Patent ID: 7787752

Claim:
An information processing method, comprising: obtaining, at a first information processing apparatus, content data to be broadcast by digital broadcast transmission, the content data including at least one of video content data or audio content data; generating discount charge data specifying a charge for use of the content data, if the use of the content data at a second information apparatus will be discounted, the use including at least one of reproducing or copying the content data, wherein the charge decreases with a number of times the content data is used; inserting the discount charge data into a control message multiplexing the content data with the control message by the first information processing apparatus to produce multiplexed data and transmitting the multiplexed data via the digital broadcast transmission; receiving and demultiplexing the multiplexed data by the second information processing apparatus to receive the control message and the content data; recording the received content data onto a recording medium by the second information processing apparatus; using the recorded content data at the second information processing apparatus; and charging for the use of the content data at the second information processing apparatus in accordance with the received discount charge data, wherein the charge decreases with the number of times the content data is used.