Apparatus for recording or reproducing record medium and method for controlling data output

A data outputting controlling method comprising the steps of:

• scanning a recording medium to extract information recorded thereon including content data, content identification information, and unique medium identification information;
• processing said content data so as to provide processed digital content data and analog content data;
• each time said processed digital content data are output, holding said content identification information that is read out;
• controlling an outputting of the processed digital content data;
• authenticating whether or not an external device which is connected to the reproducing apparatus to be supplied with said processed digital content data at a time of outputting said processed digital content data is a recorder;
• and
• storing said extracted content identification information and said extracted unique medium identification information as a set in a storage unit for subsequent use in said step of controlling the outputting of said processed digital content data,
• wherein the outputting of said processed digital content data is controlled such that specific content data of said processed digital content data is outputted to a recorder only when only when a number of copies made of the specific content data by said reproducing apparatus is less than or equal to a preset number representative of a maximum allowable number of copies of the specific content data, said maximum allowable number being a function of the number of copies allowed for the specific content data and the number of distinctly identified units used in the reproducing apparatus which contain the content data, and
• wherein said analog content data is outputable regardless of the number of times said analog content data is outputted.

A data outputting controlling method for use with a reproducing apparatus, said method comprising the steps of:

• scanning a recording medium to extract information recorded thereon including content data, content identification information, and unique medium identification information;
• processing said extracted content data so as to provide processed digital content data and analog content data;
• holding the extracted content identification information each time the processed digital content data is output;
• controlling outputting of said processed digital content data;
• authenticating whether or not an external device which is connected to the reproducing apparatus to be supplied with said processed digital content data is a recorder;
• and
• storing said extracted content identification information and said extracted unique medium identification information as a set in a storage unit for subsequent use in said step of controlling the outputting of said processed digital content data,
• wherein the outputting of said processed digital content data is controlled such that specific content data of said processed digital content data is outputted to a recorder only when (i) a number of copies made of the specific content data by said reproducing apparatus is less than or equal to a preset number representative of a maximum allowable number of copies of the specific content data, said maximum allowable number being a function of the number of copies allowed for the specific content data and the number of distinctly identified units used in the reproducing apparatus which contain the content data, and
• wherein said analog content data is outputable regardless of the number of times said analog content data is outputted.

A reproducing apparatus for use with a plurality of recording media each having content data recorded thereon such that at least one content on each of the recording mediums is the same, said reproducing apparatus comprising:

• a head for scanning a respective recording medium having recorded thereon the content data, content identification information for identifying said content data, and unique medium identification information for identifying the respective recording medium, and for supplying an output signal therefrom;
• a reproducing processing unit for receiving and processing the output signal from said head so as to obtain processed digital content data;
• an identification information extracting unit for extracting the content identification information and the medium identification information from the output signal from said head;
• an output controlling unit for controlling outputting from said reproducing apparatus;
• and
• an authentication unit for authenticating whether or not an external device which is connected to the reproducing apparatus to be supplied with said processed digital content data is a recorder,
• said output controlling unit having a storage unit for storing the unique medium identification information extracted by said identification information extracting unit, said content identification information extracted by said identification information extracting unit, and a copy number indicative of an actual number of times said processed digital content data obtained from the respective medium has been outputted from said reproducing apparatus, in which the copy number associated with each said respective medium is increased each time said processed digital content data obtained from the respective medium is outputted from said reproducing apparatus, and
• said output controlling unit being operable to enable the outputting of said processed digital content data to the external device only when (i) the external device has been correctly authenticated by said authentication unit as being a recorder and (ii) the copy number currently stored in the storage unit is less than or equal to a preset number representative of a maximum allowable number of copies of the specific content data, said maximum allowable number being a function of the number of copies allowed for the specific content data and the number of distinctly identified units used in the reproducing apparatus which contain the specific content data.