PCT
`
`WORLD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ORGANIZATION
`International Bureau
`
`
`
`INTERNATIONAL APPLICATION PUBLISHED UNDER THE PATENT COOPERATION TREATY (PCT)
`
`(51) International Patent Classification 7 :
`GO6F 17/00
`
`(11) International Publication Number:
`_
`(43) International Publication Date:
`
`WO 00/43905
`
`27 July 2000 (27.07.00)
`
`
`
`(21) International Application Number: PCT/US00/01833|(81) Designated States: AL, AM, AT, AU, AZ, BA, BB, BG,BR,
`BY, CA, CH, CN, CU, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, GB, GD,
`GE, GH, GM, HR, HU,ID, IL, IN, IS, JP, KE, KG, KP,
`KR, KZ, LC, LK, LR, LS, LT, LU, LV, MD, MG, MK,
`MN, MW, MX, NO, NZ, PL, PT, RO, RU, SD, SE, SG,
`SI, SK, SL, TJ, TM, TR, TT, UA, UG, UZ, VN, YU, ZW,
`ARIPO patent (GH, GM, KE, LS, MW,SD, SL, SZ, TZ,
`UG, ZW), Eurasian patent (AM, AZ, BY, KG, KZ, MD,
`RU,TJ, TM), European patent (AT, BE, CH, CY, DE, DK,
`ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, IE, IT, LU, MC, NL, PT, SE), OAPI
`patent (BF, BJ, CF, CG, CI, CM, GA, GN, GW, ML, MR,
`NE, SN, TD, TG).
`
`(22) InternationalFiling Date:
`
`24 January 2000 (24.01.00)
`
`(30) Priority Data:
`60/116,778
`60/1 16,780
`60/116,910
`60/116,917
`60/116,918
`09/487,372
`60/1 16,779
`
`22 January 1999 (22.01.99)
`22 January 1999 (22.01.99)
`22 January 1999 (22.01.99)
`22 January 1999 (22.01.99)
`22 January 1999 (22.01.99)
`18 January 2000 (18.01.00)
`18 January 2000 (18.01.00)
`
`:
`
`NY 10036 (US).
`
`[US/US]; 1133
`INC.
`(71) Applicant: MCY MUSIC WORLD,
`Avenueof the Americas — 28th Floor, New York, NY 10036
`(US).
`
`(72) Inventor: FRITSCH, Bernhard; 220 East 65th Street, New
`York, NY 10021 (US).
`
`(74) Agent: LIBERCHUK,Larry; Brown Raysman Millstein Felder
`& Steiner, LLP, 120 West Forty--Fifth Street, New York,
`
`Published
`With international search report.
`Before the expiration of the time limit for amending the
`claims and to be republished in the event of the receipt of
`amendments.
`
`(54) Title: DISTRIBUTION OF MUSICAL PRODUCTS OVER THE INTERNET
`
`a oOreer]anafin Delivery of personal
`
`
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`Onilne RecordShopping Processes- MCY Electronic Commerce1
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`
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`
`(57) Abstract
`
`The system and method permit the purchase of audio music files over the Internet. The PC user (18) logs onto the vendor’s website
`(20) and browses the songs available for purchase. The songs can be arranged byartist, music style, etc., as mentioned above. If interested
`in a song,the PC user (18) has the option of clicking on a song to "pre-listen" to it. If the PC user (18) then wishes to purchase the song,
`she can submither order by clicking on the icons located next to each song/album. As the PC user selects more items, each and every item
`is displayed in the shopping basket (22). At any point in time, the PC user (18) can review her selections, deleting items she no longer
`desires.
`
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`FOR THE PURPOSES OF INFORMATION ONLY
`
`Codes used to identify States party to the PCT on the front pages of pamphlets publishing international applications under the PCT.
`
`Albania
`Armenia
`Austria
`Australia
`Azerbaijan
`Bosnia and Herzegovina
`Barbados
`Belgium
`Burkina Faso
`Bulgaria
`Benin
`Brazil
`Belarus
`Canada
`Central African Republic
`Congo
`Switzerland
`Cdte d'Ivoire
`Cameroon
`China
`Cuba
`Czech Republic
`Germany
`Denmark
`
`
`
`Estonia
`
`ES
`FI
`FR
`GA
`GB
`GE
`GH
`GN
`GR
`HU
`JE
`IL
`Is
`IT
`JP
`KE
`KG
`KP
`
`KR
`KZ
`Lc
`LI
`LK
`LR
`
`Spain
`Finland
`France
`Gabon
`United Kingdom
`Georgia
`Ghana
`Guinea
`Greece
`Hungary
`Treland
`Israel
`Iceland
`Italy
`Japan
`Kenya
`Kyrgyzstan
`Democratic People’s
`Republic of Korea
`Republic of Korea
`Kazakstan
`Saint Lucia
`Liechtenstein
`Sri Lanka
`Liberia
`
`LS
`LT
`LU
`LV
`MC
`MD
`MG
`MK
`
`ML
`MN
`MR
`MW
`Mx
`NE
`NL
`NO
`NZ
`PL
`PT
`RO
`RU
`sD
`
`SI
`SK
`SN
`SZ
`TD
`TG
`TJ
`TM
`TR
`TT
`UA
`UG
`Us
`UZ
`VN
`YU
`ZW
`
`Slovenia
`Slovakia
`Senegal
`Swaziland
`Chad
`Togo
`Tajikistan
`Turkmenistan
`Turkey
`Trinidad and Tobago
`Ukraine
`Uganda
`United States of America
`Uzbekistan
`Viet Nam
`Yugoslavia
`Zimbabwe
`
`Lesotho
`Lithuania
`Luxembourg
`Latvia
`Monaco
`Republic of Moldova
`Madagascar
`The former Yugoslav
`Republic of Macedonia
`Mali
`Mongolia
`Mauritania
`Malawi
`Mexico
`Niger
`Netherlands
`Norway
`New Zealand
`Poland
`Portugal
`Romania
`Russian Federation
`Sudan
`Sweden
`Singapore
`
`
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`DISTRIBUTION OF MUSICAL PRODUCTS OVER THE INTERNET
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`CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
`This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/116,918,
`filed on January 22, 1999; U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/116,910, filed on January 22,
`1999; U.S. Provisional Application No. 601116,779, filed on January 22, 1999; U.S.
`Provisional Application No. 60/116,917, filed on January 22, 1999; U.S. Provisional
`Application No. 60/116,780, filed on January 22, 1999; and U.S. Provisional Application No.
`60/116,778, filed on January 22, 1999.
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`The present invention relates generally to digital music downloading. More
`particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method for distributing digital
`music over the Internet by a web site vendor.
`The Internet has offered opportunities for electronic commerce of massive
`proportions. Among other things, distribution of music over the computer-implemented
`global network is a well suited application of e-commerce, whereby consumers can easily and
`quickly find and purchase individual tracks or entire albums. A need therefore exists for a
`system and method that provide a music web site that is comprehensive, versatile, user-
`friendly, and protects the proprietary rights of artists and other rights holders.
`BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`It is an object of the present invention to provide a digital music distribution web site.
`It is another object of the present invention to provide a digital music distribution web
`site wherein a customer shopping list is always visible on a display screen.
`It is yet another object of the present invention to display a shopping history for each
`registered user/customer for unlimited downloading of the previously purchased items.
`It is still another object of the present invention to display a sales and royalty history
`for rights holders based on the sales of the product via the web site.
`It is still another object of the present invention to prohibit an unauthorized transfer
`of downloaded music files for playback by an unregistered user/customer.
`The above and other objects are achieved by a system and method for distributing
`products over the Internet. According to the present invention, a login screen is displayed on
`a video monitor that allows a user to enter an unique identifier for accessing database
`information. After the validity of the entered unique identifier is confirmed, a shopping list is
`displayed that lists items for purchase as selected by the user. The listed items are in digital
`format suitable for downloading to a user's computer connected to the Internet and are in
`other media format suitable for shipping to the user.
`In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the listed items are either
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`compact disks containing music recorded thereon or digital music in an encoded format, and
`the shopping list is displayed on the video monitor as long as at least one item is contained
`therein.
`In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a portion of digital music
`is retrieved from a database and the retrieved portion of digital music is then played for the
`user.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`The present invention is illustrated in the figures of the accompanying drawings which
`are meant to be exemplary and not limiting, in which like reference characters refer to like or
`corresponding parts, and in which:
`Figure IA shows an illustration of the video display screen as viewed by the PC user
`after connecting to the vendor's web site for distributing musical products;
`Figure IB shows an illustration of the video display screen after the PC user's login
`has been successfully completed;
`Figure 1 C illustrates an option for the PC user to click on a song to "pre-listen" to it --
`hearing a 20-second clip, for example;
`Figure lD is a block diagram of the network-based music distribution system
`according to the present invention;
`Figure IE illustrates in detail the shopping basket containing the desired items;
`Figure 2A shows an illustration ofthe monitor screen displaying another feature of the
`network-based system according to the present invention;
`Figure 2B shows in detail the records reflecting previous purchases listed under the
`"Past Orders" sub-heading;
`Figure 3A shows an illustration of the monitor screen displaying the user interface for
`accessing the information on royalties;
`Figure 3B shows royalty information maintained as a historical record (showing all
`the royalties earned to date) or as an incremental record (showing all the royalties currently
`outstanding);
`Figure 3C is a block diagram of the sales sub-system for determining sales and
`royalties for the rights-holders in accordance with the present invention;
`Figure 4A shows the name of the encoding format for digital music in accordance
`with the present invention;
`Figure 4B shows a portion of the screen displaying a music player for listening to the
`downloaded music in the NETrax or MP3 format;
`Figure 4C shows a portion of the screen displaying the user interface for the web site
`for distributing digital or analog music according to the present invention;
`Figure 4D shows a screen display whereby the search is performed by an album;
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`Figures 4E-4L show screen displays in response to the PC user search by different
`genres, such as electronica and dance, jazz, hip-hop, rap, R&B, country, rock and pop, world,
`children's and miscellaneous;
`Figure 5 shows a screen displaying a page for various other portions of the web site,
`whereby additional information may be obtained by clicking on the displayed heading or sub(cid:173)
`heading;
`Figure 6 shows a block diagram of the database structure in accordance with the
`present invention; and
`Figure 7 is a block diagram of various software and hardware units (sub-systems), as
`well as database components, comprising the overall system of the present invention
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
`As a general overview, the present invention includes a system and method for
`maintaining a music web site on the Internet. Consumers may access the web site via a
`personal computer or any other wired or wireless Internet access device, such as Web TV,
`personal digital assistant, cellular telephone, etc., to obtain a variety of services and products.
`For instance, a consumer may browse through artists, tracks or albums, pre-listen to a portion
`of the song and purchase the selected song either by downloading the digital data to her
`computer hard drive or by placing a mail order for a compact disk (CD). A specially encoded
`or encrypted MP3 files called "NETrax" are delivered from a server over the Internet or cable
`services to the end consumers' home PC.
`The present invention is directed to, among other things, a network-based system for
`distribution of musical products over a network, such as the Internet for example. The system
`includes a server platform for processing user requests and other information associated with
`the operation of the system. The server is connected to a database, which may be remote or
`local, for storing data. The stored data represents digitized songs, text associated with each
`song such as track name, album name, artist name, lyrics, etc., image data, graphics, etc.
`The server is a node on a global computer-implemented network, such as the Internet.
`As known to those skilled in the art, a network router may be used to connect the server to
`the Internet for controlling the flow of data. Also connected to the Internet is a plurality of
`nodes, such as personal computers, Web devices, etc., under control by the users (hereinafter
`collectively referred to as PC users). The PC users communicate with the server using dial(cid:173)
`up modems, cable modems, IDSN, DSL, etc., and using browser programs executing on their
`personal computers, as well known to those skilled in the art. Communication links or
`sessions are established between the PC users and the server, via the Internet, when the PC
`users log onto the web site hosted by the server.
`In the preferred embodiment, a PC user logs on to the Internet to access the World
`Wide Web portion thereof using a web browser program. That is, the PC user selects and
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`enters a URL address for the vendor's web site on her computer, and a communication link is
`established between the PC user and the selected vendor's web site. The request from the
`browser goes out to the server using the Internet (HTTP) protocol. Using SQL commands,
`the server then accesses the database maintaining the requested URL address information, and
`the HTML-based results are transferred from the database to the server and subsequently to
`the client's browser for display on the PC user display monitor.
`Figure 1 A shows an illustration of the video display screen 10 as viewed by the PC
`user after connecting to the vendor's web site for distributing musical products.
`As shown in the figure, the web site display is divided into 2 portions: main portion
`12 on the left side of the screen 10 contains fields for entering music-related search queries.
`For example, the PC user may search for desired songs by artist after entering the artist's
`name. The operation is carried out by various search engines for searching relational
`databases. Alternatively, the PC user may look for a song by title or album name.
`Furthermore, as shown in Figure IA, songs and/or albums attributed to different genres may
`be displayed on the screen in response to the PC user's selection.
`Furthermore, a music player for playing the digital music downloaded via the Internet
`from the server is displayed in the main section of the screen. The music player, known as
`"MCY NETrax Player", may be downloaded to the PC also via the Internet from the server
`and contains operation controls for listening to the downloaded digital music.
`The main section contains various content under several headings and sub-headings.
`For example, Figure IA shows albums and/or songs under the heading "Featured Selections"
`as selectively featured on the web site. Under the "MCY Choice Cuts" heading, a number of
`songs/albums is listed as, once again, selected by the web site vendor. Figure lA also shows
`the "News" category, representatively profiling an artist, and under the "Interview" heading
`an interview with an artist is available for viewing. It is understood, of course, that other
`music content and categories, headings, sub-headings, etc., may be provided on the web site,
`including hyperlinks to other web sites, pages, etc. It is noted that a vertical scroll bar may be
`required to view the content of the entire frame occupying the left portion of the screen.
`The right portion of the display screen is independently controlled from the left
`portion and includes the "Shopping List" heading, as well as the login procedure for PC users.
`In particular, when a PC user desires to purchase a song or an album, she registers with the
`web site vendor using the on-line login procedure. The registration comprises entering the
`username and password to gain access to the web site vendor's products. When a new PC
`user logs in, she selects a username and password and then clicks on the "New User" software
`button on the screen. The new PC user is then requested to re-confirm the selected password
`by entering the password once more. If the password is properly re-confirmed, she is allowed
`to purchase CDs, download digital music, or make other purchases from the web site as
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`described below. For repeat users, after clicking on the "Login" software button, the entered
`username and password are compared with those stored in the database connected to the
`server. If the match is found, the access to the purchase transactions on the web site is
`validated, and the PC user is permitted to shop for music and other goods. Otherwise, the
`error message is displayed, and the PC user is prohibited from buying the music or other
`products. In this case, however, the PC user may still use the left portion of the screen to
`browse through various titles, read the news, etc., as described above.
`Figure I B shows an illustration of the video display screen after the PC user's login
`has been successfully completed. In this case, after browsing through the available songs and
`albums, let it be assumed that the PC user decides to purchase two albums. By clicking on
`her selection in the left portion of the screen, the desired items, either CD or downloadable
`digital music, appear in the right portion under the "MCY Shopping List" heading.
`Namely, as the PC user browses through the web site, she can select items of interest
`for purchase. These items are displayed in a "shopping basket," that is, the right portion of
`the PC user's computer screen as shown in Figure lB. The shopping basket is displayed
`continuously if there is at least one item therein. Alternatively, the shopping basket can be
`displayed continuously even when empty. Among other things, the shopping basket can
`display the name and quantity of the items selected, as well as the cost. The shopping basket
`can also indicate the total cost of the items in the shopping basket, as shown in Figure lB.
`In the preferred embodiment, the system permits the purchase of audio music files
`over the Internet. The PC user logs onto the vendor's web site and browses the songs
`available for purchase. The songs can be arranged by artist, music style, etc., as mentioned
`above. Further, the vendor can provide suggestions on the web site, directing the PC user to
`songs that might be desirable, based on that PC user's previous purchases, her indicated
`preferences, popularity of the songs, paid advertising and the like. If interested in a song, the
`PC user has the option of clicking on a song to "pre-listen" to it-- hearing a 20-second clip,
`for example -- as illustrated in Figure 1 C. If the PC user then wishes to purchase the song,
`she can submit her order by clicking on the icons located next to each song/album, as also
`shown in Figure 1 C. The order will be reflected in the shopping basket, always visible on the
`screen. As the PC user selects more items, each and every item is displayed in the shopping
`basket (to the extent that space permits-- a scroll bar may be necessary should the PC user
`select a large number of items). At any point in time, the PC user can review her selections,
`deleting items she no longer desires. When the PC user has developed a satisfactory list, she
`can submit her order by clicking on the "Purchase Items" button, as illustrated in Figure IE
`showing the magnified right portion of the screen, including the shopping basket. The
`purchased items will be delivered immediately over the Internet to the user's computer if the
`selected music is in downloadable digital format. The user can then listen to the song at his
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`computer or download it onto a portable player. Those items that are not available in digital
`format or as requested by the PC user, will be processed accordingly.
`According to the present invention, the network-based system described above
`includes an e-commerce platform, suited particularly for the digital distribution of audio files
`(named NETrax), as well as regular mail order. The shopping basket provides a unique
`feature capable of handling heterogeneous products, such as the listing of audio files and any
`other digital files that after purchasing can be delivered digitally directly through the net, and
`traditional mail order products. According to one aspect of the present invention, all these
`products can be conveniently placed onto one shopping list even though they are not
`homogeneous. Conveniently, the customer can place digital orders (such as NETrax) and will
`get those delivered immediately via digital delivery over the internet to her PC; additionally,
`all other orders of finished product entered into the shopping list will be shipped to her home
`by mail, such as a private courier, for example.
`In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the shopping basket is
`always visible on the right side of the screen. The on-line consumer is thus able to constantly
`monitor the contents of her shopping list and the cost associated with her spending spree. By
`making the shopping basket visible on the screen all the time eliminates any hidden factors or
`charges, and it is always clear to the consumer what she intends to purchase.
`By clicking on the product, visible on the "MCY Shopping List", the consumer can
`receive a detailed description of the product on the list before purchase. Figure IC
`representatively illustrates the details of the album entitled "Air Moon Safari" in the left
`portion of the screen, which is displayed in response to the pointer -- the hand tool 16 -(cid:173)
`activated by the user to select the desired item ("Air Moon Safari") in the shopping basket.
`Figure ID is a block diagram of the network-based music distribution system
`according to the present invention. An on-line customer, such as the PC user 18 described
`above, logs onto a vendor's web site 20 via the Internet. The vendor's web site 20 is
`
`representatively shown in the figure as MCY MediaCityrM. It is understood, of course, that
`
`the web site as shown in Figure ID is supported by a server having specific software and
`hardware configurations, such as Sun Microsystems mid-range computer with Windows
`operating system for executing applications programs written in Java, HTML or other
`programming language.
`On the web site, the on-line customer may pre-listen to the desired music prior to the
`purchase. Following the pre-listen operation, the on-line customer may place an order for an
`immediate digital delivery of the selected music, book, etc., if available in digital format.
`Alternatively, she can order the selected information, such as text, moving or still images,
`graphics, etc., to be downloaded to her computer. Yet another option is to mail order COs,
`video cassettes or disks, books, etc., for delivery to the designated place, such as home, place
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`of work, friend's home. Still another option for the on-line consumer is to mail order a
`personally compiled CD containing selections from various artists, as specifically prepared by
`the web site vendor. Of course, those and additional buying options are presented to the on(cid:173)
`line consumer via the graphical user interface (GUI) on the web site.
`Continuing further with the description of Figure 1 D, regardless of the type of order
`or type of media selected by the on-line consumer, the desired items are placed in the
`shopping basket 22, as illustrated in detail in Figure IE. The on-line consumer may delete
`the items from the shopping basket or pre-listen to the tracks prior to the final purchase.
`After the list in the shopping basket 22 is finalized, the on-line consumer is requested to pay
`for the purchase. A charge may be made directly to the on-line consumer's credit card 24, or
`the payment may be tendered in other ways as customary in the trade. After confirming the
`receipt of payment, the product is delivered to the consumer. The delivery 26 is carried out
`by downloading the purchased digital music or text/graphics of the purchased information.
`Such operation requires the system's digital delivery software module to access a database for
`storing digital music, text, graphics, images, etc., requesting a copy of the purchased items,
`copying the purchased items from the database and transferring the copies of the purchased
`items to the consumer via the communications link established with the consumer's PC over
`the Internet.
`If the purchased items are to be delivered by mail, then the system's mail delivery
`software module accesses a database for storing track/album titles available in CD format or
`titles of books, disks or other products available in the appropriate tangible medium. The
`titles of the purchased items are retrieved and transferred to a terminal controlled by a live
`operator. The operator may then contact a record/book warehouse, book/video shop for hard
`to find and special order items, or other contractual arrangements for outsourcing the order as
`customary in the industry. The operator subsequently supplies the customer's name and
`shipping address for fulfillment of the order, whereby the purchased items are shipped
`directly to the customer under the web site vendor's name.
`Figure 2A shows an illustration of the monitor screen 10 displaying another feature of
`the network-based system according to the present invention. The right portion of the screen
`lists tracks and/or albums previously purchased by the PC user. In particular, after
`authorizing the PC user's login as described above, the system's "history" software module
`accesses the database for storing record information for all previous sales activity. Those
`records pertaining to the PC user's purchases are selected by the module and transferred to the
`display software module for displaying on the screen. The records reflecting previous
`purchases are listed under the "Past Orders" sub-heading, as shown in detail in Figure 2B.
`The shopping history sub-system allows every customer who has ever previously
`shopped on the web site to access a list of all products that the consumer has purchased in the
`
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`past. The access to the past purchases is provided after typing in a usemame and password.
`After entering this information, the PC user finds all products previously purchased at the
`lower portion of the shopping list. All items obtained at the web site are displayed, and a
`vertical scroll bar may be required if the list is long. By clicking on one of these items, the
`main frame of the web site displays the product purchased. The customer can then go back
`and pre-listen to the songs (NETrax), as well as download the NETrax songs that were
`previously purchased.
`In another aspect of the present invention, the inventive network-based system allows
`authors, composers, publishers and all related artists of a music product (collectively referred
`to as rights-holders) to have 24-hour, 7-day a week access to the worldwide sales of their
`product. Figure 3A shows an illustration of the monitor screen 10 displaying the user
`interface for accessing the information on royalties.
`A rights-holder accesses a web page for entering the proper identification information.
`As shown in the figure, login name and password are required for gaining access to the sales
`information. After entering the identifier, including the login name or usemame and
`password, the rights-holder is presented with a complete list of time, date and product name,
`amount, pricing and sales of the product distributed through the web site vendor. For
`example, royalty collection societies get access 24 hours/day, 7 days/week to the digital
`distribution platform where they can access the digitally distributed NETrax sales and then
`can collect money from the relevant parties.
`The sales sub-system of the present invention maintains a record on a computer
`database (or the like) of all the purchases ever made by the user. Certain products and
`services will generate revenue for third party rights holders. For example, songwriters and
`royalty societies will obtain revenue based on the sales of records and songs. The sub-system
`permits the rights holders to access the web page of the computer system and determine what
`royalties they have generated. This royalty information can be maintained as a historical
`record (showing all the royalties earned to date) or as an incremental record (showing all the
`royalties currently outstanding), as illustrated in Figure 3B.
`The rights-holders for a particular song can access the web site and determine that a
`particular song was purchased, how many times the song was purchased, what the cost of the
`song was and what royalties are due to the rights holder. Of course, other information about
`the sale can be presented to the rights-holder, as desired by the designer of the particular
`system.
`Figure 3C is a block diagram of the sales sub-system for determining sales and
`royalties for the rights-holders in accordance with the present invention. After a customer 30
`buys a track or album via the web site as described above, the sales information is stored to a
`database 32 at MCY Music web site. A rights-holder may access the stored information via
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`the Internet to check for royalties due.
`After the login, the rights-holder may decide, for example, to check the sales for a
`particular album for the last 6 months. The sales tracking module accesses the sales
`information stored to the database after each customer's purchase transaction and then selects
`only the sales information pertaining to the desired album for the last 6 months. The selected
`information is then transferred to the display module for display.
`In one aspect of the present invention, the rights-holder is restricted to the sales
`information stored in the database based on her connection to the commercial product. For
`example, composers, authors and publishers may be allowed to view one type of sales
`information, while performers, such as singers, musicians, etc., can view another types of
`sales information. In addition, the system can calculate the dollar amount to be collected by
`the requesting rights-holder if a predetermined percentage from the sales is supplied by the
`rights-holder. For example, if a performer collects 5% from the sale of her album, then the
`system can calculate the total dollar amount owed to the performer during a specified period
`of time in accordance with the specified royalty rate.
`As described above, once the PC user purchases a song or album in digital format, she
`can download the purchased music to her PC many times. In case her PC is damaged, the
`customer retains the right to the unlimited access after the purchase in case various
`eventualities occur, for example a crash of the hard drive or some other damage to the PC. In
`accordance with another aspect of the present invention, however, this unlimited access to the
`web site vendor's database does not allow the PC user to take advantage of this feature of the
`present invention for illegal purposes. For example, it appears as if the PC user may
`purchase a song, download it to her hard drive and then transfer the downloaded music to a
`portable storage medium or to another PC user via the Internet for playback.
`To prevent the playback of the digital music that is illegally transferred from the
`purchaser, each song, album, or other property in digital format is assigned an identifier or
`key. This customer key is created for each user/customer corresponding to the
`username/password pair. Prior to the first download (namely, the first time that the customer
`desires to purchase a song through download), she logs in by entering username and
`password as described above. When the login is confirmed, the custo