Aol Inc.

Oath Inc.

Aol Musicnow LLC

Timothy Scott Franklin

Jeffrey Jonathan Spurgat

Stephen Christopher Gladwin

Depeng Bi

Troy Steven Denkinger

Bart Richard Cilfone

Anne Marie Pewterbaugh

Bart Richard Clifone

Anne Marie Walsh

Digital content distribution systems and methods are provided for distributing for digital data files, such as digital audio and video data files. In accordance with one implementation, a token-based authentication system is provided that does not require knowledge of the individual user requesting the download of digital content data or real-time access to user account information. Instead, the token-based authentication system embeds the authentication information, or token, in the download request information itself. In this way, the download or content server authenticates the download request using the token contained in the download request information and therefore does not require any additional information to carry out this authentication, such as access to user account information.

Digital content distribution and subscription system

A digital content distribution and subscription system for digital data files provides subscribers with music or video from streaming digital data or locally-stored digital files on demand for a fee. After registration onto the system, a subscriber may select from a relatively wide variety of available digital content from the streaming digital data or the locally-stored digital files. The subscriber may then select songs from various playlists which causes encrypted digital audio files for the selected music to be downloaded to the subscriber's personal computer (pc). A license key is downloaded to the subscriber's pc to unlock the selected songs to enable them to be decoded and played on the subscriber's pc or remote audio equipment for a predetermined period of time. At the expiration of the predetermined time period, the license key expires, thereby preventing further playback of the encrypted audio data files. The selections of each subscriber are tabulated for the purpose of royalty tracking and payment of an appropriate license fee to the holders of copyright rights for the selections. The digital content distribution and subscription system includes a digital content management system, a system for taken-based authentication allowing secure data retrieval and a royalty administration system.

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Lake Villa, IL, United States of America

Timothy Scott Franklin