Patent ID: 6836844
Filing Date: 2004-12-28
Classification: G11B,H04N

Abstract:
An information signal copy managing method comprising the steps of:attaching identification information for identifying each piece of information content to the same and superimposing information indicative of a start of and information indicative of an end of a portion of said each piece of information content, said portion being covered by copyright, onto said each piece of information content to transmit a resultant information signal; and identifying said each piece of information content to be copied and recorded by said identification information for each recording apparatus and, when both of said information indicative of the start of and said information indicative of the end of said copyrighted portion are detected from said electronic watermark information, updating copy permitted count for said each piece of information content, wherein said recording apparatus manages copy count managing information by storing the same in a memory thereof as copy history information, said copy count managing information being for managing a copy permitted count of said each piece of information content identified by said identification information; and when copying said each piece of information content, references said copy history information about said each piece of information content to be copied to control copying and, when both of said information indicative of the start of and said information indicative of the end of said copyrighted portion are determined from said electronic watermark information, updates said copy history information about said each piece of information content, and wherein said information signal is further attached with information about copy permitted count of said each piece of information content; when recording said each piece of information content for the first time by said recording apparatus, said copy permitted count extracted from said information signal is related with said identification information of said each piece of information content to be stored in said memory of said recording apparatus as said copy history information; and when both of said information indicative of the start of and said information indicative of the end of said copyrighted portion are determined from said electronic watermark information, said copy permitted count in said memory is decremented by one for the copied and recorded each piece of information content.