Patent ID: 7457528

Claim:
A recording/reproducing apparatus using a recording medium having accidental-recording prevention means capable of setting the medium to a recording-allowed state allowing recording or erasing and a recording-prohibited state prohibiting recording or erasing in order to prevent accidental recording or accidental erasure, the apparatus comprising: recording/reproducing means for recording, reproducing, or erasing data on the recording medium; switching means capable of switching between a network mode for transmitting and receiving image data through a network and a normal mode for recording and reproducing image data without connecting or accessing to a network; and control means for controlling the recording operation and erasing operation of the recording medium in accordance with the setting by the accidental-recording prevention means in the normal mode, and for prohibiting the recording operation of the recording medium and erasing operation of the recording medium regardless of whether the accidental-recording prevention means is in the recording-allowed state or the recording-prohibited state in the network mode.