Patent ID: 7350238

Claim:
A data transfer system comprising a data transfer apparatus and a data-recording apparatus, wherein said data transfer apparatus comprises: primary-recording-medium driving means for recording and reproducing data onto and from a primary recording medium; storage controlling means for controlling said primary-recording-medium driving means to store content data in an encrypted state and a first content identifier generated uniquely to said content data onto said primary recording medium; communication means for carrying out a variety of data communications including transfers of content data with said data-recording apparatus; and transfer management means for managing rights to transfer content data and for managing transfer rights of content data already transferred to said data recording apparatus by using a generated table for associating said first content identifier with a second content identifier received from said data-recording apparatus and generated by said data-recording apparatus for said content data already transferred to said data-recording apparatus; and wherein said data-recording apparatus comprises: communication means for carrying out data communications including exchanges of content data with said data transfer apparatus; secondary-recording-medium driving means for recording and reproducing data onto and from a secondary recording medium; decryption means for decrypting encrypted content data received from said data transfer apparatus, putting said content data in an unencrypted state; recording controlling means for controlling said secondary-recording-medium driving means to record said encrypted content data decrypted by said decryption means onto said secondary recording medium; identifier generation means for generating a second content identifier of said content data from said content data in said unencrypted state; and identifier-transmission controlling means for requesting said communication means to transmit said second content identifier generated by said identifier generation means to said data transfer apparatus.