1. A method for enforcing usage rights associated with digital content, the method comprising: electronically creating usage rights from a grammar, the usage rights specifying a manner of use in which the digital content can be used or distributed and one or more conditions which must be satisfied before the manner of use may be exercised, the manner of use being selected from a plurality of manners of use, wherein one or more symbols from a first set of predetermined symbols are used to define a valid sequence of symbols to indicate the manner of use and one or more symbols from a second set of predetermined symbols are used to define a valid sequence of symbols to indicate the one or more conditions; associating the usage rights with a digital content; receiving the digital content and the usage rights at a first non-centralized repository; storing the digital content and the usage rights on a first storage component at the first non-centralized repository; transferring, by the first non-centralized repository, the digital content and a next set of rights to a second storage component, wherein the next set of rights identifies an authorization that is required to access the digital content; generating, by a second repository, a usage transaction for requesting access to the digital content; and processing, by the first non-centralized repository, the usage transaction to determine if access to the digital content can be granted in accordance with the next set of rights.