A method of managing digital rights comprises the following steps. First,
a physical electronic key containing a first activation code is provided
to a requesting user. Second, locked digital content is provided to the
requesting user. The digital content is encoded with a second activation
code associated with the first activation code. Third, the locked digital
content is received in a playing device that reads the first activation
code and determines whether the first activation code is associated with
the second activation code. Fourth, the playing device is enabled to
unlock and play the digital content if the first activation code is
associated with the second activation code. A digital right management
system for implementing the foregoing method is also disclosed.