Content data providing server, content data providing system and method, and terminal unit

A content data providing system connected to a content providing server, a terminal unit of a recording medium producer, and a terminal unit of a user through a network,

• wherein the terminal unit of the user is configured to register personal information of the user to the content providing server and transmit unique identification information of a recording medium that the user has bought,
• wherein the content providing server comprises:
• a management server for receiving unique recording medium identification information of a recording medium, the unique identification information being post-scribed by the recoding medium producer, the unique identification information of the recording medium that the user has bought, the personal information of the user, and identification information of the terminal unit of the user, creating a list that represents the relation between those information and identification information of content data of the recording medium that the user owns, and storing the list;
• a content server for storing content data corresponding to the identification information of the content data, the identification information being contained in the list;
• and
• a content distribution server for distributing content data stored in the content server to the terminal unit of the user corresponding to a distribution request that the terminal unit of the user has issued,
• wherein when the user who has issued the distribution request and the unique identification information of the recording medium corresponding to the distribution request are contained in the list, the content data corresponding to the unique identification information is permitted to be distributed.

A content data providing method for a system connected to a content providing server, a terminal unit of a recording medium producer, and a terminal unit of a user through a network, the content providing method comprising the steps of:

• causing the terminal unit of the user to register the user to the content providing server and transmit unique identification information of a recording medium that the user has bought;
• causing the terminal unit of the user to register personal information of the user to the content providing server and transmit the unique identification information of the recording medium that the user has bought to the content providing server;
• causing the content providing server to receive unique identification information of a recording medium, the unique identification information being post-scribed by the recoding medium producer, the unique identification information of the recording medium that the user has bought, the personal information of the user, and identification information of the terminal unit of the user, create a list that represents the relation between those information and identification information of content data of the recording medium that the user owns, and store the list;
• and
• permitting the content providing server to identification information when the user who has issued the distribution request and the unique identification information of the recording medium corresponding to the distribution request are contained in the list.

A terminal unit for requesting a content providing server to distribute content data, the content providing server being configured to receive unique identification information of a recording medium, the unique identification information being post-scribed by the recoding medium producer, unique identification information of a recording medium that the user has bought, personal information of the user, and identification information of the terminal unit, create a list that represents the relation between those information and identification information of content data of the recording medium that the user owns, and store the list, the terminal unit comprising:

• means for transmitting the identification information of the terminal unit to the content providing server so as to request it to distribute the content data;
• means for receiving the list corresponding to the identification information of the terminal unit or a part thereof from the content providing server and displaying the list when the user who has issued the distribution request and the unique identification information of the recording medium corresponding to the distribution request are contained in the list;
• and
• means for selecting a content that the user wants the content providing server to distribute from the list or a part thereof, receiving the selected content data from the content providing server, and reproducing or storing the received content data.