Patent ID: 7370112

Claim:
A communication relay device connected to a home network, for relaying information between an outside communication device connected to an outside network and a home communication device connected to the home network, comprising: a first copyright protection unit configured to carry out a first authentication and key exchange processing for purpose of copyright protection between the communication relay device and the home communication device on the home network; a second copyright protection unit configured to carry out a second authentication and key exchange processing for purpose of copyright protection between the communication relay device and the outside communication device on the outside network, based on a scheme different from the first authentication and key exchange processing; an identification information memory unit which stores an identification information of the outside communication device prepared at least on the basis of the device ID of the outside communication device uniquely assigned beforehand among all copyright protection devices worldwide; and a bridge processing unit configured to receive an access request for the home network from the outside communication device, and carry out transmission/reception of content that requires copyright protection between the home network and the outside network only when the identification information of the outside communication device which made the access request is stored in the identification information memory unit and then only when both the first authentication and key exchange processing by the first copyright protection unit and the second authentication and key exchange processing by the second copyright protection unit succeed.