Patent ID: 8085636

Claim:
A method for recording or reproducing data on or from a recording medium by an apparatus, comprising the steps of: reading, by the apparatus, control information including type information, a version number and a class number from a specific area of the recording medium loaded in a drive of the apparatus, wherein the type information is indicative of a type of the recording medium, the type being one of read-only recording medium, write-once recording medium or rewritable recording medium, wherein the version number and the class number are in a same byte position, wherein the class number specifies a read compatibility distinguished from the type information and is sequentially increased whenever physical attribute of the recording medium is changed to a predetermined range having no read compatibility, and wherein the version number specifies a write compatibility distinguished from the type information and the class number, and the version information is sequentially increased whenever physical attribute of the recording medium is changed to a predetermined range having no write compatibility; combining, by the apparatus, the type information, the class number and the version number to specify the type information, the class number within the specified type information, and the version number within the specified class number and type information; and determining, by the apparatus, the read compatibility and the write compatibility using the specified class number and the specified version number, wherein at least one of the class number and the version number of the apparatus is changed if a standard is changed.