Patent ID: 7159244

Claim:
An audio data playback management system comprising: a recording medium; a management apparatus that is operable to store a permitted number, perform a check-out operation by (a) writing a first audio object with a first piece of identification information into the recording medium and (b) decrementing the permitted number, and perform a check-in operation by setting the first audio object in the recording medium in a non-playable state and incrementing the permitted number; and an editing apparatus that is operable to (c) edit the first audio object by dividing to obtain a second audio object and (d) write the second audio object with a second piece of identification information into the recording medium, the second piece of identification information having an equivalence relation with the first piece of identification information, wherein the management apparatus is operable to perform a check-in operation on the second audio object corresponding to the second piece of identification information.