Systems and methods for enabling playback of digital content using electronic tickets and ticket tokens representing grant of access rights

1. A user device, comprising:

a processor;

a network interface; and

memory configured to store:

an electronic ticket that includes a torn status indicating whether access rights for playback of digital content associated with the electronic ticket have been granted by a DRM server, where the electronic ticket enables playback of digital content when the torn status is TORN as opposed to UNTORN; and

a ticket token;

wherein the processor is configured by an application to:

send a request for digital content;

receive a ticket token from a merchant server, wherein the ticket token is generated by a DRM server and associated with an electronic ticket that enables playback of a requested digital content;

send the ticket token to the DRM server;

receive the electronic ticket associated with the sent ticket token from the DRM server where the electronic ticket enables playback of requested digital content;

store the received electronic ticket in memory;

request the requested digital content associated with the electronic ticket from a content provider system;

receive the requested digital content from the content provider system;

change the torn status of the electronic ticket to TORN in the memory in response to the digital content is accessed for the first time; and

play back the requested digital content using the electronic ticket in response to the electronic ticket having a torn status of TORN.

2. The user device of claim 1 , wherein the electronic ticket is an XML file.

3. The user device of claim 1 , wherein the electronic ticket identifies the purchased digital content.

4. The user device of claim 3 , wherein the electronic ticket includes a characteristic of the purchased content selected from the group consisting of:

information identifying the content that was purchased, a license indicating how the content can be played back, a purchase price, a merchant transaction identifier, the identification of a customer who purchased the ticket, and the identification of a customer owning the ticket.

5. The user device of claim 1 , wherein the electronic ticket is associated with cryptographic data that can be used to access the digital content to which the electronic ticket refers.

6. The user device of claim 1 , wherein the ticket token references the electronic ticket, a customer, and the requested digital content.

7. The user device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to receive access information for the digital content.

8. The user device of claim 7 , wherein the access information includes at least one piece of information selected from the group consisting of: a top level index of the digital content, an identifier for the digital content, and cryptographic data that can be used to access the digital content.

9. The user device of claim 1 , wherein the electronic ticket is embedded in the header of a multimedia file.

10. A method for enabling playback of digital content on a user device using an electronic ticket and a ticket token, the method comprising:

sending a request for digital content from a user device to a merchant server;

receiving a ticket token from the merchant server using the user device, wherein the ticket token is generated by a DRM server and associated with an electronic ticket that includes a torn status indicating whether access rights for playback of digital content associated with the electronic ticket have been granted by a DRM server and that enables playback of the requested digital content when the torn status is TORN as opposed to UNTORN;

sending the ticket token to a DRM server using the user device;

receiving the electronic ticket associated with the ticket token from the DRM server using the user device;

downloading the digital content associated with the electronic ticket from a content server using the user device;

changing the torn status of the electronic ticket to TORN in response to the digital content is accessed for the first time; and

playing back the requested digital content in response to the electronic ticket having a torn status of TORN.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the electronic ticket is an XML file.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the electronic ticket identifies the purchased digital content.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the electronic ticket includes a characteristic of the purchased content selected from the group consisting of: information identifying the content that was purchased, a license indicating how the content can be played back, a purchase price, a merchant transaction identifier, the identification of a customer who purchased the ticket, and the identification of a customer owning the ticket.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the electronic ticket is associated with cryptographic data that can be used to access the digital content to which the electronic ticket refers.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the ticket token references the electronic ticket, a customer, and the requested digital content.

16. The method of claim 10 , further comprising receiving access information for the digital content.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the access information includes at least one piece of information selected from the group consisting of: a top level index of the digital content, an identifier for the digital content, and cryptographic data that can be used to access the content.

18. The method of claim 10 , wherein the electronic ticket is embedded in the header of a multimedia file.

19. The user device of claim 1 , wherein the electronic ticket includes an identifier of a customer who purchased the ticket and an identifier of a customer owning the ticket.

20. The method of claim 10 , wherein the electronic ticket includes an identifier of a customer who purchased the ticket and an identifier of a customer owning the ticket.