Patent ID: 8245311

Claim:
A content data reproduction apparatus for reproducing content data, said content data reproduction apparatus comprising: transmission means for transmitting to a registration confirmation apparatus a confirmation request signal which requests aid registration confirmation apparatus to confirm whether or not said content data reproduction apparatus or a user thereof has been registered; reception means for receiving authentication result information from said registration confirmation apparatus which indicates whether said content data reproduction apparatus or said user thereof has been registered; storage means for storing content data acquired from a content data provision apparatus, said content data including a plurality of content data items each including attribute information indicating whether said content data items are prohibited from being stored external to said content data reproduction apparatus; setting means for setting said attribute information of said plurality of content data items, based on received sale notification signals; and reproduction means for checking whether said authentication result information indicates that said content data reproduction apparatus or said user thereof has been registered in response to a reproduction command for one of said plurality of content data items input via an input means, and, when said authentication result information indicates that said content data reproduction apparatus or said user thereof has not been registered, checking said attribute information of said one of said plurality of content data items and reproducing said one of said plurality of content data items when said attribute information of said one of said plurality of content data items indicates that external storage of said one of said plurality of content data items is allowed, wherein upon determination that said content data reproduction apparatus or said user is not currently registered, content data downloaded to the apparatus when the apparatus was previously registered cannot be reproduced.