Patent ID: 7409072

Claim:
A content processing apparatus, comprising: a reproducer for reproducing a content; a clock for counting time with reference to an arbitrary time; a first memory for holding period information indicating an arbitrary period; a recorder for recording a content in a recording medium; and a restrictor for imposing a restriction on a reproduction process performed by said reproducer based on a time indicated by said clock and a period indicated by the period information held in said first memory, said restrictor disabling reproduction of the content recorded in said recording medium earlier than a specific time precedent by said period to said time, wherein said restrictor includes a second memory for holding said specific time, an arithmetic operator for periodically executing an arithmetic operation of subtracting the period held in said first memory from the time indicated by said clock, a judger for judging whether or not a time shown by a result of the arithmetic operation performed by said arithmetic operator after said specific time is held in said second memory, and an updater for updating the information held in said second memory according to the result of the arithmetic operation performed by said arithmetic operator when a result of judgment made by said judger is affirmative.