Optical recording medium having read-only storage area and writable storage area and recording/reproducing apparatus and method therefor

A method of reproducing a multi-layered optical information storage medium, the method comprising:

• providing the multi-layered optical information storage medium;
• reading, by a pickup of a reproducing apparatus, at least one of first information and second information recorded on the multi-layered optical information storage medium comprising a first storage layer comprising a first lead-in area having the first information;
• and a second storage layer comprising a second lead-in area having the second information,
• the first information comprising:
• physical format information for both the first storage layer and the second storage layer indicating whether the first storage layer and the second storage layer are read-only or recordable, the physical format information of the first information comprising information indicating a book type that the first storage layer conforms to;
• and
• hybrid identification information indicating whether an additional storage layer exists in the multi-layered optical information storage medium, the additional storage layer being reproducible by a second laser different from a first laser, the first laser being used to reproduce the first and second storage layers;
• and
• the second information comprising:
• the physical format information for both the first storage layer and the second storage layer indicating whether the first storage layer and the second storage layer are read-only or recordable, the physical format information of the second information comprising information indicating a book type that the second storage layer conforms to;
• and
• the hybrid identification information indicating whether the additional storage layer exists in the multi-layered optical information storage medium;
• and
• determining, by a controller of the reproducing apparatus, whether the first storage layer and the second storage layer are read-only or recordable, or whether the additional storage layer exists in the multi-layered optical information storage medium, based on the at least one of the first information and the second information.