WO1999019784A1

WO1999019784A1 - Method and control-device for the operation of a digital information-processing device

Info

Publication number: WO1999019784A1
Application number: PCT/BE1998/000142
Authority: WO
Inventors: Antoon Walter Waldeyer
Original assignee: Pythagoras Participations, Coöperatieve Vennootschap met beperkte aansprakelijkheid
Priority date: 1997-10-09
Filing date: 1998-09-29
Publication date: 1999-04-22
Also published as: AU743864B2; CA2305257A1; AU9332798A; BE1011489A6; EP1021754A1; JP2001520414A

Abstract

Operation method for a digital information-processing device, more precisely to arrange that the use of digital information, which either is introduced by means of an information carrier or is made available or stored in the information-processing device by a cable-connected or wireless information communicator, is only possible when the possibly periodical, respective license conditions are fulfilled, characterised in that a control-device with control-information is connected to a gate, or presented to an IC-card reader, of the information-processing device and that, before the digital information can be used or accessed by the information-processing device, is controlled by means of an operating program whether at least a part of the possible registration and/or domain code of the to be used information is conform with at least a part of the control-information of the control-device, where the use of or the access to the digital information equipped with a registration and/or domain code is only authorised if there is conformity.

Description

Method and control -device for the operation of a digital information-processing device.

This invention concerns a method for the operation of a digital information-processing device, more precisely to arrange that the use of data-processing programs or digital information, which either is introduced by means of an information carrier (such as CD-ROM, CDi , DAT, DVD, mini-disk) or via an information-transmitter (such as via cable or wireless) is supplied to and/or stored on the information-processing device, is only possible when the, possibly periodical, respective license conditions are fulfilled.

It is known that a lot of data-processing programs or other digital information sources are copied or consumed illegally and thus are used and processed in information-processing devices such as computers, recording and playback devices (such as for CD, DλD, DAT or mini-disk) , radio and television reception devices, multimedia devices, and such alike, without payment of the thereto applicable rights on intellectual property.

More recent software programs and digital information carriers are now mostly equipped with a registration or license number, but the control whether or not this digital information is solely used by the initial purchaser, is in practise very difficult. It is supplementary technically difficult to prevent the illegal use of this information. It is also known that some information carriers are supplied with a key which is to be locked on a gate of the computer. Without this key the information carrier cannot be read or the operating program which is stored on this information carrier cannot be used.

This kind of protection is however limited to the use of one particular software program at a time and it is not practical to be obliged to change the corresponding key when changing the software program. Supplementary the right to use this key is not limited in time and the rights on intellectual property are only paid at the purchase of the software.

The present invention has a method for the operation of an information-processing device with as goal to arrange on a simple way that for the use of digital information and even of illegally copied digital information, respectively for its access, the dues or rights are paid periodically.

According to the invention this goal is reached by the fact that a control -device with control -information is connected .to a gate or presented to an IC-card reader of the information-processing device and that, before digital information can be used by the information-processing device, it is controlled, by means of an operating program which preferably is stored on a memory of the information-processing device, whether at least a part of the possible registration and/or domain code of the to be used information is conform with at least a part of the control -information of the control -device, whereby only the use of this digital information with registration and/or domain code is allowed if there is conformity.

By doing so the use of data-processing programs or other digital information and information-carriers, as well as the illegal copies of it, can be regulated in accordance to the norm of the applicable license, because in order to use the information a control-device has to be purchased.

The application is not limited to the use of only one information carrier or information signal respectively information processing program at a time, but is extended to all information carriers or information signals respectively information processing programs which are equipped with a to the invention normalised registration and/or domain code.

If the digital information is equipped with a to the invention normalised registration and/or domain code, this method is also applicable for all information in its digital form which has been copied illegally. The registration and/or domain code then being copied as well, due to which the .operating program shall read and control this copied information on an identical manner as the original .

The method is applicable with all possible information-processing devices wherein digital information is processed or reproduced, or whereof digital information is an essential part of it.

With relation to the periodic use of digital information, a control -device with limited term of validity is preferably used of which the control -information also contains information regarding the term of validity, while the registration code contains a time- information and where, before digital information which is equipped with such a registration code can be used in an information-processing device, the operating program controls if the time-information of the to be used information conforms with the information concerning the term of validity of the control -device, whereas with relation to the periodic accessibility of the digital information the same control -device is used of which the control-information contains information concerning the access conditions, and where the registration code contains domain information and where, before digital information which is equipped with such a registration code can be used in an information-processing device, the operating program controls if the to be used domain information conforms with the information concerning the access conditions.

Above-mentioned parts of the registration and/or domain code

.and of the control-information which have to be in conformity, contain in this case respectively on the one side the time-information and the information regarding the term of validity, and on the other side the domain information and the information on the access conditions.

Each time when the term of validity of the control -device elapses, and in order to be able to read new digital information of which the time-information generally will not be any longer in conformity with this term of validity, the term of this validity has to be extended, which is done by connecting to a gate respectively presenting to an IC-card reader a new control -device with time information for a new period to the information-processing device, or by recharging a new validity term on the control -device .

In order to be able to read digital information of one or more domains which are different from the domain code(s) of the control-device, a new control-device is needed with these corresponding domain code(s), or the control -device needs to be recharged with these new domain code(s) .

Supplementary to the fixed costs, the end user price of the control-device can also cover official taxes and excises, whereas the projected royalties on intellectual property rights and/or the access or user fees can be granted to these licensors or suppliers of digital infor-mation which attributed a to the invention normalised registration and/or domain code either in function of a to be agreed upon distributive code per time period and/or domain code (s) , either by computing the consumption information of the digital information kept or treated by the control -device .

The term of validity of the control-device can be started at the initialising of the device and can for example cover the duration of one year.

If, in contrast to multimedia devices which due to their on-line connection to the Internet or a similar network are de facto equipped with an own and unique identification code, the information-processing device is not yet equipped with an identification code, the control-device can then attribute an identification code to the information-processing device, which preferably at its first attribution is stored on a memory of this information-processing device.

The operating program can, before digital information can be read, as a first step control if firstly such an identification code already has been stored and prevent that in the affirmative case digital information with a registration and/or domain code is used without a control -device with the desired term of validity and/or domain access being connected to the information-processing device.

The necessary operating program can be supplied by means of a diskette or a CD-ROM or via electronic transfer and can for example at the first start-up of the control-device once-only be stored on the memory of the information-processing device, or can already be stored on the memory or on the harddisk of the device by its manufacturer.

This invention concerns also such a control -device which is suitable to be used for the application of the above described method, which control-device is thus characterised that it can be connected to a gate respectively presented to an IC-card reader of a digital information-processing device and has control -information with which, and on condition of having the correct operating program, a to the invention normalised registration and/or domain code can be compared, in which information preferably time- information regarding a limited term of validity and/or domain information regarding a limited domain access is included.

With the aim to better demonstrate the features of the invention, hereafter, an example without any limitative character of a preferred embodiment of a method and of a control -device for the operation of a digital information- processing device according to the invention is described with reference to the following drawings, wherein :

figure 1 represents a block diagram which illustrates a first part of the method according to the invention;

figure 2 represents a block diagram which illustrates the remainder of the method according to the invention.

With ^'the aim to the possibly periodic collecting of royalties and licensing rights for the use of or the access to digital information which in the given example is made available by a data-processing program, via a digital information- processing device which in the given example is a multimedia device, and/or with the aim to the collecting of excises for the use of this information-processing device, and/or with the aim to the collecting of on these rights applicable taxes such as Value Added Taxes (VAT) or sales taxes, the invention in principal constitutes, on the one hand of a control-device with limited term of validity, which control -device is to be either connected to a gate or presented to an IC-card reader of the multimedia device which attributes an identification code to this multimedia device or completes and/or confirms the already present identification code, and, on the other hand, of the storing of an operating program on the memory of the information-processing device which is capable to compare a to the invention normalised registration and/or domain code which contains a time and/or domain information with the term of validity and/or access conditions of the control -device .

The suppliers of digital information will in the given example add the registration code which contains a time information and the domain code which contains the access conditions to this information in accordance with an agreed upon norm with which it obviously conforms.

Above-mentioned digital information can either be stored on a memory of the information-processing device on a digital information carrier or made available by means of electronic transfer or by an on-line connection to a network.

The time information as part of the digital information can contain a date with a reference to a day, month and year, but can also contain solely an indication of a year. The domain information can be a standardised domain code.

The control -device which contains the necessary control -information, can be purchased or uploaded in the commerce and/or from the authorities and the due rights and possibly excises are included in the price. It can contain an identification code in which this control -information is stored, which obviously contains also the above-mentioned identification code, a time-code which gives information with relation to the concerned term of validity and thus defines this term of validity, a domain code which gives information with relation to the access conditions and thus defines the domain or signal accessibility, and possibly a to the user personalised identification label which can store the user-data which are to be entered by him.

The term of validity of the control -device can start at the initialising of it and is in the given example one year and is shown as a year number.

As shown in the block diagram of figure 1 and after the start 1 of the multimedia device in the first step 2 of the method, a control -device with identification code is, in the case of it being developed as a hardware-key, connected to a gate of the multimedia device, or, in the case of it being developed as an electronic chip-card, presented in the appropriate way to an IC-card reader.

In the next step 3 a diskette or CD-ROM or similar digital information carrier with the necessary operating program is inserted which in step 4 is stored onto the memory or on the harddisk of the multimedia device.

This diskette or CD-ROM or similar digital information carrier can be supplied freely with the control -device . The operating program could also have been stored prior or at the purchase of the multimedia device, could be stored via electronic transfer, or could be part of each digital information-processing program which is downloaded from an information carrier or an information communicator onto the multimedia device and of which the licensor decided to norm the license number or registration number to the here described method.

As soon as this operating program is stored it is controlled in step 5 if the multimedia device is already equipped with an identification code.

It is possible that this is not the case at the first installation of a control-device and of its corresponding operating program, due to which in step 6 a unique identification code is stored on the harddisk of the multimedia device.

If it would appear that such an identification code already was stored as a part of another control-device than the one

•which is connected or is presented to the IC-card reader, then the control -device will automatically replace the existing identification code with a new one.

If it would appear that, due to the connection of the multimedia device to the Internet or another similar network - such as for example a cable television network - such an identification code is already stored, then the control -device will automatically complete the existing identification code with its own identification code.

In all cases it is possible, depending from the possible legal obligations with relation to the collecting of license fees and excises or the gaining of access to the digital information, to store in the control -device via the operating program personal data of the user or owner of the multimedia device, possibly extended with a secret code to be attributed by the user as a means of protection against theft or improper use by third parties, and/or a personalised time slot or time table completed by the user as a means to specify or regulate user time, possibly in combination with the attributed secret code.

As shown in figure 2, after step 6 or at a new start-up of the multimedia device it will be controlled by the operating program in step 7 if the digital information which one wants to use and which was already stored earlier on the harddisk or the memory of the multimedia device or which in the shape of a CD-ROM or a diskette or similar was just inserted in the compatible reader or the compatible memory of the multimedia

^• device or made accessible by electronic transfer or connection to a network, is or is not equipped with a registration and/or domain code with time and/or domain information.

If the digital information has no registration and/or domain code with time and/or domain information, as shown in step 8, then this means that the licensor is of the opinion to have enough copyright protection and does not want further control, due to which the digital information can thus be used freely like is shown by step 16.

If there is a registration and/or domain code as shown by step 9, then the operating program shall in step 10 control if an identification code is available. In fact it is not only controlled if there is an identification code, but also if the control -device is connected to a gate or has been presented to the IC-card reader.

If the control -device is not connected, respectively has not been presented, then the digital information cannot be used as shown in step 11.

If the user also stored a secret code in the control -device, then this secret code has also to be entered, because otherwise the procedure cannot be continued and the digital information does not become available.

If the control -device is connected and the possible secret code is entered correctly, which is shown by step 12 of figure 2, then the operating program will compare in step 13 the time- information of the registration code with the term of validity of the control -device and the personalised time table and the domain code with the access conditions.

If, as in the given example, the time information of the registration code and the time code which defines the term of validity of the control -device is a year number or year-code, and is this year-code of the registration code younger than the year-code of the control-device, which means that the to be used digital information is younger than the control-device and consequently no license has been given for the use of this information, and if, as in the given example, the domain information of the registration code does not match with the domain code of the digital information, which means that no license has been given on the use of or the access to these domains, then the use of or access to the digital information will not be granted, as is indicated in step 14, and firstly a new control-device has to be purchased and connected, respectively presented, to the multimedia device or an old control -device has to be revalorised.

Consequently, digital information of which the registration code has a time information for the year 1997 cannot be used if the control -device has a validity for the year 1996.

If on the contrary the year-code of the registration code is equal or older than the year-code of the validity of the control-device, as is shown by step 15, which means that the to be used digital information is older or is as old as the control -device, thus confirming that a license has been given for the use of or access to this infor-mation, or does the domain information of the registration code and the domain code of the control device conform with the domain code of the digital information, then this digital information can be used or is accessible as shown by step 16.

Digital information of which the registration and/or domain code has a time information for the year 1997 or earlier can be used if the control -device has a validity for the year 1997.

If, with relation to the use of or the access to digital information via the multimedia device no control -device is or previously never has been connected and consequently never an identification code has been attributed to this multimedia device, then the time and/or domain information of the registration code of the digital information cannot be compared with the time and/or domain information of the control -device and in this particular case the digital information can be used freely by this multimedia device.

This makes it possible to countries where no rights are collected or no control-devices are sold, or where the described method is in contradiction with the local legislation, to still use digital information which is equipped with a registration and/or domain code.

This means that on a global scale and still adaptable to any particular local condition, the licensors with relation to the collection of their rightful license fees on the use of or the access to the digital information, and the authorities with relation to the collection of a possible excise on the use of the information-processing devices, have both the possibility to apply the same above mentioned invention.

The adequate control will be necessary in those countries where the users are obliged to equip each information-processing device with an identification code. With this goal it can be agreed upon with the suppliers of the information-processing devices that in the future the gate on which the control-device is to be connected or the IC-card reader to which the control -device needs to be presented will for instance be installed at the front-side of the information-processing device and thus on a distinct place .

The invention is applicable on all digital information-processing devices which preferably have a memory whereon an identification code can be stored, possibly already at the manufacture or at its connection to a network, such as the Internet or a cable television network.

The digital information can, in stead of being introduced by an information carrier to the information-processing device, also be transferred by electronic means via cable or wireless .

The digital information does not have to be necessarily a data-processing program. It can be any kind of digital information.

A CD-player is for instance such an information-processing device in which case the digital information is common audio-information, or a DVD-player in which case the digital information is video-information, or a television reception device in which case the digital information is a television signal, or a multimedia device in which case the digital information is among others originating from the Internet or a similar network such as a cable television network.

The operating-program can in stead of being uploaded on the memory of an information-processing device by an information carrier, also be inserted via electronic transfer.

The operating-program can, in stead of being stored or uploaded on the memory, also be a part of the control-device itself. With each use of this program it can be stored temporary on the memory of the information-processing device.

The invention is not only applicable for the regularisation of the use of or access to digital information, but can also be used for the management of and possibly the reporting on this use or access, either on-line or off-line.

The invention is by no means limited to the above-described and in the figures shown embodiment, but similar methods and control -devices for the operation of a digital information-processing device may be realised in different variants without exceeding the scope of the invention.

Claims

CLAIMS .

1.- Operation method for a digital information-processing device, more precisely to arrange that the use of digital information, which either is introduced by means of an information carrier or is made available or stored in the information-processing device by a cable-connected or wireless information communicator, is only possible when the possibly periodical, respective license conditions are fulfilled, characterised in that a control -device with control-information is connected to a gate, or presented to an IC-card reader, of the information-processing device and that, before the digital information can be used or accessed by the information-processing device, is controlled by means of an operating program whether at least a part of the possible registration and/or domain code of the to be used information is conform with at least a part of the control -information of the control -device, where the use of or the access to the digital information equipped with a registration and/or domain code is only authorised if there is conformity.

2.- Method according to claim 1, characterised in that the operating program is stored on a memory of the information-processing device.

3.- Method according to claim 1 or 2 , characterised in that a control-device with limited term of validity is applied or presented, of which thus the control -information contains information on this term of validity, and before digital information equipped with a registration code containing a time-information can be used in the information-processing device, the operating program controls if this time- information of the to be used digital information conforms with the information on the term of validity of the control -device, subsequent that with relation to the accessibility of the digital information the same control-device is used of which the control information contains information with relation to the domain and access conditions, and where the registration code contains domain information and where, before the digital information which is equipped with such a domain code can be used in the information-processing device, the operating program controls if this domain-information of the to be used digital information conforms with the information of the control -device on the access conditions.

4.- Method according to claim 3, characterised in that via the operating program solely the use of or the access to the digital information is authorised when the time-information

.of the registration and/or domain code is older than or as old as the end of the term of validity of the control-device.

5.- Method according to claim 3 and 4, characterised in that by means of the operating program it is firstly controlled if the digital information which is to be used is equipped with a registration code with time-information and/or a domain code with domain information and, if not, the control method of the control-device is stopped and the use of or the access to the digital information is allowed.

6.- Method according to either one of the preceding claims, characterised in that an identification code is attributed to the information-processing device by the control -device, which at its first attribution is preferably stored on the memory of the information-processing device.

7.- Method according to claim 6, characterised in that at the application of a control-device with valid term of validity on the information-processing device it firstly is controlled if this device already is equipped with an identification code, in the negative case the identification code of the control-device is stored in the device and in the affirmative case it is controlled if the already stored identification code conforms with the identification code of the control -device, and if not a new identification code is attributed to the device, except when it would appear that due to the connection of a multimedia device to the Internet or to a similar network, for example a cable television network, a similar identification code is already stored, due to which the control -device will automatically complete the existing identification code with its own identification code .

8. - Method according to claim 3 and according to claims 6 or 7, characterised in that with the help of the operating program prior to the reading of and/or the access to the digital information it firstly is controlled if first such an identification code is stored and that in affirmative case it is prevented that digital information with a registration and/or domain code is used without a control -device with the desired term of validity and/or domain access being applied to the information-processing device.

9.- Method according to either one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the necessary operating program is stored in the information-processing device by means of an information carrier like for instance a diskette or a CD-ROM or a similar digital information carrier or by means of an electronic transfer.

10.- Method according to claim 9, characterised in that the operating program, at a first start-up of the control-device on an information-processing device, once-only is stored in the information-processing device, in as far as it has not yet been stored previously at the production of the information-processing device.

11.- Method according to either one of the preceding claims, characterised in that in the control -device, supplementary to the user-related information which is to be entered at the initial taking into operation, a secret code against theft or improper use can be attributed, as well as a time slot or time table regulating the respective personalised periods of operations, and that the operating program will refuse the use of or access to the information-processing device and/or the digital information for as long as the secret code is not entered into the information-processing device and the time information of the time slot does not correspond to the real time .

12.- Control -device to be used for the application of the method according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it is connectable to an information-processing device and that it is fitted with control -information with which, with the correct operating program, a to the invention normalised registration and/or domain code can be compared.

13.- Control -device according to claim 12, characterised in that in the control -information a time-information is incorporated which attributes a limited term of validity to the device.

14.- Control -device according to claim 12 or 13, characterised in that, in function of its connection respectively presentation to the information-processing device, it is capable at any given moment to memorise and stock off-line, on an apart appropriate memory, or to transfer on-line, information with relation to among others the time or the duration of use, or the identity, of the used or accessed digital information.