Recording medium for storing write protection information and write protection method thereof

An apparatus for writing to and/or reading from write protection information on a recording medium, said recording medium including a Lead-in area, a Lead-out area and a user data area, said apparatus protecting said recording medium from unwanted overwriting or erasing, comprising:

• a pickup recording write protection information, at the same time, on the recording medium;
• and
• a controller prohibiting further recording of data on the recording medium according to a matching of at least two write protection information, read without error.

An apparatus for writing and/or reading write protection information, said apparatus recording and/or reproducing data on/from a recording medium positioned in a case of a cartridge, wherein the recording medium includes a user data area to store the data and write protection information indicative of whether to prevent writing of new data on the recording medium, with the case having a write inhibit hole for write protection, comprising:

• a controller to determine whether a write protection state of the write protection information matches the write protection state of the write inhibit hole, and prevent recording of the new data on the recording medium if the write protection information or the write inhibit hole indicates the write protection state to be that of preventing the recording of the new data on the recording medium,
• wherein the write protection state of the write protection information is based at least on a matching of at least two write protection information, previously stored on the recording medium at the same time, read without error.

An apparatus for writing and/or reading write protection information on/from a recording medium, comprising:

• a controller to access the write protection information, previously stored at the same time, from the recording medium, the recording medium having a Lead-in area, a Lead-out area and, and a user data area;
• wherein the recording medium stores the write protection information to protect the data recorded on the recording medium from unwanted overwriting or erasing, based at least on a matching of at least two write protection information, read without error.

An apparatus for writing to and/or reading from a recordable and/or reproducible recording medium including a Lead-in area, a Lead-out area and a user area protected from unwanted overwriting or erasing based upon redundantly stored write protection information data, previously stored at the same time, comprising:

• a pickup to read at least two redundantly stored write protection information data from the recordable and/or reproducible recording medium;
• and
• a controller permitting recording of data on the recordable and/or reproducible recording medium based upon whether the at least two redundantly stored write protection information data, read without error, match.

An apparatus for writing to and/or reading from a recordable and/or reproducible recording medium including a Lead-in area, a Lead-out area and a user area protected from unwanted overwriting or erasing based upon redundantly stored write protection information data, previously stored at the same time, comprising:

• a pickup to read at least two redundantly stored write protection information data from the recordable and/or reproducible recording medium;
• and
• a controller prohibiting recording of data on the recordable and/or reproducible recording medium based upon whether the at least two redundantly stored write protection information data represent errors.