diff --git a/app/models/stacks_media_stream.rb b/app/models/stacks_media_stream.rb
index 24c1e8b8..1efd5194 100644
--- a/app/models/stacks_media_stream.rb
+++ b/app/models/stacks_media_stream.rb
@@ -17,5 +17,5 @@ def file
   def stacks_rights
     @stacks_rights ||= StacksRights.new(id: id, file_name: file_name)
   end
-  delegate :rights, :restricted_by_location?, :stanford_restricted?, to: :stacks_rights
+  delegate :rights, :restricted_by_location?, :stanford_restricted?, :embargoed?, to: :stacks_rights
 end
diff --git a/app/models/stacks_rights.rb b/app/models/stacks_rights.rb
index f406bcef..b0b21e64 100644
--- a/app/models/stacks_rights.rb
+++ b/app/models/stacks_rights.rb
@@ -33,6 +33,8 @@ def restricted_by_location?
     rights.restricted_by_location?(file_name)
   end
 
+  delegate :embargoed?, to: :rights
+
   def object_thumbnail?
     doc = Nokogiri::XML.parse(public_xml)
 
diff --git a/app/services/media_authentication_json.rb b/app/services/media_authentication_json.rb
index e0348d55..e55996a6 100644
--- a/app/services/media_authentication_json.rb
+++ b/app/services/media_authentication_json.rb
@@ -4,6 +4,10 @@
 # A class to model various authentication checks on media objects
 # and return a hash to be used as JSON in a controller response
 class MediaAuthenticationJson
+  # @param [User] user
+  # @param [StacksMediaStream] media
+  # @param [String] auth_url the login url to send to the client if the user could login.
+  # @param [Ability] ability the CanCan ability object
   def initialize(user:, media:, auth_url:, ability:)
     @user = user
     @media = media
@@ -11,56 +15,64 @@ def initialize(user:, media:, auth_url:, ability:)
     @ability = ability
   end
 
-  def as_json(*)
-    return stanford_or_location_response if location_grants_access? && stanford_grants_access?
-    return location_only_response if location_grants_access?
-    return stanford_only_response if stanford_grants_access?
+  class DenyResponse
+    def initialize(auth_url)
+      @auth_url = auth_url
+      @status = []
+    end
 
-    {}
-  end
+    attr_reader :status, :auth_url
 
-  private
+    def as_json
+      return { status: }.compact_blank.merge(login_service) if stanford_restricted?
 
-  attr_reader :auth_url, :media, :user, :ability
+      { status: }.compact_blank
+    end
 
-  def location_only_response
-    {
-      status: [:location_restricted]
-    }
-  end
+    def login_service
+      {
+        service: {
+          '@id' => auth_url,
+          'label' => 'Stanford-affiliated? Login to play'
+        }
+      }
+    end
 
-  def stanford_only_response
-    {
-      status: [:stanford_restricted]
-    }.merge(login_service)
-  end
+    def stanford_restricted?
+      status.include?(:stanford_restricted)
+    end
 
-  def stanford_or_location_response
-    {
-      status: [
-        :stanford_restricted,
-        :location_restricted
-      ]
-    }.merge(login_service)
-  end
+    def add_stanford_restricted!
+      status << :stanford_restricted
+    end
 
-  def login_service
-    {
-      service: {
-        '@id' => auth_url,
-        'label' => 'Stanford-affiliated? Login to play'
-      }
-    }
+    def add_location_restricted!
+      status << :location_restricted
+    end
+
+    def add_embargo!
+      status << :embargoed
+    end
   end
 
-  def stanford_restricted?
-    media.stanford_restricted?
+  def build_response
+    DenyResponse.new(auth_url).tap do |response|
+      response.add_stanford_restricted! if stanford_grants_access?
+      response.add_location_restricted! if location_grants_access?
+      response.add_embargo! if embargoed?
+    end
   end
 
-  def location_restricted?
-    media.restricted_by_location?
+  def as_json(*)
+    build_response.as_json
   end
 
+  private
+
+  attr_reader :auth_url, :media, :user, :ability
+
+  delegate :embargoed?, :stanford_restricted?, :restricted_by_location?, to: :media
+
   def user_is_in_location?
     ability.can? :access, media
   end
@@ -70,6 +82,6 @@ def stanford_grants_access?
   end
 
   def location_grants_access?
-    location_restricted? && !user_is_in_location?
+    restricted_by_location? && !user_is_in_location?
   end
 end
diff --git a/spec/requests/media_auth_request_spec.rb b/spec/requests/media_auth_request_spec.rb
index 69143cf1..551e13f6 100644
--- a/spec/requests/media_auth_request_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/requests/media_auth_request_spec.rb
@@ -3,81 +3,115 @@
 require 'rails_helper'
 
 RSpec.describe "Authentication for Media requests", type: :request do
-
-  let(:user_no_loc_no_webauth) { User.new }
-  let(:user_webauth_stanford_no_loc) { User.new(webauth_user: true, ldap_groups: %w(stanford:stanford)) }
   let(:druid) { 'bb582xs1304' }
 
-  describe "#auth_check" do
-    let(:format) { 'mp4' }
-    let(:public_xml) do
-      <<-XML
-        <publicObject>
-          #{rights_xml}
-        </publicObject>
-      XML
+  let(:format) { 'mp4' }
+  let(:public_xml) do
+    <<-XML
+      <publicObject>
+        #{rights_xml}
+      </publicObject>
+    XML
+  end
+
+  let(:rights_xml) do
+    <<-EOF.strip_heredoc
+    <rightsMetadata>
+        <access type="read">
+          <machine>
+            <group>Stanford</group>
+          </machine>
+        </access>
+      </rightsMetadata>
+    EOF
+  end
+
+  let(:mock_media) do
+    sms = StacksMediaStream.new(id: 'bb582xs1304', file_name: 'file', format: format)
+    allow(Purl).to receive(:public_xml).with('bb582xs1304').and_return(public_xml)
+    sms
+  end
+
+  before do
+    allow_any_instance_of(MediaController).to receive(:current_user).and_return(user)
+    allow_any_instance_of(MediaController).to receive(:current_media).and_return(mock_media)
+  end
+
+  context 'when the user is stanford authenticated' do
+    let(:user) { User.new(webauth_user: true, ldap_groups: %w(stanford:stanford)) }
+
+    it 'gets the success JSON and a token' do
+      get "/media/#{druid}/file.#{format}/auth_check"
+      expect(response.parsed_body['status']).to eq 'success'
+      expect(response.parsed_body['token']).to match(/^[%a-zA-Z0-9]+/)
     end
+  end
+
+  context 'when the user is not authenticated' do
+    let(:user) { User.new }
 
-    let(:rights_xml) do
-      <<-EOF.strip_heredoc
-      <rightsMetadata>
-          <access type="read">
-            <machine>
-              <group>Stanford</group>
-            </machine>
-          </access>
-        </rightsMetadata>
-      EOF
+    context 'stanford restricted' do
+      it 'indicates that the object is restricted in the json' do
+        get "/media/#{druid}/file.#{format}/auth_check"
+        expect(response.parsed_body['status']).to eq ['stanford_restricted']
+      end
     end
 
-    let(:mock_media) do
-      sms = StacksMediaStream.new(id: 'bb582xs1304', file_name: 'file', format: format)
-      allow(Purl).to receive(:public_xml).with('bb582xs1304').and_return(public_xml)
-      sms
+    context 'location restricted' do
+      let(:rights_xml) do
+        <<-EOF.strip_heredoc
+        <rightsMetadata>
+            <access type="read">
+              <machine>
+                <location>location1</location>
+              </machine>
+            </access>
+          </rightsMetadata>
+        EOF
+      end
+
+      it 'indicates that the object is location restricted in the json' do
+        get "/media/#{druid}/file.#{format}/auth_check"
+        expect(response.parsed_body['status']).to eq ['location_restricted']
+      end
     end
 
-    context 'when the user can read/stream the file' do
-      it 'gets the success JSON and a token' do
-        allow_any_instance_of(MediaController).to receive(:current_user).and_return(user_webauth_stanford_no_loc)
-        allow_any_instance_of(MediaController).to receive(:current_media).and_return(mock_media)
-        get "/media/#{druid}/file.#{format}/auth_check.js"
-        body = JSON.parse(response.body)
-        expect(body['status']).to eq 'success'
-        expect(body['token']).to match(/^[%a-zA-Z0-9]+/)
+    context 'when the file is embargoed or stanford restricted' do
+      let(:rights_xml) do
+        <<-EOF.strip_heredoc
+        <rightsMetadata>
+            <access type="read">
+              <machine>
+                <embargoReleaseDate>2099-05-15</embargoReleaseDate>
+                <group>stanford</group>
+              </machine>
+            </access>
+          </rightsMetadata>
+        EOF
+      end
+
+      it 'indicates that the object is stanford restricted and embargoed in the json' do
+        get "/media/#{druid}/file.#{format}/auth_check"
+        expect(response.parsed_body['status']).to eq %w[stanford_restricted embargoed]
       end
     end
 
-    context 'when the user cannot read/stream the file' do
-      context 'stanford restricted' do
-        it 'indicates that the object is restricted in the json' do
-          allow_any_instance_of(MediaController).to receive(:current_user).and_return(user_no_loc_no_webauth)
-          allow_any_instance_of(MediaController).to receive(:current_media).and_return(mock_media)
-          get "/media/#{druid}/file.#{format}/auth_check.js"
-          body = JSON.parse(response.body)
-          expect(body['status']).to eq(['stanford_restricted'])
-        end
+    context 'when the file is embargoed' do
+      let(:rights_xml) do
+        <<-EOF.strip_heredoc
+        <rightsMetadata>
+            <access type="read">
+              <machine>
+                <embargoReleaseDate>2099-05-15</embargoReleaseDate>
+              </machine>
+            </access>
+          </rightsMetadata>
+        EOF
       end
 
-      context 'location restricted' do
-        let(:rights_xml) do
-          <<-EOF.strip_heredoc
-          <rightsMetadata>
-              <access type="read">
-                <machine>
-                  <location>location1</location>
-                </machine>
-              </access>
-            </rightsMetadata>
-          EOF
-        end
-
-        it 'indicates that the object is location restricted in the json' do
-          allow_any_instance_of(MediaController).to receive(:current_user).and_return(user_no_loc_no_webauth)
-          allow_any_instance_of(MediaController).to receive(:current_media).and_return(mock_media)
-          get "/media/#{druid}/file.#{format}/auth_check.js"
-          body = JSON.parse(response.body)
-          expect(body['status']).to eq(['location_restricted'])
-        end
+      it 'indicates that the object is embargoed in the json' do
+        get "/media/#{druid}/file.#{format}/auth_check.js"
+        expect(response.parsed_body['status']).to eq ['embargoed']
       end
     end
   end
diff --git a/spec/services/media_authentication_json_spec.rb b/spec/services/media_authentication_json_spec.rb
index 45f7bb52..2af9c62a 100644
--- a/spec/services/media_authentication_json_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/services/media_authentication_json_spec.rb
@@ -4,11 +4,11 @@
 
 RSpec.describe MediaAuthenticationJson do
   let(:media) do
-    double(
-      'Media',
+    instance_double(
+      StacksMediaStream,
       restricted_by_location?: false,
       stanford_restricted?: false,
-      location_rights: false
+      embargoed?: false
     )
   end
   let(:ability) { Ability.new(user) }