Dynamic constraints for content rights
A device for playing digital media comprises a connection for receiving content over a network and a digital rights management (“DRM”) module that identifies rights for the received content by accessing a DRM data structure. The DRM data structure can be a temporal cache. The device receives content and the DRM module identifies identifiers associated with the content and/or the device. The DRM module uses the identifiers to access the DRM data structure and identify rights associated with the content. The identified rights are applied to the content to prevent and/or permit activities with respect to the content. Permitted activities for the content may be presented in a display of the device and can be updated as the content changes and/or as rights associated with content change. Content providers and other authorized entities can change the rights associated with particular content by updating the DRM data structure.
1. A system that can play digital media, the system comprising:
a device;
a user interface configured to allow a user of the device to access content stored on the device and configure device settings;
a memory having stored thereon a data structure;
a connection element that facilitates receipt by the device of content over a network, wherein the received content is at least partially stored in the memory; and
a digital rights management module stored on a storage medium of the device that when executed by a processor of the device is configured to identify and enforce rights stored within the data structure, wherein the data structure is in the form of a multi-dimensional matrix having at least three axes for defining the rights, the axes representing at least a device state, a source, and a channel, wherein the digital rights management module is configured to enforce the rights by identifying a first configuration, the first configuration including a unique set of identifiers, including an identifier for each of the device state axis, source axis, and channel axis, wherein the digital rights management module is configured to, after identifying what the identifiers are for each of the device state, source, and channel axes in the first configuration, access a first rights entry of the multi-dimensional matrix, the first rights entry including first specific rights particular to the first configuration based on the respective identifier corresponding to each of the at least three axes and to enforce those first specific rights, wherein a change to an identifier corresponding to any or all of the device state axis, the source axis, or the channel axis results in a change to a second configuration, wherein the digital rights management module is configured to access a second rights entry of the multi-dimensional matrix in response to the change to the second configuration the second rights entry including second specific rights particular to the second configuration based on the changed identifier corresponding to an or all of the device state, source, or channel axes, and to enforce those second specific rights;
wherein the device is configured to allow a user of the device to manually access updates to the data structure;
wherein the digital rights management module is configured to receive data from a content provider in response to the digital rights management module sending a request to the content provider; and
wherein the data structure is configured to be accessed and updated by the content provider when changes occur to the rights.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the user interface is further configured to display to the user of the device one or more activities that are permitted for the content, the one or more permitted activities based on the rights identified for the content.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein rights applicable to specific content are identified by accessing the data structure using one or more of a channel, a content provider, and a device state identified by the digital rights management module.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the device includes a temporal cache for storing the rights on the device for a predetermined period of time, such that the digital rights management module can identify and enforce the rights by accessing the temporal cache during the predetermined period of time.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the device accesses a service to enforce rights in the data structure.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the data structure is updated periodically either by the device or by a remote service.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the device state comprises one or more of:
a type of the device;
one or more capabilities of the device;
media usage behavior of the device since the device last communicated with a service, wherein the service cooperates with the digital rights management module to set or enforce rights for the content;
subscription level; and
network type.
8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more networks over which content can be received include at least one wireless network.