Patent ID: 8646009

Claim:
A method for providing content, comprising: in response to a request from a playback apparatus over a network to play back content, transmitting data indicating at least one content available for play back by a first recording and playback apparatus, from the first recording and playback apparatus to the playback apparatus over the network, the at least one content available for play back by the first recording and playback apparatus being stored in the first recording and playback apparatus; when the playback apparatus receives a selection of one of the at least one content available for play back by the first recording and playback apparatus, requesting the first recording and playback apparatus to stream data of the selected content to the playback apparatus over the network; when the data of the selected content is streamed to the playback apparatus from the first recording and playback apparatus over the network in response to the request, playing back the selected content being streamed; when the playback apparatus transmits data indicating the selected content and an address of a second recording and playback apparatus to the first recording and playback apparatus over the network, transmitting at least one of the data of the selected content and data indicating at least one content available for play back by the second recording and playback apparatus, from the first recording and playback apparatus to the second recording and playback apparatus over the network in accordance with the address; when the playback apparatus transmits the data indicating the selected content and the address of the second recording and playback apparatus, further transmitting data indicating whether or not the selected content is allowed to be copied; when the data indicating whether or not the selected content is allowed to be copied indicates a copying is permitted, transmitting the data of the selected content and the data indicating the at least one content available for play back by the second recording and playback apparatus, from the first recording and playback apparatus to the second recording and playback apparatus over the network; when the data indicating whether or not the selected content is allowed to be copied indicates the copying is prohibited, transmitting the data indicating the at least one content available for play back by the second recording and playback apparatus and an address of the first recording and playback apparatus from the first recording and playback apparatus to the second recording and playback apparatus over the network; and when the second recording and playback apparatus transmits a selected one of the at least one content available for play back by the second recording and playback apparatus, to the first recording and playback apparatus over the network, streaming the data of the selected content from the first recording and playback apparatus to the second recording and playback apparatus over the network.