Patent ID: 8521651
Filing Date: 2013-08-27
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A computing device comprising: a memory; a processor; and a digital content reproduction apparatus for reproducing content including a plurality of individually-reproducible elements, the content including the plurality of individually-reproducible elements being reproduced according to license information, wherein the digital content reproduction apparatus comprises a license information obtainment means for obtaining the license information via one of a communication network, a broadcast wave, and a recording medium, the obtained license information indicating an entire authorized amount of reproduction of the content as a whole and not indicating an authorized amount of reproduction of each individually-reproducible element of the plurality of individually-reproducible elements of the content, wherein the plurality of individually-reproducible elements includes: a license-consuming element that consumes the entire authorized amount of reproduction of the content as a whole indicated by the obtained license information; and an element that does not consume the entire authorized amount of reproduction of the content as a whole, wherein the digital content reproduction apparatus further comprises: a reproduction means for (i) reproducing the one or more specified license-consuming elements when the reproducibility judgment means judges that the one or more specified license-consuming elements is authorized to be reproduced, and (ii) preventing a reproduction of the one or more specified license-consuming elements when the reproducibility judgment means judges that the one or more specified license-consuming elements is not authorized to be reproduced, wherein the license information includes license-consuming element information which identifies the one or more license-consuming elements, wherein the license-consuming element information includes, for each of the one or more license-consuming elements, a degree of consumption indicating a degree of license consumption by the license-consuming element, and wherein the reproducibility judgment means calculates the entire amount of reproduction of the content as a whole by multiplying (a) a time used for reproducing a specified license-consuming element of the one or more the license-consuming elements and (b) the degree of consumption associated with the specified license consuming element of the one or more the license-consuming elements.