Electric equipment, and a method and a program for preventing the unauthorized use of same, by which it is possible to prevent the theft of electric equipment installed in an environment where the electric equipment is available for the use of an unspecified number of users and the stealing of information stored in the electric equipment. The electric equipment comprises: an operation limiting section for setting a function limit to make at least part of functions of the electric equipment unava...

A method and system for encouraging users of computer readable content to register. The method involves embedding in the computer readable content, instruction codes operable to direct a processor circuit to automatically establish a connection to a server, when the content is in use by the processor circuit, to transmit registration information to the server and operable to control further use of the content by the processor circuit in response to a key received from the server.

A mechanism is provided for administering and maintaining access control lists for a filesystem in a heterogeneous network environment. A filesystem includes an access mechanism for a native filesystem type. Files, directory structures, metadata, etc. are stored using the native access mechanism. Access control lists may also be stored for the native filesystem type using the native access mechanism. The filesystem also includes access mechanisms for one or more additional filesystem types. Acce...

A data loader device is used to convey digital data in a secure manner to another device. The data loader may be fixed (referred to as a Class_A loader) or portable (referred to as a Class_B loader). The data loader encrypts the digital data using a location-identity that permits the digital data to be transferred only if the data loader is disposed at an appropriate location. The fixed data loader remains in a stationary location, and a device to be loaded is brought to the data loader for load...

In a data transmission apparatus and method of the present invention, a specific operator ID for an operator who uses a data processing device to process image data to be copied or transmitted, is selected. Specific owner IDs for owners who are authorized to access the image data, are selected. User identification data, inclusive of all operator IDs and owner IDs correlated to the data processing device, are stored in a storage device each time image data is captured by the data processing devic...

A system and methods of digital rights management for plural device domains that adapts in response to external use data. Domain size parameters of a target domain that includes multiple receiving devices are determined. The domain parameters are compared to a domain benchmark developed from external data. A risk index for the target domain is then generated and used to create content usage rights for controlling access and usage of digital content by the collection of devices within that domain...

A system and a method for providing variable security mechanisms for securing digital content, in which a single security mechanism is not used for all content. Instead, at least one characteristic or feature of the security mechanism is varied between units, instances or categories of content. Therefore, even if unauthorized access is gained to a single unit of content, the overall integrity and security of the system for content distribution is not compromised. Preferably, security is provided...

A system for implementing search- and retrieval-compatible data obfuscation includes an annotator that annotates data, metadata, and relationships thereof that are privacy sensitive according to privacy policies. The system also includes an indexing server that indexes the annotated data according to the policies that specify rules for controlling access to the data. The system also includes an obfuscation server for serving user requests for data search and retrieval, and specifies data entitle...

A distributed instant multimedia communication (IMC) system that allows users to communicate with one another in real-time includes a plurality of autonomous networks. Each autonomous network includes at least one server that supports (IMC) sessions for a plurality of clients registered on the server, and a multi-point switch unit coupled to the server(s) that sends data out of and receives data into the autonomous network, and routes data within the autonomous network through the server(s). In ...

The adaptive modification of the security level of a node in a network is enabled. For example, such modification may be achieved in a dynamic network i.e. networks in which nodes may be mobile and in which the network topology is not constant. The node receives beacon signals from other nodes in the network, the signals providing an indication of the alert level of the other nodes and an indication of whether the other nodes are trusted members of the network. The alert level of the node is det...