A method and apparatus for managing data resources on a computing device. One or more data resources are pre-loaded on the device but are not accessible to application programs on the device. A resource manager sits on the device as an intermediary or gatekeeper to manage the data resources. The resource manager maintains a set of access-rights data that indicates for each of the data resources whether a right exists to access the data resource. In response to a request to access or add a given one of the pre-loaded but not yet accessible data resources, the resource manager invokes a network-based rights-acquisition session through which the device acquires a right to access the data resource. The access-rights data is then updated to reflect that an access-right exists, and access is thereafter allowed.