Patent ID: 8185958

Claim:
An information processing apparatus comprising: an input section, configured to input (a) encrypted image data which has undergone a part of a digital rights management (DRM) protection process, (b) an encrypted image key used in an encryption of the encrypted image data, (c) control information which indicates whether or not a use condition of the encrypted data is set in an image processing apparatus, and (d) an exchange key, from the image processing apparatus, wherein if the use condition is set, the exchange key is encrypted using a public key of a license server and said input section further inputs (e) use condition data which indicates the use condition is encrypted using the exchange key, and if the use condition is not set, the exchange key is encrypted using a common key securely shared between the information processing apparatus and the image processing apparatus; a determiner, configured to determine, using the control information, whether the use condition is set or not; a decryption section, configure to decrypt the exchange key using the common key if said determiner determines that the use condition is not set; a setting section, configured to set use condition data of the encrypted image data; a first encryption section, configured to encrypt the use condition data set by said setting section using the decrypted exchange key; a second encryption section, configured to encrypt the decrypted exchange key using the public key of the license server so that the license server can decrypt the encrypted exchange key using a private key of the license server; a transmitter, configured to transmit the use condition data encrypted by said first encryption section and the exchange key encrypted by said second encryption section to the license server if said determiner determines that the use condition is not set, and to transmit the encrypted use condition data and the encrypted exchange key input by said input section to the license server if said determine determines that the use condition is set; a receiver configured to receive signed use condition data from the license server in response to the transmission of the encrypted use condition data, a combiner, configured to combine the signed use condition data received by said receiver and the encrypted image data and the encrypted image key input by said input section to generate image data to be output; and an output section, configured to output the image data which has undergone all parts of the DRM protection process.