A method and apparatus to manage digital rights

In one embodiment, the invention provides a method for handling a digital rights protected object. In the method a digital rights protected object is received, and thereafter, digital rights information associated with the object is separated from content associated with the object. The digital rights information is stored in a digital rights information repository, whereas the content is stored in a content repository. A digital rights handle is created to link the digital rights information to the content and a digital rights management module is provided, which can be created by an application to determine if a digital rights restriction exists for content that prevents usage of the content.