JP2002358241A - Copy management method for content, recording/ reproducing unit and reproducing unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make the protection given to a copyright holder by SDMI(secure digital music initiative) regulations compatible with user's convenience in the copy management of content. SOLUTION: The content and a copying right number that the copy right holder gives to the user with respect to the content are distributed to the user as the virtual content files M of the number same as the copying right number, and, if the user copies from a medium with the distributed content to another medium, this case is treated as that the virtual content file is moved and the virtual content file of the move source is to be erased. By decrementing the copying right number of the medium of the copy source and by incrementing the copying right number of the medium of the copy destination, the virtual content file is treated as a movable object.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a content copy management method, a recording / reproducing apparatus, and a reproducing apparatus for managing a copy of a content such as music from a medium to a medium when the user copies the content from the medium to the medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, when a user copies contents distributed in an electronic music distribution system from medium to medium, there are some agreements according to SDMI (Secure Digital Music Initiatuve) guidelines as a method of protecting the copyright on the contents provider side. Is stipulated. In this agreement, the content provider sets the number of check-outs and in-outs for the content in advance and distributes the content to the user. The user receives the distributed content using a personal computer (PC) and receives the content on a recording medium (eg, HD) and treats this HD as a parent (server).

[0003] Further, the user not only plays back the distribution content using the PC, but also checks out the setting.
It is possible to check out and copy from the PC to a portable device (PD) or a portable medium (PM) by the number of ins, and reproduce the same. In this case, the set number is decremented for each checkout, and the checkout number is limited to the range of the set number. Also, the user can use PD or PM
The unnecessary content can be returned to the PC to increase the number of check-outs (check-in).

A detailed description will be given with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 shows a case where the number of check-out / in = 3.
P1 and P2 each indicate a parent that is the above-mentioned PC (HD), and three C1 and C2 indicate children checked out from the parents P1 and P2, respectively. The SDMI stipulates that checked-out children C1 and C2 cannot be moved or copied to another medium, and cannot be checked in to another parent.

[0005] Further, for the copy destination PD or PM to be checked out, S is used to ensure copyright protection.
It is agreed that authentication (Authentification) is performed between the copy source and the copy destination to determine whether or not the apparatus conforms to the DMI agreement, and that copying is not permitted to a device whose copyright protection is not ensured. Music that passes the certification and is checked out is returned to the original PC (check-in) so that the copyright of the music can be managed and
Other music can be recorded with limited recording capacity of D and PM. Also, in SDMI, it is possible to “move” the content itself together with all the rights, instead of copying it. In this case, since the transfer is not a copy, the content at the transfer source is deleted.

[0006]

However, in the method of managing copy destinations by check-out / check-in as described above, return destinations (parents P1, P2) at the time of check-in are fixed for the user. There is also a problem that it is inconvenient because the child cannot move to another medium.

Also, SDMI assumes only a flash memory or the like having a relatively small recording capacity as a child C PM.
As shown in FIG. 8, since a portable, large-capacity optical disk 6 such as a DVD for recording and reproduction is not assumed as a child, copying and moving from a child such as a memory card, which is a typical example of PM5, to the optical disk 6 can be performed. For this reason, the user cannot manage a large number of distribution music on the optical disc 6, which is inconvenient.

In addition, considering the copy path, the large-capacity optical disk 6 can be a parent P or a child C, so that music having the right of the parent P and music having the right of the child C may coexist. Although it is conceivable, in this case, it is difficult for the user to recognize the distinction. For this reason, even if you try to check out the music on the optical disk 6, if it is a child C, you cannot check it out, and even if you try to check in the optical disk 6, it is determined which optical disk 6 was the parent P. Sometimes you don't know.

In addition, since the SDMI assumes that a user uses one PC 1, the user can use a plurality of P1s.
When C is used, there are cases where the PC at the check-in destination is not known. Furthermore, if the user is inconvenient in this manner, there is a problem that the selling price for check-out cannot be understood by the music seller (content provider).

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a content copy management method, a recording / reproducing apparatus, and a reproducing apparatus that can achieve both protection given to a copyright holder by SDMI rules and user convenience. The purpose is to:

[0011]

According to the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, one distribution content is moved as the same number of virtual content files as the number of copy rights given from the copyright holder to the user, and The virtual content file on the medium is deleted. That is, according to the present invention, a step of distributing the content and the number of copy rights given to the user from the copyright holder to the content as virtual content files of the same number as the number of copy rights to the user; And moving the virtual content file to delete the virtual content file of the source medium when copying from the media to the medium.

According to the above method, the source virtual content file is deleted by the process of moving, so that the number of media onto which one distribution content is copied is always equal to or less than the number of copy rights given to the user from the copyright holder. Therefore, protection equivalent to the protection given to the copyright holder by the SDMI rule can be realized. In addition, since the user can copy the content from any medium to any medium under the condition that the number of currently copied media is equal to or less than the number of copy rights, user convenience can be improved. .

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of a copy management method according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a copy mode according to the copy management method of FIG. 1, and FIG.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a data structure of distribution content according to the copy management method of FIG.

According to the present invention, instead of permitting the number of copies of the content by the number of check-outs defined in the SDMI, the same number of virtual rights as the number of copy rights (the number of copy media) permitted from the copyright holder to the user. Assuming a file, instead of "copying" the content, "moving" the virtual file. That is, for example, one content and the number of rights = 4 are distributed from the content provider to the user, but are distributed as four virtual files of the same content. When the user copies from medium to medium, the actual content is not treated as being copied, and the number of rights counter is decremented at the copy source and the number of rights counter is incremented at the copy destination. Treat the file as being moved. For this reason,
When copying the content with the number of rights = 1, one virtual file is moved, the virtual file is deleted (the number of rights is 0) at the copy source, and neither reproduction nor movement is possible.

FIG. 1A shows that the content having the number of rights = 4 is distributed to the medium A, and four virtual files M are recorded on the medium A. FIG.
From the state of (a), a case is shown in which, out of the content with the number of rights = 4 distributed to the medium A, the content with the number of rights = 2 is copied to the medium B. In this case, two virtual files M are copied.
Moves (move) from the medium A to the medium B (it is treated as moving. The same applies hereinafter). As a result of the movement of the two virtual files M, two virtual files M (contents with the number of rights = 2) are recorded on both the media A and B. FIG.
FIG. 1C shows a case where, from the state shown in FIG. 1B, the content having the right number = 1 is copied to the medium C among the content having the right number = 2 transferred to the medium B. In this case, one content is copied. The virtual file M moves from the medium B to the medium C. As a result of the movement of this one virtual file M, both media B and C
One virtual file M (content with the number of rights = 1) is recorded.

FIG. 1D shows a case where the content whose number of rights = 1 has been moved to the medium C from the state of FIG. 1C and is copied to the medium D, and one virtual file M is transferred from the medium C. Move to medium D. As a result of the movement of this one virtual file M, the number of rights of the medium C becomes 0 and the virtual file M becomes 0, and the medium C is erased or cannot be reproduced or moved.
FIG. 1E shows a case where the content with the number of rights = 1 transferred from the medium A to the medium B in FIG. 1B from the state of FIG. 1D is returned to the medium A (move back). As a result of the movement of the virtual file M, the number of rights of the medium A becomes 3 (three virtual files M), and the number of rights of the medium B becomes 0 (the virtual file M is 0). It will not be possible.

When the contents are copied, that is, when the virtual file M is moved, the devices equipped with the above-mentioned media A to D or the media A to D themselves, when copying the content, perform SDM communication with each other.
It authenticates that it is a device that confirms the rights according to the I rule, and delivers it only when the authentication result is OK. Here, the specific and detailed contents of the information for managing rights are SDM
The present invention is not defined by
Comply with the rules.

FIG. 2 shows a mode in which the user moves the virtual file M. The PC 1 receives the music accompanied by the rights management information distributed from the large capacity server of the content provider via the Internet (not shown),
D. The rights management information includes the number of rights N described above, and the number of rights N may be determined unilaterally by the copyright holder, or may differ depending on the price paid by the user by limiting N = 1 to 4, for example. Can be determined.

Content purchased for a fee is encrypted to prevent copying that is not managed by the copyright holder, and the user receives a key for decrypting the content when purchasing the content. Further, the data of the number of rights N is arranged in an area that cannot be falsified by a general user. The user who receives the content via the PC 1 records the content on the HD in the PC 1 and copies the content from the HD to the PM 5 such as a flash memory or the optical disk 6 under the condition that the current number of copy media is within the range of the number of rights N ( The virtual file can be moved), and the file can be re-copied from the PM 5 or the optical disk 6 to another medium, and further re-copied.

In FIG. 2, the mobile phone 2 is also a PC.
As in the case of No. 1, it is possible to receive the music accompanied by the rights management information distributed from the server via a base station (not shown) and record it in the internal memory as a PD or in the PM5 or the like. The recording / reproduction device 3 is a PM such as a flash memory.
5 and a drive for the optical disc 6, so that copying and re-copying can be performed bidirectionally between the PM 5 and the optical disc 6 within the number of rights N. Portable recording
The playback device 4 has a slot for the PM 5 such as a flash memory, and can play back the content copied to the PM 5. Between these devices 1 to 4, the PM 5 and the optical disk 6 can be moved and reproduced. In addition, between the PC 1 and the recording / reproducing devices 3 and 4, instead of moving the medium, the virtual file M may be transferred via a wireless or wired digital interface.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the structure of distribution data for one music piece (one actual content file). The distribution data is composed of a header at the head, rights management information following the header, auxiliary data such as song titles and lyrics, still images, and main data of the music itself. The header includes a file name, a head address of each block below the header, a data size, and the like. The right management information includes a content name, a content ID, the number of rights N (1 byte), the number of checkout / in rights (1 byte), the checkout / in management information (100 bytes), and the like.

Here, according to the present invention, the copy is not managed by the SDMI checkout-in, so the above-mentioned checkout-in right number and checkout-in management information are not necessarily required. However, considering the future spread, the distribution system based on SDMI check-out and the distribution system according to the present invention may coexist, and the above-mentioned data structure makes it possible to cope with the former system. it can.

Further, according to the present invention, the number of rights N
Can be dealt with by converting the number of checkout / in rights into the number of rights N even if the data structure includes only the number of checkout / in rights without including the number. That is, the check-out in system limits the return destination, while the system of the present invention does not limit the return destination.
= 1, and the number of checkout / in rights = 3, 4 can be converted to N = 2. Further, the copyright holder can select any system. In this case, it can be dealt with by providing a system selection flag in the data structure.

<Recording / Reproducing Apparatus> FIG. 4 shows the recording / reproducing apparatus 3 shown in FIG. 2 in detail as an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 4, when receiving a recording command from the operation unit 12, the encoding / decoding unit 11 inputs audio data via the audio input unit 13 and, if there is a still image input, transmits it via the image input unit 14. Input, and then encode each input data and record the stream on disk D or flash memory FM. At this time, each input data can be edited via the editing unit 15. Further, the encoding / decoding unit 11 includes the operation unit 1
2, a stream is read from the disk D or the flash memory FM and decoded, and then the decoded audio data is output via the audio output unit 16 and the still image data is output via the image output unit 17. I do.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show a process of copying (moving a virtual file) from a medium (for example, the disk in the PC 1 shown in FIG. 2) of the device to which the electronic music is distributed to the optical disk 6 of the recording / reproducing device 3, for example. ing. First, the user checks the content name and the number of rights N on the transmitter (PC1) side.
The number of rights to move is set (step S1). If the number of rights of the copy source becomes 0 due to the setting, a warning message, for example, "Cannot play on this PC, do you want to continue processing?"
A / NO button is displayed (step S2). Then, if the OK button is clicked in step S3, the process proceeds to step S4 and thereafter, and if the NO button is clicked, the process returns to step S1.

In step S4 and subsequent steps, it is first verified between the copy source and the destination (copy destination) whether or not the copy destination recorder and the disc comply with the SDMI agreement (step S4), and in step S5 the authentication is performed. If is not OK, the process branches to step S6 to indicate that the authentication has failed,
This processing ends. On the other hand, if the authentication is OK, the process proceeds to step S7, and when the recording start button is pressed, the transmission side reproduction of the content having the data structure shown in FIG. 3 and the recording of the destination are started.

Next, when the reproduction on the sending side and the recording of the destination of the content having the data structure shown in FIG. 3 are completed, the right management information of the sending disk is left as it is, and the right management information of the recording disk is unrecorded ( Step S8) Then, both the sending-side and recording-side devices are set to the operation prohibition mode (step S9). Next, new right management information is recorded on the recording side disk and verified (step S1).
0). At this time, by creating and recording a list of contents recorded on the recording-side disc, a large number of music pieces recorded in random areas on the disc can be easily managed.

If the verification result is OK in step S11, the process proceeds to step S12, and if NO, the process branches to step S14. In step S12, the number of rights N in the right management information of the reproducing disk is rewritten by subtracting the number of rights according to the number of movements, and is verified. Then, in step S13, if the verification result is OK, the process proceeds to step S15, and if NO, the process branches to step S14. In step S14, the right management information of the content on the recording-side disc is erased to make it unusable, and then the process proceeds to step S15. Step S1
In step 5, the user is notified of the processing results of steps S13 and S14, and then the operation inhibition mode is released (step S1).
6) Then, the copy process is terminated.

[0029]

As described above, according to the present invention, 1
One distribution content is moved as the same number of virtual content files as the number of copy rights given to the user from the copyright holder, and the source virtual content file is erased. The number is always equal to or less than the number of copy rights given to the user by the copyright holder, and therefore, protection equivalent to the protection given to the copyright holder by the SDMI rule can be realized. In addition, since the user can copy the content from any medium to any medium under the condition that the number of currently copied media is equal to or less than the number of copy rights, user convenience can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing one embodiment of a copy management method according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a copy mode according to the copy management method of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a data structure of distribution content according to the copy management method of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an optical disc recording / reproducing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining copy processing by a copy management method according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining copy processing by a copy management method according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a copy management method using SDMI as a conventional example.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a copy mode according to the copy management method of FIG. 7;

[Explanation of symbols]

 M virtual file

Continued on the front page F term (reference) 5B017 AA06 BA08 BB10 CA16 5D044 AB06 AB08 BC01 BC04 CC04 DE29 DE50 DE54 EF05 GK12 HL02 HL07 5D110 AA13 AA17 AA27 AA29 BB29 DA04 DA11 DB03 DB09 DC05 DC16 DD05 DD13 DE01

Claims (8)

[Claims] And distributing the content and the number of copy rights given to the user from the copyright holder to the user as virtual content files of the same number as the number of copy rights to the user. Moving the virtual content file and erasing the virtual content file of the transfer source medium when copying the content. 2. Distributing the content to the user together with the number of copy rights given to the user from the copyright holder for the content, and when the user copies the distributed content from medium to medium, the content and Moving the number of copy rights as the same number of virtual content files as the number of copy rights and deleting the source virtual content file. 3. The virtual content file is moved by decrementing the copy right number of the copy source medium and incrementing the copy right number of the copy destination medium. Content copy management method. 4. A content distribution system in which one distribution content is moved from a medium to a medium as virtual contents files of the same number as the number of copy rights given to a user from a copyright holder, and the virtual contents file of the transfer source medium is erased. 2. The recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the number of copy rights is decremented or incremented according to a moving direction and a moving number of the virtual content file. 5. The recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 4,
A recording / reproducing apparatus characterized in that the recording / reproducing apparatus is a server for a user to receive distribution content and copy it to another medium. 6. The recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 4,
A recording / reproducing apparatus characterized by being a portable medium. 7. The recording and reproducing apparatus according to claim 4,
A recording / reproducing device, which is an optical disk recording / reproducing device. 8. A content distribution system in which one distribution content is moved from a medium to a medium as virtual content files of the same number as the number of copy rights given to a user from a copyright holder, and the virtual content file of the transfer source medium is erased. 3. The reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus does not reproduce the contents of the virtual content file when the number of copy rights is zero.