Patent ID: 7908666

Claim:
A content playing system including a content server having a server storage in which content data are stored, and a playing terminal for establishing communication with said content server and retrieving desired content data from said server storage to play the content data, comprising: a management storage for holding registration authentication data for authenticating a user identification of said playing terminal and terminal identification data for identifying said playing terminal; an authentication section for referencing, upon receipt of the authentication data sent from said playing terminal, said management storage based on the received data, and for determining, when registration authentication data matching with the received data is found as stored in said management storage, that the authentication is correct; and a transmitter for transmitting the terminal identification data to said content server when the authentication is correct, said content server comprising: a data recorder operative in response to the terminal identification data transmitted from said transmitter for recording the terminal identification data in said server storage as terminal authentication data; a terminal authentication section operative in response to the terminal identification data sent from said playing terminal for referencing said server storage based on the received data to perform terminal authentication of said playing terminal, and for determining, when terminal authentication data matching with the received data is found as stored in said management storage, that the terminal authentication is correct; and a communication controller for establishing, when the terminal authentication is correct, the communication between said content server and said playing terminal, and said playing terminal including an operation instruction section for urging a user to instruct at least a playing of the content data after the communication with said content server is established, wherein, when the playing of the content data is instructed by said operation instruction section, said playing terminal continuously receives the content data from said server storage without copying the received content data to said playing terminal, while sequentially playing the received content data.