1. A method for enforcing rights expressions specifying manners of use of an item, said method comprising: specifying by a potential recipient of an item a first rights expression indicating a first manner of use of said item proposed by said recipient; specifying by a provider of said item a second rights expression indicating a second manner of use of said item proposed by said provider; determining if there is a correspondence between said first rights expression and said second rights expression; and applying a rule to a determined correspondence between said first rights expression and said second rights expression to determine if said recipient should be granted use of said item.