Patent ID: 7433846

Claim:
A method of managing a license of music data which is stored in a musical apparatus before shipment thereof or when firmware of the musical apparatus is upgraded and which can be used by the music apparatus, comprising the steps of: allowing use of the stored music data when the musical apparatus possesses an access key corresponding to the music data in a specified area of a nonvolatile memory; limiting use of the stored music data when the musical apparatus does not possess the access key corresponding to the music data in the specified area of the nonvolatile memory; entering a serial number of the music data, wherein the serial number is obtained by acquiring a license of the music data; transmitting the serial number of the music data along with identification information of the musical apparatus to a management site of the music data via a network; checking a database of the management site to confirm a validity of the transmitted serial number and the identification information, thereby issuing an access key corresponding to the serial number and the identification information; and memorizing the serial number and the issued access key in the specified area of the nonvolatile memory so that the musical apparatus is allowed to use the stored music data.