Patent ID: 7933837

Claim:
A content information providing system, comprising: a content information providing server; and a content reproduction apparatus for acquiring a content key from said content information providing server and decrypting and reproducing an encrypted content with the content key; said content information providing server including a user information storage section for storing identification information of a user who uses said content reproduction apparatus and a user key unique to the user in an associated relationship with each other, a content key storage section for storing identification information of contents and content keys unique to the individual contents in an associated relationship with each other, a recommendation section for selecting a content to be recommended to the user, a content key encryption section for acquiring the content key of the content selected by said recommendation section from said content key storage section and acquiring the user key of the user who is a target of the recommendation from said user information storage section and for encrypting the acquired content key with the acquired user key, and a content information sender section for transmitting content information including the content key encrypted with the user key to said content reproduction apparatus used by the user who is a target of the recommendation, said content reproduction apparatus including a content information receiver section for receiving the content information including the encrypted content key, and a content key decryption section for decrypting the encrypted content key.