Patent ID: 7209642

Claim:
A terminal apparatus comprising: an insertion hole into which is inserted a first memory card being a copyright-protected memory card enabled to store both copyright protected contents and copyright unprotected contents and a second memory card being a copyright-unprotected memory card capable of only storing copyright unprotected contents; judging means for judging whether the inserted memory card is copyright-protected when a normal response is obtained within a predetermined period of time during an authorization process; recording means which, if said judging means judges that said first memory card is inserted prior to recording copyright-unprotected contents, then said recording means temporarily records said copyright-unprotected contents to said first memory card for a predetermined period of time; and controlling means which, if said second memory card is inserted into the insertion hole after said recording means has recorded said copyright-unprotected contents to said first memory card, said controlling means automatically transfers the recorded copyright-unprotected contents from said first memory card to the inserted second memory card.