Recording medium having digital copy management data recorded thereon, and recording and/or reproducing apparatus in which reproduction or recording operation is controlled on the basis of the digital copy management data

Claim 2

The recording medium as claimed in claim 1, wherein the time information is information for restricting the reproduction on the basis of a date and hour at which the copy is performed.

Claim 3

The recording medium as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the time information is information for restricting the reproduction on the basis of a specific date and hour.

Claim 4

The recording medium as claimed in claim 1, 2, or 3, wherein the information on the allowed area/unallowed area for the reproduction or recording of said recording medium allows or unallows the reproduction or the recording by verifying the information with area information which is beforehand allocated to a reproducing apparatus or recording apparatus.

Claim 5

The recording medium as claimed in claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, wherein the copy history related to the copy of said recording medium is information for restricting the frequency of the reproduction.

Claim 6

The recording medium as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the copy history related to the copy of said recording medium is information on the generation for which the copy is allowed from one original recording medium.

Claim 7

The recording medium as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the copy history related to the copy of said recording medium is connection information on recording apparatuses to which the simultaneous copy from one original recording medium is allowed.

Claim 8

A recording apparatus for copying main information recorded in a main area from a first recording medium to a second recording medium, said first recording medium comprising a management area in which copy management data comprising at least one of time information on reproduction or recording of the recording medium and allowed area/unallowed area information for the reproduction or recording of the recording medium, and a copy history related to the copy of the recording medium are recorded as management information, and the main area in which main information to be copied is recorded, wherein said recording apparatus comprises a copy management information renewing means for performing a predetermined renewing processing on the copy management information reproduced from the management area of the first recording medium in accordance with the copy of the main information on the first recording medium, and a recording means for recording the copy management information renewed in said renewing means in the management area on the second recording medium.

Claim 9

The recording apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the execution or non-execution of the recording operation of the main information into said second recording medium is controlled on the basis of the renewed copy management information to be recorded on said second recording medium.

Claim 10

The recording apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the execution or non-execution of the recording operation of the main information into said second recording medium is controlled on the basis of the copy history information contained in the renewed copy management information to be recorded in said second medium.

Claim 11

A recording and reproducing apparatus for reproducing data from a first recording medium comprising a management area in which copy management data comprising at least one of time information on reproduction or recording of the recording medium and allowed area or unallowed area information for the reproduction or recording of said recording medium, and a copy history related to the copy of said recording medium are recorded as management information, and a main area in which main information to be copied is recorded, wherein said recording and reproducing apparatus comprises a copy management information renewing means for performing a predetermined renewing processing on the copy management information reproduced from the management area of said first recording medium in accordance with the copy of the main information on said first recording medium when the main information and the copy management data reproduced from said first recording medium are copied onto said second recording medium, and a recording means for recording the copy management information renewed in the renewing means in the management area on said second recording medium.

Claim 12

The recording and reproducing apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the execution or non-execution of the reproducing operation of said first recording medium is controlled on the basis of the copy management information recorded in said management area.

Claim 13

The recording and reproducing apparatus as claimed in claim 11 or 12, further including storage means for storing area information, and the execution or non-execution of the reproducing operation of said first recording medium is controlled on the basis of a verification result between the allowed area/unallowed area information contained in the copy management information recorded in said management area and the area information stored in said storage means.

Claim 14

The recording and reproducing apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the execution or non-execution of the reproducing operation of said first recording medium is controlled on the basis of the time information contained in the copy management information recorded in said management area.

Claim 15

The recording and reproducing apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the execution or non-execution of the recording operation of a recording apparatus which performs a copy operation on said first recording medium as an original is controlled on the basis of the connection information contained in the copy management information recorded in said management area.