A system for Digital Rights Management (DRM) license delivery is presented
in which the license and encrypted content is accessed from a unique
download URL address for each unit of encrypted content for each
subscriber. The license is delivered only a limited number of times from
each URL (typically once, but optionally more than once) and is delivered
to the client system that first accesses the URL (or if more than one
license delivery is authorized by the content owner or distributor) to
the same or different client system that accesses the URL up to the
maximum number of license delivery events authorized.. When the
subscriber is ready to view the content, the subscriber clicks on the
download URL to cause the browser for the subscriber client system to
request the web page located at the unique URL location. In response to
the request, the host system delivers a license and the encrypted content
to the subscriber client system that accessed the URL. If the unique
download URL is accessed subsequent times, the host system delivers the
encrypted content, but does not re-deliver the license. Since the
subscriber client system has already stored the license, if the
subscriber client system re-accesses the site, it will be able to
download and play the media content for so long as the terms of the
license permit. However, if another client system accesses the unique URL
address, for example if the subscriber e-mails the URL address to another
user, the content can be downloaded but will not be played by the
subsequent client system because the license is not re-delivered.