.

12 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the condition corresponds to an expiration date associated with utilization of the content.

13 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the instructions are stored separate from the content.

14 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the utilization is rendering the content.

15 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the utilization is at least one of distributing, viewing, playing, printing, modifying, and copying.

16 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the content is at least one of an electronic book, music, audio information, a multimedia presentation, a movie, a computer program, and video information.

17 . The method of claim 10 , the computing device is associated with at least one of a printer, a video system, and an audio system that utilizes the content.

18 . At least one non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to:

store, on a removable storage device, a description structure comprising one or more usage rights;

store, on a removable storage device, content associated with the one or more usage rights;

receive a request for the content, the request corresponding to a utilization of the content;

determine whether the utilization corresponds to at least one of the one or more usage rights; and

utilize the content in accordance with the at least one of the one or more usage rights that is determined to correspond to the utilization, wherein utilization of the content in accordance with the at least one of the one or more usage rights that is determined to correspond to the utilization is subject to fulfillment of a condition.

19 . The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18 , wherein the description structure and the content are stored as a digital work.

20 . The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18 , wherein the condition corresponds to an expiration date associated with utilization of the content.

21 . The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18 , wherein the instructions are stored separate from the content.

22 . The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18 , wherein the utilization is rendering the content.

23 . The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18 , wherein the utilization is at least one of distributing, viewing, playing, printing, modifying, and copying.

24 . The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18 , wherein the content is at least one of an electronic book, music, audio information, a multimedia presentation, a movie, a computer program, and video information.

25 . The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18 , wherein the computing device is associated with at least one of a printer, a video system, and an audio system that utilizes the content.

26 . At least one non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to:

store, on a removable storage device, a description structure comprising one or more usage rights;

store, on a removable storage device, content associated with the one or more usage rights;

receive a request for the content, the request corresponding to a utilization of the content;

determine whether the utilization corresponds to at least one of the one or more usage rights; and

utilize the content in accordance with the at least one of the one or more usage rights that is determined to correspond to the utilization, wherein utilization of the content in accordance with the at least one of the one or more usage rights that is determined to correspond to the utilization is subject to fulfillment of a condition, and wherein the condition corresponds to an expiration date associated with utilization of the content,

wherein the instructions are stored separate from the content, and

wherein the utilization is rendering the content.

27 . The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26 , wherein the description structure and the content are stored as a digital work.

28 . The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26 , wherein the content is at least one of an electronic book, music, audio information, a multimedia presentation, a movie, a computer program, and video information.

29 . The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26 , wherein the computing device is associated with at least one of a printer, a video system, and an audio system that utilizes the content.