WO2005046180A1 - Method for controlling propagation of a digital content - Google Patents

Method for controlling propagation of a digital content Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO2005046180A1
WO2005046180A1 PCT/EP2004/012441 EP2004012441W WO2005046180A1 WO 2005046180 A1 WO2005046180 A1 WO 2005046180A1 EP 2004012441 W EP2004012441 W EP 2004012441W WO 2005046180 A1 WO2005046180 A1 WO 2005046180A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
digital content
receptor
emitter
nodes
transfer
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/EP2004/012441
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Yann Loisel
Virginie Delemotte
Original Assignee
Scm Microsystems Gmbh
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Scm Microsystems Gmbh filed Critical Scm Microsystems Gmbh
Publication of WO2005046180A1 publication Critical patent/WO2005046180A1/en

Links

Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L63/00—Network architectures or network communication protocols for network security
    • H04L63/08—Network architectures or network communication protocols for network security for authentication of entities
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L67/00—Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications
    • H04L67/50—Network services
    • H04L67/52—Network services specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L2463/00—Additional details relating to network architectures or network communication protocols for network security covered by H04L63/00
    • H04L2463/101—Additional details relating to network architectures or network communication protocols for network security covered by H04L63/00 applying security measures for digital rights management

Definitions

  • the invention relates to a method for controlling propagation of a digital content to be sent from an emitter to at least one receptor via a network.
  • a digital content for example audio and video contents, there is a need to control the area where such content could be received.
  • the broadcasting of such event may be prohibited in some areas, for example in the city where the football match takes place. This fosters people in the prohibited area to buy tickets and to attend the live event. Accordingly, a digital content should only be received in those areas where it is allowed to be viewed.
  • TTL time to live
  • the DTCP-IP proposal sets the TTL of digital content packets to a fixed low value in order to ensure that the packet will not be communicated after having passed a corresponding number of routers.
  • this method is not appropriate as in some areas such as big cities, because the number of routers (or nodes) on surface may be very high. So, for example, a New York inhabitant having access to a given digital content may not be allowed to send this digital content to another device located in another area of New York. Such disallowance does not correspond to the intent to only inhibit transmission of the digital content to a so-called blackout area, such as the city of Los Angeles, for example.
  • the delay of communication between an emitter and a receptor is known to vary strongly, depending on allocated bandwidth and carrier technologies (optical fiber, cable, satellite etc). Hence, measuring the communication delay using Internet Protocol is not an appropriate approach to determine the actual distance between an emitter and a receptor.
  • US Patent Application Publication No. US 2002/0016831 discloses an apparatus and a method for locating of an internet user.
  • the localization is performed by identifying the geographic location of the user from the IP address of the user's internet service provider (ISP). It is not possible to localize a user by means of his own IP address as this address usually is a random address provided by the ISP.
  • the ISP IP address is linked to a geographic address of the ISP through a database. It is assumed that the user's geographic address is close to the geographic address of the ISP. However, this assumption in a number of cases turns out not to be appropriate, since an ISP may be an international operating company that does not have a specific location in each country. Thus, the method may not have more than a continental accuracy.
  • usage of the ISP users database could be implemented in order to uncover a user's personal address, but such measure may violate personal privacy laws or it would at least conflict with user privacy concerns.
  • the invention provides a method for controlling propagation of a digital content to be sent from an emitter to at least one receptor via a network, the method comprising the steps of: a) providing the digital content with additional information concerning specific propagation rules, the information including at least information on prohibited area(s) where usage of the content is disallowed, b) deriving a list of specific transfer conditions from the additional information, the conditions relating to a number of nodes and a communication delay for the transfer of the digital content between the emitter and the receptor, c) prior to the transfer of the digital content via the network, performing a test procedure in order to determine a number of nodes and a communication delay between the emitter and the receptor, d) verifying the number of nodes and the communication delay determined in step c) with the list of conditions derived in step b), and e) author
  • the network communication path between the emitter and the receptor will be first tested in order to determine both the number of nodes and a delay of communication between the emitter and the receptor.
  • Propagation rules associated with a given event will define prohibited areas where the event shall not be viewed.
  • all emitter IP communications established in order to send the digital content will be authorised only if the number of nodes and the communication delay determined in the test procedure comply to the list of conditions derived from the propagation rules.
  • the list of conditions could be for example:
  • Determining the number of nodes in step c) may include identifying the number of routers, switches hubs or the like between the emitter and the receptor. Preferably a TTL test procedure is used to this end.
  • the transfer of the digital content after authorisation can be limited to the determined number of nodes and/or by controlling the communication delay.
  • performing of step e) may be limited to a given time slot.
  • a user located in France has received a digital content containing some propagation rules that are specific for the area of France.
  • Another user located in Germany (userDE) has received the same digital content, but with propagation rules that are specific for German users.
  • “Localisation of the users is done by the content provider having a commercial contract with the users relating, for example, to annual subscription to pay services. To establish such a contract, localisation of the users is usually mandatory, and it is known how to consider user localisation in order to adapt user specific propagation rules in satellite broadcasting.
  • the method according to the invention is used to prohibit the communication of the digital content over Internet Protocol after the initial reception of the digital content by the users (in France and in Germany in the present example) according to propagation rules which are attached to the digital content and depend on the user who has requested the digital content, as will be described in detail below.
  • userDE located in Germany has received a digital content with associated propagation rules that do not allow userDE to communicate the digital content via internet to an area where sub_userDE is located.
  • userFR has the right to communicate the digital content via internet to an area where sub_userFR is located. Propagation rules for the same event could be different for distinct users.
  • the method according to the invention is performed as follows: propagation rules valid for the digital content and the emitter are extracted, the list of conditions that has to be verified to allow IP communication of the digital content by said emitter are identified, as soon as the emitter has defined the internet address of the receptor, the internet communication path is tested in order to evaluate the number of nodes (or routers) between the emitter and the receptor, the delay of the IP communication between the emitter and the receptor is measured, the number of nodes and the communication delay is verified with the list of conditions identified by the extracted propagation rules
  • the IP communication is allowed or disallowed depending on the result of the verification. Only in case that the communication is allowed (authorized), the digital content is communicated to the receptor afterwards.
  • Such method is not restricted to communication over the internet. It can be implemented under the framework of private networks, such as defined by SmartRight or the Digital Home Network Group. Under such framework, the propagation rules of each digital content may also include certain access rights that will define how the emitter and the receptor can access the digital content, how they can copy it, etc.
  • a fixed IP address that is the closest fixed IP address to the receptor is identified, and the fixed IP address is localised by means of a database, the localisation being a further condition mandatory for the authorisation of the transfer of the digital content between the emitter and the receptor.
  • This database could be, for example, the one provided by the well- known "whois" procedure that links IP addresses to geographic addresses.

Abstract

A method for controlling propagation of a digital content to be sent from an emitter to at least one receptor via network comprises the steps of: a) providing the digital content with additional information concerning specific propagation rules, the information including at least information on prohibited are(s) where usage of the content is disallowed, b) deriving a list of specific transfer conditions from the additional information, the conditions relating to a number of nodes and a communication delay for the transfer of the digital content between the emitter and the receptor, c) prior to the transfer of the digital content via the network, performing a test procedure in order to determine a number of nodes and a communication delay between the emitter and the receptor, d) verifying the number of nodes and the communication delay determined in step c) with the list of conditions derived in step b), and e) authorizing the transfer of the digital content between the emitter and the receptor depending on the result of the verification step d).

Description

Method for Controlling Propagation of a Digital Content
The invention relates to a method for controlling propagation of a digital content to be sent from an emitter to at least one receptor via a network. In the broadcasting of digital contents as for example audio and video contents, there is a need to control the area where such content could be received. In particular, for a given event like a football match the broadcasting of such event may be prohibited in some areas, for example in the city where the football match takes place. This fosters people in the prohibited area to buy tickets and to attend the live event. Accordingly, a digital content should only be received in those areas where it is allowed to be viewed. However, in this regard it has to be considered that digital contents may not only be received from satellite, cable or terrestrial operators, but also from individuals who use long distance media carrier means like the internet to transmit a digital content to other individuals. Thus, there is a need to prohibit the transfer of a digital content between individuals' devices via a network under particular circumstances.
It is known to use a parameter called TTL (time to live) in order to control the distribution of digital contents over the internet. In the report "IDF: DTCP over IP" by Will Head, published in the internet under ht ://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/index.cfm?go=news.view&news=3548, a brief summary of implications and techniques of DTCP-IP (Digital Transmission Content Protection over Internet Protocol), including TTL, is given. TTL is a parameter that is defined in the Internet Protocol to avoid communication of digital packets over a too large number of routers. The TTL parameter of each packet entering a router is decreased by 1 before it is routed to the next router. As soon as TTL reaches zero, the attached packet is deleted. The DTCP-IP proposal sets the TTL of digital content packets to a fixed low value in order to ensure that the packet will not be communicated after having passed a corresponding number of routers. However, this method is not appropriate as in some areas such as big cities, because the number of routers (or nodes) on surface may be very high. So, for example, a New York inhabitant having access to a given digital content may not be allowed to send this digital content to another device located in another area of New York. Such disallowance does not correspond to the intent to only inhibit transmission of the digital content to a so-called blackout area, such as the city of Los Angeles, for example.
The delay of communication between an emitter and a receptor is known to vary strongly, depending on allocated bandwidth and carrier technologies (optical fiber, cable, satellite etc). Hence, measuring the communication delay using Internet Protocol is not an appropriate approach to determine the actual distance between an emitter and a receptor.
US Patent Application Publication No. US 2002/0016831 discloses an apparatus and a method for locating of an internet user. The localization is performed by identifying the geographic location of the user from the IP address of the user's internet service provider (ISP). It is not possible to localize a user by means of his own IP address as this address usually is a random address provided by the ISP. However, the ISP IP address is linked to a geographic address of the ISP through a database. It is assumed that the user's geographic address is close to the geographic address of the ISP. However, this assumption in a number of cases turns out not to be appropriate, since an ISP may be an international operating company that does not have a specific location in each country. Thus, the method may not have more than a continental accuracy. One could imagine that usage of the ISP users database could be implemented in order to uncover a user's personal address, but such measure may violate personal privacy laws or it would at least conflict with user privacy concerns.
It is the object of the invention to control the transfer of a given digital content between individuals' devices in order to have a high probability that the reception of the digital content will be avoided in certain predetermined areas. To this end the invention provides a method for controlling propagation of a digital content to be sent from an emitter to at least one receptor via a network, the method comprising the steps of: a) providing the digital content with additional information concerning specific propagation rules, the information including at least information on prohibited area(s) where usage of the content is disallowed, b) deriving a list of specific transfer conditions from the additional information, the conditions relating to a number of nodes and a communication delay for the transfer of the digital content between the emitter and the receptor, c) prior to the transfer of the digital content via the network, performing a test procedure in order to determine a number of nodes and a communication delay between the emitter and the receptor, d) verifying the number of nodes and the communication delay determined in step c) with the list of conditions derived in step b), and e) authorizing the transfer of the digital content between the emitter and the receptor depending on the result of the verification step d).
Use of the method according to the invention provides a high probability that a user will not be able to send a digital content to areas where viewing of said digital content is prohibited. There is no need of a precise geographic localisation of a user. According to an important aspect of the invention, the network communication path between the emitter and the receptor will be first tested in order to determine both the number of nodes and a delay of communication between the emitter and the receptor. Propagation rules associated with a given event will define prohibited areas where the event shall not be viewed. According to the propagation rules, all emitter IP communications established in order to send the digital content will be authorised only if the number of nodes and the communication delay determined in the test procedure comply to the list of conditions derived from the propagation rules. The list of conditions could be for example:
• The number of nodes divided by the communication delay is higher than or equal to a fixed value AND
• The number of nodes is lower than 4.
Determining the number of nodes in step c) may include identifying the number of routers, switches hubs or the like between the emitter and the receptor. Preferably a TTL test procedure is used to this end. In order to prevent modification of the receptor's IP address the transfer of the digital content after authorisation can be limited to the determined number of nodes and/or by controlling the communication delay. According to another aspect of the invention, performing of step e) may be limited to a given time slot.
Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description by way of example, which is not to be understood in a limiting sense. Reference is made to the drawing, in which the only Figure schematically shows broadcasting of a digital content by satellite.
A user located in France (userFR) has received a digital content containing some propagation rules that are specific for the area of France. Another user located in Germany (userDE) has received the same digital content, but with propagation rules that are specific for German users. (Localisation of the users is done by the content provider having a commercial contract with the users relating, for example, to annual subscription to pay services. To establish such a contract, localisation of the users is usually mandatory, and it is known how to consider user localisation in order to adapt user specific propagation rules in satellite broadcasting. However, it is not the object of the invention to deal with this subject.) The method according to the invention is used to prohibit the communication of the digital content over Internet Protocol after the initial reception of the digital content by the users (in France and in Germany in the present example) according to propagation rules which are attached to the digital content and depend on the user who has requested the digital content, as will be described in detail below.
As shown in the Figure, userDE located in Germany has received a digital content with associated propagation rules that do not allow userDE to communicate the digital content via internet to an area where sub_userDE is located. By contrast, userFR has the right to communicate the digital content via internet to an area where sub_userFR is located. Propagation rules for the same event could be different for distinct users.
In order to increase the probability that the communication of a digital content over the internet will not violate the propagation rules of the digital content defined for a given user (hereinafter referred to as emitter), the method according to the invention is performed as follows: propagation rules valid for the digital content and the emitter are extracted, the list of conditions that has to be verified to allow IP communication of the digital content by said emitter are identified, as soon as the emitter has defined the internet address of the receptor, the internet communication path is tested in order to evaluate the number of nodes (or routers) between the emitter and the receptor, the delay of the IP communication between the emitter and the receptor is measured, the number of nodes and the communication delay is verified with the list of conditions identified by the extracted propagation rules
- then the IP communication is allowed or disallowed depending on the result of the verification. Only in case that the communication is allowed (authorized), the digital content is communicated to the receptor afterwards.
It is of course mandatory that such method is to be implemented on a so-called trusted platform in order to avoid any circumvention. The method is not restricted to communication over the internet. It can be implemented under the framework of private networks, such as defined by SmartRight or the Digital Home Network Group. Under such framework, the propagation rules of each digital content may also include certain access rights that will define how the emitter and the receptor can access the digital content, how they can copy it, etc.
According to an enhancement of the method according to the invention, on the path between the emitter and the receptor, a fixed IP address that is the closest fixed IP address to the receptor is identified, and the fixed IP address is localised by means of a database, the localisation being a further condition mandatory for the authorisation of the transfer of the digital content between the emitter and the receptor. This database could be, for example, the one provided by the well- known "whois" procedure that links IP addresses to geographic addresses.
The terms "emitter", "receptor" and "user" are to be understood in a general sense relating to user devices that are able to emit or receive any digital content over a network, respectively. Internet has been used in the description of a preferred embodiment, but the invention is not limited to a specific network. It is applicable to any network that can be tested by evaluating on a path, the delay of communication and the number of nodes, routers, switches, hubs or any equivalent devices having the aim to direct or only to let pass a stream of digital data.

Claims

Claims
1. A method for controlling propagation of a digital content to be sent from an emitter to at least one receptor via a network, the method comprising the steps of: a) providing the digital content with additional information concerning specific propagation rules, the information including at least information on prohibited area(s) where usage of the content is disallowed, b) deriving a list of specific transfer conditions from the additional information, the conditions relating to a number of nodes and a communication delay for the transfer of the digital content between the emitter and the receptor, c) prior to the transfer of the digital content via the network, performing a test procedure in order to determine a number of nodes and a communication delay between the emitter and the receptor, d) verifying the number of nodes and the communication delay determined in step c) with the list of conditions derived in step b), and e) authorising the transfer of the digital content between the emitter and the receptor depending on the result of the verification step d).
2. The method according to claim 1, characterised in that the information on prohibited area(s) relates to geographic area(s).
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the network is a private network related to a user.
4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the network is the internet.
5. The method according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that determining the number of nodes in step c) includes identifying the number of routers, switches, hubs or the like between the emitter and the receptor.
6. The method according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that step c) includes using a TTL test procedure.
7. The method according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the transfer of the digital content after authorisation is limited to the number of determined nodes and/or by controlling the communication delay.
8. The method according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that performing of step e) is limited to a given time slot.
9. The method according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the method further comprises the step of identifying, on the path between the emitter and the receptor, a fixed IP address that is the closest fixed IP address to the receptor, and geographically localising the fixed IP address by means of a database, the localisation being a further condition mandatory for the authorisation according to step e).
10. The method according to claim 9, characterised in that the fixed IP address is localised by a "whois" procedure.
PCT/EP2004/012441 2003-11-04 2004-11-03 Method for controlling propagation of a digital content WO2005046180A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DE10351405A DE10351405A1 (en) 2003-11-04 2003-11-04 Method for controlling the distribution of digital content
DE10351405.8 2003-11-04

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2005046180A1 true WO2005046180A1 (en) 2005-05-19

Family

ID=34530096

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/EP2004/012441 WO2005046180A1 (en) 2003-11-04 2004-11-03 Method for controlling propagation of a digital content

Country Status (2)

Country Link
DE (1) DE10351405A1 (en)
WO (1) WO2005046180A1 (en)

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1133113A2 (en) * 2000-03-11 2001-09-12 Hewlett-Packard Company Limiting message diffusion between mobile devices
US20020143991A1 (en) * 2001-03-16 2002-10-03 Kingsum Chow Geographic location determination including inspection of network address
US20030009594A1 (en) * 2000-02-04 2003-01-09 Mcelligott Adrian Method and apparatus for identifying locale of internet users
US20030195984A1 (en) * 1998-07-15 2003-10-16 Radware Ltd. Load balancing

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20030195984A1 (en) * 1998-07-15 2003-10-16 Radware Ltd. Load balancing
US20030009594A1 (en) * 2000-02-04 2003-01-09 Mcelligott Adrian Method and apparatus for identifying locale of internet users
EP1133113A2 (en) * 2000-03-11 2001-09-12 Hewlett-Packard Company Limiting message diffusion between mobile devices
US20020143991A1 (en) * 2001-03-16 2002-10-03 Kingsum Chow Geographic location determination including inspection of network address

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE10351405A1 (en) 2005-06-02

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US11962826B2 (en) Zero sign-on authentication
CA2509206C (en) System for digital rights management using distributed provisioning and authentication
US8321584B2 (en) Method and apparatus for offering preferred transport within a broadband subscriber network
US9380028B2 (en) Proxy server operation
US8949945B2 (en) Distributed network management hierarchy in a multi-station communication network
US8789149B2 (en) Method and apparatus for communicating between a user device and a user device locating module to allow a partner service to be provided to a user device
US9143493B2 (en) Method and apparatus for communicating between a user device and a gateway device to form a system to allow a partner service to be provided to the user device
US20040177247A1 (en) Policy enforcement in dynamic networks
US20090077635A1 (en) Method, apparatus and system for network service authentication
JP2004135281A (en) Stable multicast flow
US20110093929A1 (en) Method, system, and terminal for using subscription service content
AU7951598A (en) Method and arrangement relating to communications systems
JP4878700B2 (en) Method for providing access control for and / or for users accessing the Internet from a terminal via a premises access node and apparatus for implementing such a method
US8200968B2 (en) Method and apparatus for communicating between a requestor and a user receiving device using a user device locating module
WO2005046180A1 (en) Method for controlling propagation of a digital content
US20070064675A1 (en) Confinement of a data transfer to within a local area network
AU770479B2 (en) System and method for local policy enforcement for internet service providers
US7551601B2 (en) Wireless network service provision method and wireless network system
KR20020074662A (en) Apparatus and method of providing service of intercepting connection to unwholesome site by user id
KR100906645B1 (en) System for authenticating access right for media contents
CN108600214A (en) A kind of network admittance method and system based on NAT
EP4307605A1 (en) Registering and validating a new validator for a proof-of-origin blockchain
KR100713079B1 (en) System for blocking harmful site using a vlan and method thereof
Jordan et al. A proposed device attachment statute for converged networks
Bertola 34 Filter

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
AK Designated states

Kind code of ref document: A1

Designated state(s): AE AG AL AM AT AU AZ BA BB BG BR BW BY BZ CA CH CN CO CR CU CZ DE DK DM DZ EC EE EG ES FI GB GD GE GH GM HR HU ID IL IN IS JP KE KG KP KR KZ LC LK LR LS LT LU LV MA MD MG MK MN MW MX MZ NA NI NO NZ OM PG PH PL PT RO RU SC SD SE SG SK SL SY TJ TM TN TR TT TZ UA UG US UZ VC VN YU ZA ZM ZW

AL Designated countries for regional patents

Kind code of ref document: A1

Designated state(s): BW GH GM KE LS MW MZ NA SD SL SZ TZ UG ZM ZW AM AZ BY KG KZ MD RU TJ TM AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HU IE IS IT LU MC NL PL PT RO SE SI SK TR BF BJ CF CG CI CM GA GN GQ GW ML MR NE SN TD TG

121 Ep: the epo has been informed by wipo that ep was designated in this application
122 Ep: pct application non-entry in european phase