JP2007115267A - Content distribution system, and content distribution method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To resolve an economical burden on a secondary elaboration work producer of raw material, and to provide a system capable of reducing a burden on a user to a rational level, and increasing sales for both a raw material provider and the secondary elaboration work producer in using a content created by the secondary elaboration work producer. <P>SOLUTION: In selling the content 20B composed as one work by incorporating a charged content 20C as raw material and carrying out secondary elaboration, each of the raw material and the secondary elaboration work is encrypted, contract information for connecting providers of the raw material and the secondary elaboration work on a network to conclude a use contract is added to each of the raw material and the secondary elaboration work, an encryption key used in encryption is registered in a server, and it is distributed to a user with the concluded contract if the use contract is concluded. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention is a content distribution system in which the use of content can be widely developed, and it is easy to produce and sell content as a secondary processed work that is constructed as a single work by incorporating paid content as a material. And a content distribution method.

  Today, with the development and popularization of computer networks represented by the World Wide Web (WWW) and the enhancement of network terminals, a huge amount of digital content (software) such as text, music, video, and computer programs can be geographically constrained. Can now be easily replaced beyond. In other words, by preparing a server connected to a network such as the WWW and storing the content on this server so that it can be distributed, the content can be downloaded and used from anywhere on the network. This is exactly the distribution revolution brought about by online distribution in the field of content distribution.

  In other words, paid content, such as text, music, video, and computer programs, has traditionally been shipped in the form of articles or shapes using paper, magnetic media, optical media, etc. Traded through distribution retailers such as mail order and mail order. This has become possible through online distribution, and users can purchase it anytime without worrying about business hours and distance.

  Once such an environment is in place, the next stage of increasing importance is the mechanization technology of the toll collection mechanism.

  The technology for distributing paid content (software) over a network and machine processing the charge is expected to become very important in the future. This is because, compared with conventional software sales, it is freed from logistics costs and labor costs for billing, and illegal use of paid content can be theoretically eliminated.

  By the way, as a content billing system, a system disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-283327 is typical. Briefly explaining the mechanism of this system, at the time of distribution, it is distributed in a data format that includes encrypted content and one contract item for playback (this data format is called "distribution format") for playback. When doing this, the content is decrypted using a key that can be obtained in exchange for fulfilling the contract (this state is called “playback format”) and played, and the right to use the content is purchased at a price. Such a content usage model can be processed. Here, such a usage form is referred to as a “purchase method”.

  In the case of the billing system according to this disclosed technology, since it is a purchase method, all of the transactions are gathered once sales are completed and contents are delivered.

  Certainly, when selling content created from scratch, there is only one author of the content, and the above-mentioned charging system can handle the process of paying the price to the author by the user of the content.

  Although rare in music and paintings, for example, as often seen on web pages and 3D computer graphics, creators do not create content from scratch, but purchase paid content from other people as material It is used as a new work that is incorporated into one's own work.

  In this case, the secondary production work creator must purchase the right to use each material in the work in advance from the material provider (material creation provider) and then sell the new work using that material. Since it takes the form, the sale is completed at each stage of the content transaction, and even in this form of transaction, all contract processes can be handled without any trouble on the above-described billing system.

  In the above description, the creator of the content to be the material is referred to as a material provider, and the person who creates one work using the provided material is referred to as a secondary processed work creator. Further, hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, content with a single author will be referred to as genuine content, and content configured by incorporating materials will be referred to as composite content.

  In the case of a purchase-type contract, since the selling price of the material can be estimated based on the cumulative profits of the secondary work creator using it in the future, and the customer is limited to the secondary work creator, Because the population is small, it tends to be expensive. For this reason, applying the purchase method has an excessive economic burden on the user, so that it is difficult to expect that the user will be greatly expanded from a business perspective, and the mechanism tends to be poorly developed.

  Note that the reusable content usage form and distribution market in the open world where users edit and process on general-purpose personal computers to create secondary works are known as “content recycling marts”. For example, Zentaro Kitagawa “Electronic Copyright Management System and Copy Mart” Information Processing, Vol.38, No.8, pp663-668 (1997.8) proposes the concept of coexistence of copyright system, technology and business. .

  However, even this is not a mechanism that reduces the burden on the user to a reasonable level when using content.

  When creating content, there is a form in which everything is developed in-house, or there is a form of secondary processing in which a material is purchased from a material provider and this material is used to finish the content as desired.

  However, in the case of the former method in which everything is developed in-house, the content development cost and development time are enormous. On the other hand, content development by secondary processing can save time required for development, and high-quality content can be developed at a relatively low cost in a short time.

  However, in the latter case, since the material is purchased and used, it is necessary to balance the initial investment to pay for the material, the cost of creating the secondary work, and the sales of the created secondary work. This could be a factor that hinders the use of materials.

  Use and distribution of reusable content such as creating secondary works by purchasing materials and secondary processing, and providing the resulting work (secondary processing content) as paid materials. The “content recycling mart” market is also known, but even if this is the case, secondary work creators who use the material purchase and use the material, which is a heavy financial burden. In other words, the concept of the content recycling mart is a mechanism to recycle content as a work, and the creators of materials provided to secondary processing work creators will have advanced materials As a result, the sales price of materials has to be high due to the balance with the amount that can be sold.

  And this does not break the vicious circle of increasing the material purchase burden of the secondary work creator, pushing up the selling price of the secondary processed content as the secondary work, resulting in a low sales volume. .

  Therefore, the purpose of the present invention is to make it possible to eliminate the economic burden of the creator of the secondary processing work of the material, and to reduce the burden on the user in using the content created by the creator of the secondary processing work. The aim is to provide a system that can be reduced to the level, and that both the material provider and the material processing work creator can increase the sales volume, thereby dramatically expanding the business development.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is configured as follows. That is, according to the present invention, information for a contract procedure for making this material content available is attached to the material content encrypted with the encryption key, and includes at least one of the encrypted material content. A content distribution system that makes it possible to use the encrypted material content from next-processed work content, a server that holds an encryption key of the encrypted material content, connected to the server, and the secondary When the encrypted material content is specified from the processed work content, the encryption is performed by the server by executing the contract procedure based on the contract procedure information attached to the encrypted material content. The encrypted material content encryption key is acquired, and the encrypted material content is restored using the acquired encryption key. Characterized by comprising a client available to, a.

  In the present invention, information for a contract procedure for making the material content usable is attached to the material content encrypted with the encryption key, and includes at least one of the encrypted material content. A content distribution system that enables the use of the next processed work content, the server holding the encryption key of the encrypted material content, connected to the server, and specifying the use of the second processed work content The server obtains the encryption key of the encrypted material content from the server by executing the contract procedure based on the contract procedure information attached to the encrypted material content. A client that decrypts the encrypted material content with an encryption key and makes the secondary processed content available. It is Bei.

  In the present invention, the contract content information for making the material content usable is attached to the material content encrypted with the encryption key, and the secondary content includes one or more of the encrypted material content. A content distribution system that uses the secondary processed content as a new material content when the processed content is made available, and a server that holds an encryption key of the encrypted material content, and the secondary processing The work content is encrypted with a predetermined encryption key, and the predetermined encryption key is promoted to be registered in the server, and the encrypted secondary work content is added to the encrypted secondary work content. And a client for newly adding information for a contract procedure in order to make the service available.

  In the present invention, when selling content that is constructed as a single work by incorporating paid content as a material and secondary processing, the material and the secondary processing work are each encrypted, and the material and the secondary work are also encrypted. To each processed work, the contract information for connecting to the provider of the material and the secondary processed work on the network and exchanging the usage contract is added, and the encryption key used for encryption is registered in the server, When a usage contract is established, it is delivered to the user who has established the agreement.

  In the present invention, when distributing the content of a new secondary work created using paid material content provided by a third party, the creator of the secondary work is obligated to bear the usage fee for the material content. We propose a mechanism that allows the user to pay the usage fee for each content in the final usage stage (use stage by the end user). That is, to encrypt each of the material and the secondary processed work, and to connect to the material and the secondary processed work on the network with the provider of the material and the secondary processed work, and to make a use contract The end user uses the contract information to connect to the provider of the material and the secondary processed work on the network and exchange a use contract. Then, the encryption key used for encryption is distributed from the server to the end user. Accordingly, by decrypting using this encryption key, it is possible to use the contents of the secondary processed work using the material. Since the material provider and the creator of the secondary processing work are connected to each other on the network and exchange a usage contract, there is a mechanism in which the end user bears all of the material even if the material processing fee is not paid at the secondary processing stage. it can.

  As a result, the creators of secondary processed materials are freed from the economic burden of purchasing the materials, and the number of end users (end users) is overwhelmingly higher than the number of secondary processed artists. When using the content created by the secondary processing work creator, the burden on the user can be reduced to a reasonable level, and the sales volume can be increased for both the material provider and the secondary processing work creator of the material. It becomes possible to provide a system that can dramatically expand the deployment.

  In addition, the present invention includes a server that holds an encryption key for each content, and contract information for connecting to a provider to make a usage contract, and is created using the encrypted material content and the material content When using the content of the secondary processed work that has the contract information and is encrypted, and the content of the secondary processed work, use the content by connecting to the provider based on the contract information of each content By carrying out the contract procedure for the above, a means for receiving and decrypting the encryption key of these contents from the server and a means for reproducing the decrypted contents are provided.

  Such a system prepares a server that holds and distributes the encryption key for each content, encrypts the material content, distributes it with information for contract procedures, and creates it using this material content. Encrypt contents of secondary processed works and add contract procedure information for use of the contents, and add the information for contract procedures while using the material content in the encrypted state to add the secondary information The encryption key of the content of the secondary processed work is registered in the server.

  In the present invention, when distributing the content of a new secondary work created using paid material content provided by a third party, the creator of the secondary work is obligated to bear the usage fee for the material content. We propose a mechanism that allows the user to pay the usage fee for each content in the final usage stage (use stage by the end user). That is, to encrypt each of the material and the secondary processed work, and to connect to the material and the secondary processed work on the network with the provider of the material and the secondary processed work, and to make a use contract The end user uses the contract information to connect to the provider of the material and the secondary processed work on the network and exchange a use contract. Then, the encryption key used for encryption is distributed from the server to the end user. Accordingly, by decrypting using this encryption key, it is possible to use the contents of the secondary processed work using the material. Since the material provider and the creator of the secondary processing work are connected to each other on the network and exchange a usage contract, there is a mechanism in which the end user bears all of the material even if the material processing fee is not paid at the secondary processing stage. it can.

  As a result, the creators of secondary processed materials are freed from the economic burden of purchasing the materials, and the number of end users (end users) is overwhelmingly higher than the number of secondary processed artists. When using the content created by the secondary processing work creator, the burden on the user can be reduced to a reasonable level, and the sales volume can be increased for both the material provider and the secondary processing work creator of the material. It will be possible to provide a content distribution system that can dramatically expand its development.

  The present invention also provides a server that holds an encryption key for each content, material information that is contracted for connecting to a provider and signing a usage contract, and is provided in an encrypted form, and this material content Encrypted secondary contents encrypted with the contents of the secondary work created using, and the contract information for connecting to the encrypted secondary work contents provider and signing a usage contract A processed work content is created and provided together with the encrypted material content and contract information for the material content, and an encryption key for the secondary processed work content includes a content editor registered in the server. It has.

  According to such a configuration, the material content is encrypted and distributed with the contract procedure information added thereto, and the content of the secondary work created using the material content is encrypted, and the content The contract procedure information for use is added, and the used material content is encrypted and the contract procedure information is added to match the content of the secondary processed work so that it can be distributed. The encryption key is prepared on the server.

  In the present invention, when distributing the content of a new secondary work created using paid material content provided by a third party, the creator of the secondary work is obligated to bear the usage fee for the material content. We propose a mechanism that allows the user to pay the usage fee for each content in the final usage stage (use stage by the end user). That is, to encrypt each of the material and the secondary processed work, and to connect to the material and the secondary processed work on the network with the provider of the material and the secondary processed work, and to make a use contract The end user uses the contract information to connect to the provider of the material and the secondary processed work on the network and exchange a use contract. Then, the encryption key used for encryption is distributed from the server to the end user. Accordingly, by decrypting using this encryption key, it is possible to use the contents of the secondary processed work using the material. Since the material provider and the creator of the secondary processing work are connected to each other on the network and exchange a usage contract, there is a mechanism in which the end user bears all of the material even if the material processing fee is not paid at the secondary processing stage. it can.

  As a result, the creators of secondary processed materials are freed from the economic burden of purchasing the materials, and the number of end users (end users) is overwhelmingly higher than the number of secondary processed artists. When using the content created by the secondary processing work creator, the burden on the user can be reduced to a reasonable level, and the sales volume can be increased for both the material provider and the secondary processing work creator of the material. It becomes possible to provide a system that can dramatically expand the deployment.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to eliminate the financial burden on the creator of the secondary processing work of the material, and reduce the burden on the user to a reasonable level when using the content created by the secondary processing work creator. In addition, it is possible to provide a system that enables both the material provider and the material secondary work creator to increase the sales volume, thereby dramatically expanding business development.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, the principle of the present invention will be described.
The present invention can be applied to a form in which new contents are created by secondary processing of purchased contents and sold, and each content creator can provide the created contents at low cost. In addition, a mechanism that can dramatically increase the number of sales and a system that can provide it on the Internet will be described in detail below.

  (Principle concept of the present invention) In the present invention, the user can rationally reduce the economic burden when using content, and the contents are created and provided at each stage, such as a material creator and a secondary work creator. The copyright for the contents can be reduced to each. Here, a new content utilization business method called “copyright rental utilization method” is proposed, and a billing system for charging processing in support of the content rental business of the copyright rental utilization method is proposed.

  The copyright rental usage method used here refers to the case where the material content provided by a third party is used by the creator of a secondary work to create new content. It is a mechanism that is borne by the user of secondary work content, and the collection user pays the usage fee for each content at the final usage stage, but the intermediate usage fee, specifically material content This is a mechanism that does not cause the content usage burden to be generated by the creator of the secondary processing work, and that “the secondary processing work creator delegates payment of the right to use the material to the user (end user)” It is a content usage method.

  To put it simply, the content material is purchased by the end user, not the secondary production creator, and the secondary production creator incorporates the paid material into his content and sells it for free. be able to. The user (end user) of the content has a business model of paying a usage fee to the secondary work creator and each material provider when purchasing the content.

  In the case of adopting a copyright rental usage method for content, it is a content beneficiary (end user) who purchases the material. Content users (end users) have a much larger population than secondary production creators, leading to expanded use, and as a result, the number of users can be expected to increase the price of materials as a material provider. Moreover, there is an advantage that sales can be increased.

  On the other hand, since it is possible to use the material without any initial investment, it becomes possible to use the material actively as a secondary processing work producer, and to provide a secondary processing work with better contents at low cost. In addition, a synergistic effect that end-users can use high-quality works can be expected.

  In the content-use business model that applies the purchase method, which is a conventional business practice, it is necessary to balance the initial investment to pay for the material and the labor required to create the product plus the sales of the component works. Could be.

  For these two reasons, it can be said that the content use business model based on the copyright rental use method proposed in the present invention is a very effective model for the content material sales business.

  There is no such business model in the real world. One possible reason is that there is no reasonable way for material providers to reliably collect material charges from content users (end users) when such business models are implemented in real life. It is.

  Another possible reason is that in the copyright rental usage method, the beneficiary (end user) who is a customer must pay the usage fee to multiple authors, so there is an invisible burden of payment. Because it increases, there are times when it is unacceptable as a sales style.

  However, in the system of the present invention, the former problem is solved by theoretically assuring that all trading activities are reliably monitored, and the latter problem is an operation support that unifies payment. It is solved by providing a mechanism.

  By the way, in the real world, a license-type charging model in which each author receives income according to the sales of works, such as royalties for publications such as music CDs and books, is often used. The content usage model of the copyright rental usage method can also emulate such a license type charging model. For example, in the case of a music CD, a price is given to the content material assigned to each author such as a lyricist, composer, arranger, singer, etc., and the music CD is associated with the content as a component of the content. I can do it.

  Next, the above concept assumes the business world that there is no charge between the creator of the secondary processing work and the material provider as a premise, but in the actual operation, the material and the secondary processing work Depending on the power relationship such as name value difference and share difference between the materials, the material provider may want to collect rental fee (corresponding to copyright right) from the creator of secondary processing work, and conversely secondary processing In some cases, it is appropriate that the material provider pays an advertising fee to the creator of the second processed work, assuming that it is incorporated into the work to promote the sales of the material.

  Therefore, in such an actual business world, it is possible to make a monetary transaction between a secondary work producer and a material provider. Although details will be described later, as an application of this function, “if the content is incorporated into other content as a material, if the incorporation destination is for commercial use, for example, 100 yen is required. A contract such as “Yes” is also possible.

  In addition, an extension that can specify the number of times the content can be reproduced, the time limit, and the like by introducing the concept of the life, that is, the use time limit, for the key can also be considered. By giving the usage time limit, a usage environment that can be provided to the user at a lower price can be formed.

  A system for developing business on the Internet and the like by applying the above principle will be specifically described. Here, some embodiments of the system incorporating the media of the present invention will be described with specific examples.

  The first embodiment is a “content distribution system”. The content distribution system is middleware related to a network for the purpose of executing a contract and exchanging contents via HTTP (protocol used in the World Wide Web). In this system, the contract description is made up of a URL where a web page for executing the contract item is arranged. Therefore, it is possible to include arbitrary contract contents such as user registration and questionnaires as well as billing. Instead, financial contracts between material providers and constituents that were raised as developmental issues cannot be realized. The target content is arbitrary.

  The second embodiment is a “content billing system”. This is an extension of the content distribution system, and uses a highly descriptive CDL (contract definition language) designed for this system instead of a URL as a contract description. As a result, contracts that can be handled by the system are limited to billing contracts, but complex billing contracts can be used. It is also possible to introduce a user agent (operation support system) related to payment. For example, it is possible to provide services such as unifying and automating each payment of the same composite content and monitoring / warning of the accounting status.

(First Embodiment) First, a content distribution system will be described as a first embodiment.
<Content Distribution System> The overall configuration of the content distribution system will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the content distribution system 10 of the present invention is composed of a maximum of three subsystems: a content client 11, a content editor 12, and a content server 13, and the content distribution system 10 is connected via a computer network NW. The content is connected and exchanged, and a distribution system of the content 20 via the network NW is configured.

  It is also possible to use a form of content distribution by carrying media such as a DVD (digital video disk). Further, the three subsystems are independent systems, and in the case of a user who enjoys content, that is, a user who only enjoys the content (hereinafter referred to as an end user), only the content client 11 is required. It doesn't mean that you have to have all.

  As already described, a system disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-283327 is typical as a content charging system. The system works by distributing it in a data format that includes encrypted content and one contract item for playback at the time of distribution (this data format is called "distribution format"). The content is decrypted using a key that can be obtained in exchange for fulfilling the contract (this state is called “playback format”) and played back. It is a model.

  On the other hand, the content distribution system of the present invention employs a copyright rental usage method for content, and the secondary work creator transfers the fee payment obligation for the right to use the material to the user (end user). In order to propose a billing model for the “copyright rental usage method”, in addition to the “distribution format” and “reproduction format”, the “configuration format” was introduced as the content data format. The data format of the content called “configuration format” is a data format in which a plurality of other contents are maintained in the state at the time of distribution, and the data for managing the structural distribution information is included. As a distribution format, it is used instead of “distribution format”.

  As will be described later, the component that creates the data of the “configuration format” is an archiver (121 in FIG. 6) included in the content editor 12 and takes in the data of the “configuration format” distributed, The components to be converted into data are recomposers (111 and 122 in FIG. 6).

  These data formats will be briefly described with reference to FIGS. However, data whose data structure is a reproduction format is simply raw content.

  FIG. 2 shows various data structures of content. 20A shown in FIG. 2A is a distribution format data structure, and 20B shown in FIG. 2B is a configuration format data structure. As shown in this figure, in the case of “distribution format” data, it is composed of a contract status information part 21, a GUID information part 22, and a content part 23.

  Among these, the contract status information section 21 is composed of a contract procedure 21a column and a key 21c column, and a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is described in the contract procedure 21a column. The URL described in the column of the contract procedure 21b is a URL indicating contract processing.

  Further, the content 23 in the “distribution format” data is data of the content main body, which is encrypted. When the URL in the column of the contract procedure 21b is executed, the contract destination server decrypts the content 23. It is a mechanism to provide the key.

  The GUID information unit 22 is a unique identifier assigned to each content, and is used for specifying the content when the contracted server returns a key. The key provided from the server is written in the key 21c field, and if the key is written in the key 21c field, the key can be reproduced at any time.

  On the other hand, the data structure of the configuration format 20B shown in FIG. 2B is composed of a container content 24, a plurality of material contents 25, and structural arrangement information 26.

  Among these, the container content 24 is the underlying content that is the destination of incorporation of each material content 25. The container contents 24 are stored in a distribution format, and the material contents 25 are stored in a distribution format data structure or a configuration format data structure (secondary processed work). Therefore, each content has a contract item.

  The structural arrangement information 26 is structural information on how each material content 25 is merged with the container content 24.

Here is an example of the key structure.
<Key Structure> As shown in FIG. 3, the key structure of the key 21c is GUID information 21c1 indicating the content of the GUID information portion 22 of the content in the distribution format corresponding to the key 21c, and data for decrypting the content. It comprises protection release information 21c2 and life information 21c3 indicating the life (expiration date) of the key 21c.

  The life information 21c3 is an option, and other than the designation by the date and time, designation by the remaining number of reproducible times may be considered.

Here, the data structure handled by this system will be described.
<Data Structure> When the content is a web page, it is also an appropriate method to use the “XPath” language as the description of the structural arrangement information 26 described above. FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 show an example of the data structure of the configuration format and an example of the data structure of the reproduction format when “XPath” is adopted as the description method of the structural arrangement information 26.

  This example is a web content example of a magazine page configured by collecting two paid news articles, which is an example described in “XPath”, and FIG. 4 is a data structure (20B) in a configuration format, and FIG. 5 shows an example of the data format (20C) of the reproduction format.

  4 is converted by a “recomposer” described later, a “reproduction-format web content example” as shown in FIG. 5 is obtained.

  This completes the description of the data structure handled by this system. Next, the detailed configuration of the content distribution system will be described with reference back to FIG.

  As described above, the content distribution system 10 of the present invention includes a content client 11, a content editor 12, and a content server 13 in the case of the maximum configuration. Among these, the content client 11 has a configuration format. As shown in FIG. 6, it has a function of reading a content, performing a necessary contract process, and playing it, and includes a recomposer 111, a decoder 112, a validator 113, a saver 114, and a player 115.

  Among these, the recomposer 111 performs processing to extract container content and material content included in the data from the read configuration format data 20B. The validator 113 checks the validity of the key included in the target distribution format content, and updates the lifetime or reacquires the content as necessary.

  The decoder 112 decrypts the container content and material content extracted by the recomposer 111, which has a data format that is a distribution format, into a reproduction format data. It also has a function of performing contract processing with the content server as necessary after checking the validity using the data 113.

  The player 115 reproduces the content of the data structure of the reproduction format restored by the decoder 112, and the saver 114 provides a function of saving the content being processed by the recomposer 111 in the configuration format in the file system. . At this time, if there is a decrypted container content / material content included in the content delivered from the recomposer 111, the content is stored after being restored to the initial encrypted state. However, the saver 114 is configured to function so that the key embedded in the contract status information unit 21 remains embedded without being removed.

  Briefly explaining the processing of the content client 11 having such a configuration, the read data 20B in the configuration format (see FIG. 2B) is first transferred to the recomposer 111. The recomposer 111 takes out the container content and the material content included in the data in the configuration format. If the format is a distribution format, the extracted data is transferred to the decoder 112 for decoding. At this time, the “decoder 112” checks the validity of the already-obtained key using the validator 113 and performs a contract process with the content server as necessary.

  If the data format is a configuration format, the data of the configuration format is passed to the recomposer 111 itself, and the read processing is performed recursively. As a result of these processes, the decrypted distribution format or configuration format material is appropriately merged into the container content according to the structural arrangement information of the material. Finally, the content obtained through these processes is reproduced by the player 115. In addition, the acquired content in the configuration format can be saved at any processing stage of the recomposer 111. In addition, in order to prevent fraud, it is devised so that content in a playback format cannot be removed from the system within the content client.

  <Content Editor> Next, the configuration of the content editor 12 will be described. The content editor 12 has a function of creating content having a data structure in the configuration format. However, the content editor 12 is configured so that content in another format can be incorporated as a material when creating the content in the configuration format. It is. As shown in FIG. 6, the content editor 12 includes an archiver 121, a recomposer 122, a decoder 123, a validator 124, and an encoder 125.

  Among these, the archiver 121 is for archiving content in a configuration format and content in a distribution format captured from the outside, and creates a file (archive file) in which a plurality of files are collected together.

  The recomposer 122 performs processing of reading data in a configuration format from the outside of the system and merging the materials included in the content into the container content and making it reproducible while reading the structural arrangement information.

  The decoder 123 performs a contract process for the given distribution format content while exchanging with the content server 13, acquires a key, and decrypts the content. Is responsible for the function to output.

  The validator 124 checks the validity of the key included in the target distribution format content, and updates the lifetime of the key and reacquires the content as necessary.

  The encoder 125 assigns a billing contract to the container content included in the content in the configuration format created by the archiver 121 and performs encryption. Also, processing is performed in which contract items are assigned to container content and distributed in a distribution format, and inserted into configuration format content. As a result, the resulting configuration format content and key are output.

  The processing of the content editor 12 will be briefly described. First, the archiver 121 reads zero or more contents that are materials and one container content that is an incorporation destination thereof. When there are one or more materials, the structural arrangement of each material in the container content is determined according to the operation of the composer on the editing tool, and is recorded in the structured format content as structural arrangement information. However, it should be noted that this editing tool only determines the structural arrangement and does not change the content itself (this prevents other people's content from being altered).

  Subsequently, the encoder 125 inserts the contract items assigned to the container content into the distribution format and inserts them into the configuration format content. As a result, the obtained configuration format content and key are output.

  <Content Server> The content server 13 is a web server that manages keys and has a delivery function. Specifically, it has a function of performing contract processing by connecting to the content client 11 and returning a corresponding key in return when the contract is correctly executed. In addition, it has a function to deliver content in a structured format as an option.

  [Content Client Constituent Component Algorithm] As shown in FIG. 6, the content client 11 includes a recomposer 111, a decoder 112, a validator 113, a player 115, and a saver 114. The algorithm of each component will be described.

  <Recomposer algorithm> The recomposer 111 reads data in a configuration format from the outside of the system, reads the structural arrangement information, and merges the materials included in the container content into a container content so that the data can be played back. It is. This function can be obtained by the procedure shown in the flowchart of the algorithm of the recomposer shown in FIG. 7, and the algorithm will be described based on this flowchart.

  First, in the process of step S71, the container content in the distribution format is taken out and decrypted by the decoder 112 (note that this decrypting process will be described with a decoder algorithm). As a result, if the decoding is successful, the process proceeds to step S72. If the decoding is unsuccessful, the process proceeds to step S78 and ends abnormally.

  In step S72, it is checked whether there is any material content that is not to be decrypted. If there is, the process proceeds to step S73, and if not, the process skips to step S77.

  In step S73, one of the material contents not to be decrypted is taken out and the data format is checked. As a result, if the data format is a distribution format, the process proceeds to step S74. If the data format is a configuration format, the process of this algorithm is recursively called with the content as an input.

  In step S 74, the extracted material content is decrypted by the decoder 112. As a result, if the decoding is successful, the process proceeds to step S75. If the decoding is unsuccessful, the process proceeds to step S76.

  In step S75, the configuration arrangement information related to the material content decrypted in step S74 is read, and the material content is merged with the container content decrypted in step S71.

  In step S76, it is checked whether there is material content that is not to be decrypted. As a result, if there is material content that is not the target, the process returns to step S73. If there is no material content that is not the target, the process proceeds to step S77.

  In step S77, the content merged in the above process is transmitted to the player 115, and the process proceeds to step S79 to end the process. The above is the algorithm for realizing the function of the recomposer 111.

  Next, an algorithm for realizing the function of the decoder 112 will be described with reference to FIG.

  <Decoder Algorithm> The decoder 112 performs a contract process for the given distribution format content while exchanging with the content server 13, obtains a key, and performs a series of processes for decrypting the content for reproduction. It has the function of outputting possible content. This process is called as a subroutine of the process described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 7 which is a recomposer algorithm.

  Hereinafter, the algorithm will be described based on the flowchart of the algorithm of the decoder shown in FIG. However, key validity verification will be described separately in the validator algorithm shown in FIG. Further, the exchange of the contract procedure with the content server 13 will be separately described with the key acquisition algorithm of FIG. 10 which is an instruction transition diagram.

  First, in step S81, the key column of “contract status 21 in FIG. 2” is checked to determine whether the key is already included in the data. As a result, if the key is included, the process proceeds to S82, and if not included, the process proceeds to S83.

  In step S82, it is determined whether the key is valid using the validator. As a result, if the key is valid, the process proceeds to step S84. If the key is invalid, the process proceeds to step S83.

  In step S83, key acquisition processing is performed by exchanging with the content server 13 (note that this acquisition processing will be described with the key acquisition algorithm shown in FIG. 10). If the acquisition is successful, the process proceeds to S84. If the acquisition is unsuccessful, the process proceeds to step S86 and ends abnormally.

  In step S84, content decryption is attempted using the key obtained in the abnormal procedure. If the decoding is successful, the process proceeds to step S85 and ends normally. If the decoding is unsuccessful, the process proceeds to step S86 and ends abnormally.

  The above is the algorithm for realizing the function of the decoder 112.

  Next, an algorithm for realizing the function of the validator 113 will be described with reference to FIG.

  <Validator Algorithm> The validator 113 checks the validity of the key included in the target distribution format content, and updates the lifetime of the key and reacquires the content as necessary. This process is as shown in FIG. 9, and is called as a subroutine in the process described in the flowchart of the decoder algorithm of FIG. 8, and returns a check result regarding the validity of the key.

  First, in step S91, the “life” designation format recorded in the key is checked. As a result, if the designated format is date and time, the process proceeds to step S92. If the remaining number of reproductions is possible, the process proceeds to step S93.

  The validator algorithm will be described with reference to FIG. 9. First, in step S91, it is checked whether or not the specified format of the lifetime is the format of the remaining number of reproductions. As a result, if it is not in the reproduction number format, the process proceeds to step S92.

  In step S92, it is checked whether it is still within the expiration date of the life that is currently specified. As a result, if it is within the expiration date, the process proceeds to step S98 and ends normally to indicate that the key is valid. If the result of the check in step S92 is not within the expiration date, the process proceeds to step S96.

  As a result of checking the life designation format in step S91, if the remaining number of reproductions is in the format, the process proceeds to step S93. Here, it is checked whether or not the reproducible number still remains. As a result, if not left, the process proceeds to step S96, and if left, the process proceeds to step S94.

  In step S94, the “lifetime” recorded on the key is updated by reducing the number of reproducible times by one, and the process proceeds to step S95 and ends normally to indicate that the key is valid.

  On the other hand, in step S96, the key is erased, and then the process proceeds to step S97 to abnormally end to indicate that the key is invalid.

  The above is the algorithm for realizing the function of the validator 113.

  Next, an algorithm for realizing the key acquisition function will be described with reference to FIG. The algorithm for key acquisition by the decoder is as follows.

  <Key Acquisition Algorithm> The decoder 112, which is a constituent element of the content client 11, tries to acquire a key while exchanging with the content server 13 when a valid key is not included in the content to be processed. This process is called as a subroutine of the process described in the flowchart of the decoder algorithm shown in FIG.

  It is basically the same as typical processing such as CGI and does not do anything special, but it is characteristic that the content server returns a key instead of returning a web page as a result of normal execution of the server processing. It is.

  The key acquisition algorithm will be described below with reference to FIG. For these processes, it is desirable to introduce security technology such as eavesdropping, but in order to protect the security of data exchanged between SSL (Secure Sockets Layer; WWW browser and WWW server). It is assumed that a well-known method is used, and is not described here.

  First, in step S11, the decoder 112 acquires a web page in the form of a contract description form from the content server 13 based on the URL of the contract item of the target content.

  In step S12, the decoder 112 pops up a dialog box that displays the obtained form page. The content beneficiary (end user) inputs each necessary item on the displayed contract page, and clicks the GUI part on the web page having a function of transmitting the information. As a result, various information related to the contract is transmitted from the decoder 112 to the content server 13. This includes GUID information of the target content.

  In step S13, the content server 13 analyzes the contract information from the decoder 112 and checks the validity.

  In step S14, the content server 13 performs contract processing if the contract information is valid (for example, billing processing), returns a key corresponding to the decoder 112, and ends normally. However, the corresponding key is specified by searching based on the GUID information of the content sent in step S12 from the “key DB 131 of FIG. 6” in the content server 13. If the corresponding key is not found or the contract information is not valid, an error code is transmitted to the decoder 112 and the process ends abnormally.

  <Player> The player 115, which is a component of the content client 11, is a dedicated playback unit of the present system, and the content client 11 in the system of the present invention stores the decrypted content in order to prevent leakage of the decrypted content. In the reproduction, the content is reproduced by adopting a configuration in which only an internal “player” can be passed without using an external application.

  The player 115 receives the content converted into the playback format by the decoder 112 and plays back the content. There are various players such as web page display, music performance, and image display depending on the content content.

  Although it is optional, even if the content passed from the decoder 112 contains undecoded material, the maximum effort is made to play the other parts as much as possible without playing only the material. The idea to do is also considered. For example, when the content is a web page, it is conceivable to place a placeholder for a material part that has not been decrypted and display the other part.

  As described above, a mechanism that enables content reproduction only by the built-in player 115 is obtained.

  As one of the features of the present invention, in order to surely prevent the leakage of the decrypted content, the content reproduction can be performed only by the built-in player 115. In other words, the system of the present invention is configured such that the decrypted content can be played back by passing it only to the built-in player 115 without using an external application. The content is not leaked to the external application.

  Next, the saver 114 will be described.

  <Saver> The saver 114, which is a component of the content client 11, provides a function of saving the content being processed by the recomposer 111 in the file system in a configuration format. At this time, if there is decrypted container content / material content included in the content delivered from the recomposer 111, the content is restored after being restored to the initial encrypted state. However, the key embedded in the contract status is not removed and remains embedded.

  As a result, the content stored on the file system cannot be viewed from other applications, and the next time it is read into the content client 11, the key remains inside, so the contract processing is resumed from the next. The function that can be realized.

  <Content Editor> The content editor 12 comprises an archiver 121 and an encoder 125 as shown in FIG. The algorithm for each of these components will be described.

  <Archiver> The archiver 121 in the content editor 12 provides an editing function for inserting material content into the content. However, content that can be used as container content is limited to a reproduction format. The material content is permitted regardless of whether the data structure is a reproduction format or a configuration format.

  When the data structure is in the reproduction format, it is merged with the position of the container content specified in the editing operation. However, when the data structure is in the configuration format, structural arrangement information is generated instead of merging. Further, since the material is played back at the time of editing, the material content in the configuration format is decrypted at the time of reading.

  This decryption process is executed by the recomposer 122, the decoder 123, and the validator 124 in exactly the same manner as the algorithm described in the content client 11.

  When the editing operation is finally completed, the archiver 121 creates structural arrangement information in the container content of each material content based on the editing result, and combines the content with the container content and each material content into one configuration format content. Create However, at this time, all keys in each material content are removed.

  <Encoder> The encoder 125 in the content editor 12 assigns a billing contract to the container content included in the content in the configuration format created by the archiver 121, and performs encryption according to the algorithm shown in FIG. Realize the function.

  That is, the encoder first executes the process of step S111, adds empty contract status and GUID fields to the container content, and first formally sets the distribution format.

  Next, the process proceeds to step S112, where the user inputs a URL corresponding to the contract process, and writes the URL in the "contract procedure 21a" column of FIG. However, it is not written if no contract is requested.

  Next, the process proceeds to step S113. When the URL of the contract procedure is given in step S112, the content is encrypted to obtain the key.

  Next, the process proceeds to step S114, where a GUID is generated and written in the content and key GUID fields. However, one of well-known methods may be adopted for the GUID generation algorithm.

  Next, in step S115, the user inputs the key life and writes the value in the life 21c3 column of FIG.

  <Content Server> As described with reference to FIG. 10, the content server 13 performs contract processing with the decoder 112 of the content client 11 and performs processing for returning a key in exchange. In order to realize this, the content server 13 is implemented as a web server, and has a key DB (database) 131 in FIG. Further, as an option, content may be transmitted upon request.

  The content distribution system according to the first embodiment having the above-described configuration is middleware related to a network for the purpose of executing a contract and exchanging content via HTTP.

  The content distribution system according to the first embodiment extends the conventional billing processing system and can handle a new data format “configuration format” in addition to “reproduction format” and “distribution format” as a data format. It was configured as follows. In addition, as a device configuration, two types of devices (functional elements) of “archiver” and “recomposer” were added to the conventional billing processing system. These two types of devices (functional elements) operate in cooperation with the “decoder” and “encoder” of the conventional charging system. The decoder is a device that reads distribution format data and converts it into a reproduction format, and the encoder is a device that creates distribution format data from reproducible ordinary content.

  The configuration format adopted in the present invention is a data format for expressing composite content comprising a plurality of configured paid genuine content, and has a data structure used at the time of distribution, that is, content data used by an end user. Structure.

  Specifically, the data in the format consists of the following three types. That is, (1) Genuine content that is each material in the distribution format.

(2) Distribution-type container content that organizes them.

(3) A list of structural arrangement information in the container content of each material content.

There are three types.

  And in such a configuration format, the contents of each material are not mixed as one content, but each material in the distribution format as it is obtained, and the configuration method thereof are kept separately. The end user can not enjoy the material without purchasing each material.

  Incidentally, the structural arrangement information varies depending on the target media type. For example, if the component work is 3D computer graphics, the coordinates and direction in the 3D space of the model part that is the material, and if it is a web page, insert the material page into the tag such as the inclusion page. It can be considered as a candidate for structural arrangement information.

  The recomposer 111 is a device that interprets and reconfigures data in this configuration format to make it reproducible, and enables content to be used in the content client 11 that is a device used by the content user (end user). It is used in the previous stage process. The recomposer 111 first inputs the distribution format material included in the configuration format data to the decoder 112 in order, and decodes it. In this process, a contract procedure for content use is performed, and the price of each material is paid to the material provider. For the material that has been successfully decrypted, the material is appropriately merged into the container content according to the structural arrangement information of the material. Finally, the result of merging all the materials successfully decrypted into the container content is passed to the playback device. Since such a mechanism is used, when a content user (end user) purchases a secondary processed work, a contract process is performed for each author regarding the material and the secondary processed work from the content user. The procedure is to be performed.

  On the other hand, an archiver 121 is a device that generates content in a configuration format, and is used in the content editor 12 that is a device of a secondary work creator. The archiver 121 reads the distribution format material designated by the secondary work creator and adds it to the composition format content, and also arranges the structural arrangement of each material in the container content according to the operation of the secondary work creator. Determine and record in configuration format content.

  Although the basic functions are achieved by the above means, it is desired to incorporate not only genuine contents but also composite contents as materials. If the content that is the material is limited to the genuine content, only one level of content reuse as the material is allowed. On the other hand, if the composite content is expanded to include not only genuine content but also composite content, in principle, the content reuse chain can be continued indefinitely.

  This expansion can be expected to further promote content reuse. However, even in this expansion, the performance of the billing contract with each material provider must be guaranteed.

  In order to achieve this, the composition format has been expanded to handle not only the distribution format but also the composition format as the data format of the material to be incorporated into the composite content, and the recomposer has been enhanced to include the expanded composition format. It is necessary to correctly execute the license type billing process even for composite contents incorporated as material.

  First, regarding the expansion of the configuration format, instead of having “each material in distribution format” as a list, “each material in distribution format or configuration format” can be held as a list.

  Next, the expansion of the recomposer is described. In the process of sequentially decoding each material included in the composite content to be processed, if the extracted material is a distribution format, the recomposer transmits it to the decoder for decoding as in the previous solution. If the material is a composition format, the material is recursively processed by the recomposer itself. That is, the recomposer temporarily interrupts the current processing to initialize the internal state, and returns the content in the playback format obtained by executing the decoding processing / configuration processing of the material configuration format to the initial processing status. By this processing, all the materials included in the input composite content are decoded after being charged, and they are reconstructed and can be reproduced.

  Also, with the introduction of CDL, the content client 11 can know the fees and items of each contract, so pay attention to the user who is the content recipient, pay the current payment fee, and automatically write the items required for the contract. It is also possible to provide payment support such as spending money. These functions are called user agent functions.

  Hereinafter, the CDL decoder / CDL content server extended in the CDL and content billing system will be described.

  <Contract Definition Language CDL> First, the contract definition language CDL will be described. CDL is merely an example, but in order to realize a content billing system, a language having an equivalent definition function is required even if the grammar is different.

  CDL, which is a language for contract definition, can define a contract profile, items required for contract execution, and side effect actions associated with contract execution. This definition can be defined in large quantities and can be changed according to conditions.

  An example is shown in FIGS. 12 (a) and 12 (b). FIG. 1212 (a) shows an example in which the user charges for commercial use but is free for non-commercial use, and FIG. 12 (b) shows the case where the secondary processing work creator pays all the material costs for the composite content. It is a description example.

  In CDL, as shown in this figure, a contract is defined in braces of “contact {}”. The contract is composed of “profile {}”, “requirements {}”, and “action {}”, and defines the contract profile, items necessary for executing the contract, and side effect actions, respectively.

  As a contract profile, “price (price)”, “URL (processor) to the server that executes the contract”, “URL (style) to the screen design when entering the contract item”, and “corresponding card A “card-company” must be defined. However, if the price is 0 yen, the others need not be defined.

  Items required for fulfilling the contract include: “customer name (client-name)” “customer address (client-address)” “customer phone number (client-phoneno)” • “card company used for payment ( "card-company" "・" Card number (card-account) ", and assuming that a person different from the customer changes," actual payer's name (cardus-name) " Address-card "-" payor's phone-phone "etc., etc. can be requested. These are optional and not required. You can also define default values for items following equals. In the example of FIG. 12A, the customer's name, address, and telephone number are given as default values of the payer's name, address, and telephone number.

  Side effect actions can be described procedurally. Only “contract fulfillment” is prepared as the type of action that can be executed. This contract execution is written like a method such as “executor. Contract ID (argument list)”. The contract object can be written as “CI object name [contract number]”. The executor is specified using a contract object. The right holder of the specified contract object becomes the executor. This is optional.

  The contract of each content included in the composite content can be specified using contract objects “container [n]” and “containee [n]”. However, “container” means a contract for a container content to be incorporated into the content to which the contract is assigned. The composite content can be recursively incorporated into the composite content, but the nesting level is designated by the subscript [n].

  “Containee [n]” indicates a contract for n subordinate materials among the materials incorporated in the content. However, n is a positive number.

  Specifying "?" for n is optional. For example, when it is desired to specify an arbitrary contract for the material that is directly included, “containee [1] [?]” Is obtained.

  The argument list is a list in which items necessary for the contract are separated by commas as arguments. Each argument is described as “item name = value”. For example, when executing by specifying a customer name, an address, and a telephone number for an arbitrary contract of contents directly included by the user, it is as follows.

containee [1] [?] (client-name = “Shinichiro Hamada”, client-address = “×××××”, client-phoneno = “×× − ××× − ××××”));
Lastly, we will discuss mass definition and value passing for pattern matching. The pattern is described as an argument of “when”. Note that “otherwise” matches in contexts that do not match in all “where” clauses. Contract objects and reservation predicates can be described as comparison targets.

  “Charging” meaning “charging” is provided as a reservation predicate. As a comparison operator, “==” is prepared, and it is true if they match. Wildcards “?” And “*” indicating arbitrary are prepared, “?” Represents one of the conditions that make the condition true, and “*” represents all that make the condition true. Further, “[]” described following the object indicates a constraint condition for the object. “% N” (where n is a positive number) has the same meaning as “?”, But can be referred to in a block within “when”.

  “% N *” (where n is a positive number) has the same meaning as “*”, but can be referred to in a block in “when”.

  In the example shown in FIG. 12B, it is defined that all the contracts that are charged among the contents included in the self are matched with “% 1 *” and the contract is executed for the contracts. This interpretation of the large definition is performed prior to the execution of the contract described in the CDL.

  The linguistic explanation of CDL was briefly explained. Next, the “CDL example” shown in FIG. 12 will be described.

  In the example shown in FIG. 12A, multiple contracts are defined. One of the definitions applies when one of the content contracts to which the content is to be incorporated is charged. Of the items listed as required items, default values are given for the payer's name, address, and telephone number, so they do not appear on the input screen of the end user, but other contracts specify them as actions. I can. The second definition applies in other cases. There is no charge and no input items.

  The example of FIG. 12B is intended to unify user payments, and actions are defined as conditions. The given action will match if any of the content contracts that the content contains is charged, and the author of the content will pay for them. As necessary items of the contract, customer information inputted for the content is passed as it is, and credit information is given for payment. By making the performer of this action a container, the material provider can be applied to obtain a rental fee from the creator of the secondary processed work.

  <Structure of Distribution Format Introducing CDL> The CI billing system has CDL instead of URL as “contract procedure” like the structure of distribution format in which CDL is introduced as shown in FIG. Others are exactly the same as in FIG.

  <CDL Content Server> The CDL content server 13 may have the same mechanism as the provider-side contract interpreter of the content distribution system. However, the following points must be addressed.

  That is, the style of the web page for inputting the contract item is provided in the XSL format. The “decoder” generates XML based on the items necessary for the contract defined in the CDL, and downloads XSL for displaying the XML from the content server.

  <CDL Decoder> The CDL decoder 123 interprets the CDL and executes a contract. The language processing and contract execution algorithm will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This flowchart shows the algorithm of the CDL decoder. In step S141, all the conditional clauses (when) of the CDL are checked, and all blocks that do not meet the conditions are invalidated.

  In step S142, the CDL requirements are extracted to generate an Extensible Markup Language (XML) document. At this time, each item name is an element name in XML, and an item value is an element value. At this point, the item value is empty.

  In step S143, a style sheet is extracted from the style item of the CDL profile and applied to the generated XML.

  In step S144, a dialog box that displays the applied web page pops up to prompt the user for contract processing. This contract processing is the same as the key acquisition algorithm described in FIG.

  In step S145, the action is extracted and executed. The contract targeted by the action and its parameters are specified, and the content server is POSTed or GETed without prompting the user for input.

  The above is the processing algorithm of the CDL decoder.

  <User Agent> Other examples of expansion as a user agent include the following.

  The first is the “total price estimation function”. All CDLs included in the content are read and the total amount is calculated to inform the user in advance. Thus, the user can determine whether or not to purchase the content after listening to the price.

  The second is a “user wallet management function”. The user agent remembers the payment amount for each purchase and presents to the user how much the user has paid so far.

  The third is a “user input support function”. The user agent remembers the user's profile and automatically fills in the items required by “requirements” when executing the contract. As a result, the form-type contract page that pops up is filled with the user's name, address, telephone number, credit card company name, number, etc. from the beginning, and after that, only the send button is pressed.

  Although various embodiments have been described above, in short, the present invention can reduce the user's economic burden rationally when using content, and can be created at each stage such as the creator and the creator of the secondary work. We propose a content usage method called “copyright rental usage method” that allows the compensation of the copyright of the content to be provided to each of them, and a charging system that mechanically processes the content usage of the copyright rental usage method It is what we propose.

  The copyright rental usage method is a content usage method in which the “constituent delegates payment of the right to use the material to the recipient”. To put it simply, it is not the composer who purchases the content material, but the composer can embed the paid material into his content and sell it for free. The content receiver has a business model of paying the configuration fee and the price of each material to the component and each material provider when purchasing the content.

  When the copyright rental usage method is adopted, the content purchaser purchases the material. Since the content beneficiaries have a much larger population than the constituents, the material provider has the advantage that the material selling price can be kept low. On the other hand, since the constituent can use the material without initial investment, there is no factor that obstructs the active use of the material. In the content usage model of the purchase method, it is necessary to balance the initial investment to pay for the material and the labor required for creation plus the sales of the composition work, which could be a factor hindering the use of the material. For these two reasons, it can be said that this is a very effective model for the content material sales business.

  In the real world, such a business model is not so common. One possible reason is that when such a business model is carried out in the real world, there is no reasonable means for the material provider to reliably collect the fee for the material from the content recipient. Another possible reason is that it is difficult to accept as a sales style because the copyright beneficiary usage method increases the amount of time that the customer beneficiary pays to multiple authors. However, in the system of the present invention, the former problem is solved by theoretically assuring that all trading activities are reliably monitored, and the latter problem is solved by an operation support mechanism that unifies payment. Is solved by providing.

  In the real world, a license-type billing model in which each author receives income according to the sales of works, such as royalties for publications such as music CDs and books, is often used. The content usage model of the copyright rental usage method can also emulate such a license type charging model. For example, in the case of a music CD, a price is given to the content material assigned to each author such as a lyricist, composer, arranger, singer, etc., and the music CD is associated with the content as a component of the content. I can do it.

  In the above, it was limited that there was no charge between the creator of the secondary work and the material provider, but in actual operation, the power of name value and share between the material and the constituent works Depending on the relationship, the material provider may want to collect rental costs (corresponding to the copyright right) from the composer, and conversely, incorporating it into the composition work will lead to the promotion of the material, In some cases, it may be appropriate for the provider to pay an advertising fee to the creator of the secondary work.

  In this way, it is also necessary to enable monetary transactions between the secondary processing work creator and the material provider. And as an application of this function, there is a contract such as “If your own content is incorporated into other content as a material, if it is commercial use, it costs 100 yen, but if it is not commercial use, it will be free” It becomes possible. In addition, an extension that introduces the concept of the lifetime for the encryption key and can specify the number of times the content can be reproduced, a time limit, and the like is also conceivable.

  For this reason, the system according to the present invention extends the conventional billing system so that it can handle a data format called “configuration format” in addition to “reproduction format” and “distribution format” as a data format. In addition, as an apparatus configuration, apparatuses “archiver” and “recomposer” are added to the conventional billing system. These devices operate in concert with the “decoders” and “encoders” of conventional billing systems. The decoder is a device that reads distribution format data and converts it into a reproduction format, and the encoder is a device that creates distribution format data from reproducible ordinary content.

  The configuration format is a data format for expressing composite content that constitutes a plurality of configured paid genuine content, and is used during distribution. Specifically, it consists of the following three types.

  (1) Genuine content that is each material in distribution format (2) Container content in distribution format that summarizes them (3) List of structural arrangement information in container content of each material context Rather than mixing the contents of the material as a single content, each material in the distribution format as it is and the composition method are kept separately. I can't enjoy it.

  Incidentally, the structural arrangement information varies depending on the target media type. For example, if the composition work is 3D computer graphics, the coordinates and direction in the 3D space of the model part that is the material, and if it is a web page, the material page is included in the tag, such as an included page. It can be considered as a candidate for structural arrangement information.

  A device that interprets data in this configuration format, reconfigures it, and makes it reproducible is a recomposer, which is used by content users. First, the recomposer sequentially inputs the distribution format material included in the configuration format data to the decoder and decodes it. In this process, the price of each material is paid to the material provider. For the material that has been successfully decrypted, the material is appropriately merged into the container content according to the structural arrangement information of the material. Finally, the result of merging all the materials successfully decrypted into the container content is passed to the playback device. From such a mechanism, when a content recipient purchases a constituent work, the procedure is such that contract processing is performed for each author regarding the constituent work from the content recipient.

  On the other hand, an apparatus that generates content in a configuration format is an archiver and is used by a constituent. The archiver reads the distribution format material specified by the secondary work creator and adds it to the structured content, and determines the structural arrangement of each material in the container content according to the operation of the secondary work creator To be recorded in the structured content.

  In the present invention, it is possible to incorporate not only genuine contents but also composite contents as materials. If the content that is the material is limited to genuine content, only one level of content reuse as the material is allowed. On the other hand, if the composite content is expanded to include not only genuine content but also composite content, in principle, the content reuse chain can be continued indefinitely. This expansion can be expected to promote content reuse. However, even in this expansion, the performance of the billing contract with each material provider must be guaranteed.

  In order to achieve this, after expanding the configuration format to handle not only the distribution format but also the configuration format as the data format of the material to be incorporated into the composite content, the recomposer function was added and the expanded configuration format was changed. It is necessary to correctly execute the license type billing process for the composite content that is read and incorporated as the material.

  As an extension of the configuration format in this case, instead of having “each material in distribution format” as a list, “each material in distribution format or configuration format” can be included as a list.

  The necessary extension of the recomposer is that in the process of sequentially decoding each material included in the composite content to be processed, if the extracted material is in a distribution format, it is sent to the decoder for decoding as described above, but it is extracted. If the material is a composition format, the material is recursively processed by the recomposer itself. That is, the recomposer temporarily interrupts the current processing to initialize the internal state, and returns the content in the playback format obtained by executing the decoding processing / configuration processing of the material configuration format to the initial processing status. By this processing, all the materials included in the input composite content are decoded after being charged, and they are reconstructed and can be reproduced.

  The present invention also provides a contract description language having the following description capability and a processing system for interpreting and executing the language in order to handle a financial contract between the creator of the secondary work and the material provider.

  (1) Description indicating each contract included in the content (2) Property description indicating the characteristics of the contract (3) Condition description regarding the contract (4) Action description such as payment However, the properties listed in the item (2) , Price / Payer / Payee / Payment Method / Customer Inquiry Item Name List is required at least. As the name of an inquired item for a customer, there are, for example, name, age, address, e-mail address, card company name, and credit number. Therefore, in this contract definition language, the payer can be specified, so that the material provider can specify the material for the material in advance. "Payment of rental fee to" and vice versa "Payment of advertising volume from material provider to secondary processing work creator" (In this case, treat as negative payment etc.) Secondary processing work creator and material provision Can handle financial contracts with other parties.

  Furthermore, in this contract definition language, it is possible to describe a large amount definition / redefinition / dynamic definition change of contract contents.

  For example, as the redefinition of the contract contents, for example, it is possible to “pay the work of the secondary processed work for each material fee to be paid by the user instead”. If a lot of material is used and the price of the composite content becomes too expensive even for the material alone, the material for the material will be paid for by the secondary work creator on behalf of the user (end user). Get the product price from the user (end user).

  In this case, the creator of the secondary processed work loses the balance (every time it is sold), but can set an appropriate price for the composite content created by him. In this case, for the action to be paid on behalf of the beneficiary (end user), “how much payment is to be paid for which contract with which payment method” must be described. The item (1) above can be described with respect to which contract, and how much it is paid by using the item (4) above.

  For example, the billing definition of the contract is “if your content is embedded in other content as a material, request 100 yen if the embedded content is for commercial use, but free if not for commercial use” A definitive contract declaration. In this case, it is necessary to describe the condition “whether or not the composite content of the incorporation destination as the material is charged”, but by using the items (1) and (2) above, The charge can be referred to, and this reference can be conditionally described using the item (3). After that, the contract may be defined using the item (2) for each condition.

  The contract description language processing system is activated to interpret and execute the contract description language when the recomposer performs decryption processing. This processing system provides three functions: a filter function that extracts only actions and contracts that match the condition description, and then a verification function as to whether the contract conditions are satisfied and an actual payment action execution function.

  As described above, the system of the present invention adopts a content use model of a copyright rental use method. When the copyright rental usage method is adopted, the content purchaser (end user) purchases the material. The content recipient has a much larger population than the creator of the second processed work, and as a material provider, there is an advantage that the price of the material can be kept low. On the other hand, since it is possible to use the material without an initial investment, the factor that prevents the active use of the material is eliminated as a secondary processing work creator.

  In the content usage model of the purchase method, which is the most common business form of content trading, it is necessary to balance the initial investment to pay for the material and the labor required for creation and the sales of the secondary processed work, which hinders the use of the material It was the cause. For these two reasons, it is a very effective mechanism for the content material sales business.

  Further, when attention is paid to a web page as content, this is a medium in which it is easy to combine and process content compared to other content such as music and painting. For example, it may be possible to provide a commentary for each article picked up from a news site. Therefore, the business method of the present invention is extremely effective for the web page content market.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented with various modifications. In the present invention, the above embodiment includes inventions at various stages, and various inventions can be extracted by appropriately combining a plurality of disclosed constituent elements. For example, even if some constituent elements are deleted from all the constituent elements shown in the embodiment, at least one of the problems described in the column of the problem to be solved by the invention can be solved, and is described in the column of the effect of the invention. When at least one of the effects is obtained, a configuration in which this configuration requirement is deleted can be extracted as an invention.

  In addition, the method described in the embodiment of the present invention uses a magnetic disk (flexible disk, hard disk, etc.), optical disk (CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD, MO) as programs that can be executed by a computer. Etc.), can be stored and distributed in a recording medium such as a semiconductor memory, or can be distributed by transmission via a network.

It is a figure for demonstrating this invention, Comprising: It is a block diagram which shows the structure of this invention system. It is a figure for demonstrating this invention, Comprising: It is a figure which shows the various data structures of the content used with this invention system. It is a figure for demonstrating this invention, Comprising: It is a figure which shows the example of a key structure which the key 21c used with this invention system has. It is a figure for demonstrating this invention, Comprising: It is a figure which shows the example of the web content whose data structure in the Example of this invention is a structure format. It is a figure for demonstrating this invention, Comprising: It is a figure which shows in the example of the web content whose data structure in the Example of this invention is a reproduction | regeneration format. It is a figure for demonstrating this invention, Comprising: It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the content delivery system in this invention system. It is a figure for demonstrating this invention, Comprising: It is a flowchart which shows the processing algorithm of the recomposer in this invention system. It is a figure for demonstrating this invention, Comprising: It is a figure which shows the algorithm for implement | achieving the function of the decoder in this invention system. It is a figure for demonstrating the algorithm of a validator. It is a figure for demonstrating this invention, Comprising: It is a figure for demonstrating the algorithm of key acquisition in this invention system. It is a figure for demonstrating this invention, Comprising: It is a figure explaining the algorithm of the encoder in this invention system. It is a figure for demonstrating this invention, Comprising: It is a figure which shows the example of description of CDL used with this invention system. It is a figure for demonstrating this invention, Comprising: It is a figure which shows the structural example of the distribution format which introduced CDL in this invention system. It is a figure for demonstrating this invention, Comprising: It is a figure explaining the algorithm of the language processing and contract execution in the CDL decoder 123 in this invention system.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Content distribution system 11 ... Content client 12 ... Content editor 13 ... Content server 20 ... Content NW ... Computer network 21c ... Key

Claims (10)

Information for contract processing for making this material content available is attached to the material content provided by the material provider encrypted by the encryption key, and one or more of the encrypted material contents are included. A content distribution system that enables the use of the encrypted material content from secondary processed work content produced by a secondary processed work creator,
A server holding an encryption key of the encrypted material content;
(A) contract procedure information described in a contract description language and (b) a key for decrypting the content, connected to the server and attached to the specified material content in the secondary processed work content And (c) a contract including a first action for satisfying a contract condition with the server and a second action according to a usage form of the content based on information for contract processing having a unique identifier assigned to each content. A decoder that executes processing to acquire the encryption key from the server, decrypts the encrypted material content using the acquired encryption key, and a client that includes a player that reproduces the decrypted content. A featured content distribution system. Information for contract processing for making this material content available is attached to the material content provided by the material provider encrypted by the encryption key, and one or more of the encrypted material contents are included. A content distribution system that allows the use of secondary processed content created by a secondary processed product creator,
A server holding an encryption key of the encrypted material content;
(A) contract procedure information written in a contract description language attached to the encrypted material content in the secondary processed work content that is connected to the server and designated for use; (b) content Based on the information for contract processing having a key for decryption and (c) a unique identifier assigned to each content, the first action for satisfying the contract condition with the server and the content usage type A client including a decoder that executes a contract process including two actions to acquire the encryption key from the server, decrypts the encrypted material content using the acquired encryption key, and a player that reproduces the decrypted content; A content distribution system comprising: Information for contract processing for making this material content available is attached to the material content provided by the material provider encrypted by the encryption key, and one or more of the encrypted material contents are included. A content distribution method that enables the use of the encrypted material content from secondary processed work content produced by a secondary processed work creator,
A server holding an encryption key of the encrypted material content;
(A) A contract described in a contract description language, which is written in a contract description language, and a decoder connected to the server is attached to the specified encrypted material content in the secondary work content A first action for satisfying a contract condition with the server based on the procedure information, (b) a key for decrypting the content, and (c) information for contract processing having a unique identifier assigned to each content. And executing a contract process including a second action relating to the usage form of the content to acquire the encryption key from the server, and decrypting the encrypted material content with the acquired encryption key;
A content distribution method comprising: a player playing back the content decrypted by the degoda. Information for contract processing for making this material content available is attached to the material content provided by the material provider encrypted by the encryption key, and one or more of the encrypted material contents are included. A content distribution method that enables the use of secondary processed content created by a secondary processed product creator,
A server holding an encryption key of the encrypted material content;
(A) contract procedure information described in a contract description language, which is attached to the encrypted material content in the secondary processed work content designated for use by a decoder connected to the server; Based on information for contract processing having a key for decrypting the content and (c) a unique identifier assigned to each content, the first action and content usage mode for satisfying the contract condition with the server Executing a contract process including the second action according to the above, obtaining the encryption key from the server, and decrypting the encrypted material content with the obtained encryption key;
A content distribution method comprising: a player playing back the content decrypted by the degoda. Information for contract processing for making this material content available is attached to the material content provided by the material provider encrypted by the encryption key, and one or more of the encrypted material contents are included. Including a content distribution program that enables the use of the encrypted material content from secondary processed content created by a secondary processed product creator,
A server that holds an encryption key of the encrypted material content, and is attached to the encrypted material content in the secondary processed content that is connected to the server and designated for use; (a) Contract with the server based on contract procedure information described in contract description language, (b) key for decrypting content, and (c) contract processing information having a unique identifier assigned to each content The contract processing including the first action for satisfying the condition and the second action relating to the usage form of the content is executed to acquire the encryption key from the server, and the material content encrypted by the acquired encryption key is obtained. Content distribution system comprising a decoder for decoding and a client including a player for reproducing the decoded content Medium recording the read and executable content distribution program on a computer for causing a computer to function with. Information for contract processing for making this material content available is attached to the material content provided by the material provider encrypted by the encryption key, and one or more of the encrypted material contents are included. A content distribution program that enables the use of secondary processed content created by a secondary processed product creator,
A server that holds an encryption key of the encrypted material content, and is attached to the encrypted material content in the secondary processed content that is connected to the server and designated for use; (a) Contract with the server based on contract procedure information described in contract description language, (b) key for decrypting content, and (c) contract processing information having a unique identifier assigned to each content The contract processing including the first action for satisfying the condition and the second action relating to the usage form of the content is executed to acquire the encryption key from the server, and the material content encrypted by the acquired encryption key is obtained. Content distribution system comprising a decoder for decoding and a client including a player for reproducing the decoded content Medium recording the read and executable content distribution program on a computer for causing a computer to function with.   The decoder checks whether or not the specified format of the lifetime recorded in the acquired encryption key is the reproducible number, and if the reproducible number remains and the reproducible number remains, the process of reducing the reproducible number by one The content distribution system according to any one of claims 1 and 2, further comprising:   The decoder checks whether or not the lifetime recorded in the acquired encryption key is within the expiration date. If the lifetime is within the expiration date, the encryption key is valid. The content distribution system according to any one of claims 1 and 2, further comprising a process of erasing and determining that the encryption key is invalid.   The contract processing executed by the decoder includes processing for interpreting a contract procedure described in the contract description language, generating an XML document, extracting a style sheet from the contract description language, and applying the style sheet to the XML document. The content distribution system according to claim 1, wherein the content distribution system is characterized in that:   The contract process executed by the decoder includes a process of generating an XML document by interpreting a contract procedure described in the contract description language, and extracting and executing the first action from the contract description language. The content distribution system according to any one of claims 1 and 2.

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