Digital copy control method, digital recording medium, digital recording medium producing apparatus, digital reproducing apparatus and digital recording apparatus

Claim 2

A digital copy control method of controlling copying of digital data from a digital recording medium, which digital data is transmitted from a transmitter-side apparatus to a receiver-side apparatus through interfaces thereof in a system of a plurality of digital apparatuses that are connected to each other through a bus and mutually authenticated, said interfaces permitting transmission and receiving of the digital data only between the authenticated apparatuses, the digital copying control method restricting reproducing and recording operations of the transmitter-side apparatus and the receiver-side apparatus based on copy control information contained in the digital data for restricting copying of the data so as to prevent unauthorized copying, comprising the steps of: adding the copy control information indicating a copy restriction level, to main data of the digital data recorded on the digital recording medium such that said main data contains a first portion containing at least one of picture information and voice information, and a second portion containing the copy control information; adding electronic watermark information to said second portion of the main data containing said at least one of picture information and voice information; adding an error correction code to the main data, and then adding intentional error information having a particular pattern to the digital data; determining whether the digital recording medium from which the digital data is to be reproduced and transmitted from the transmitter-side apparatus is authorized one or not, based on the copy control information, the electronic watermark, and the error information having the particular pattern; and restricting the reproducing and recording operations of the transmitter-side apparatus and the receiver-side apparatus with respect to the digital data in the digital recording medium, depending upon whether the digital recording medium is authorized one or not.

Claim 3

A digital recording medium in which digital data including main data is recorded for reproduction or recording on another recording medium, wherein said main data includes a first portion comprising at least one of picture and voice information, and a second portion comprising copy control information indicating a copy restriction level, said copy control information being rewritten upon digital copying of the main data so that the copy restriction level is raised to a higher level, said main data further including electronic watermark information that is added to said first portion of the main data comprising said at least one of picture and voice information, said electronic watermark information being unable to be rewritten upon digital copying of the main data; wherein a medium mark is added to a portion of the digital data in which the main data is not recorded, such that the medium mark is not read by an external device; wherein reproduction and digital copying of the main data are controlled in accordance with an intention of a producer of the main data, based on a combination of contents of the copy control information, electronic watermark information, and the medium mark.

Claim 4

A digital recording medium in which digital data including main data is recorded for reproduction or recording on another recording medium, wherein said main data includes a first portion comprising at least one of picture and voice information, and a second portion comprising copy control information indicating a copy restriction level, said copy control information being rewritten upon digital copying of the main data so that the copy restriction level is raised to a higher level, said main data further including electronic watermark information that is added to said first portion of the main data comprising said at least one of picture and voice information, said electronic watermark information being unable to be rewritten upon digital copying of the main data; wherein a medium mark is added to a portion of the digital data in which the main data is not recorded, such that the medium mark is not read by an external device; wherein reproduction and digital copying of the main data are controlled in accordance with an intention of a producer of the main data, based on a combination of contents of the copy control information, electronic watermark information, and the medium mark.

Claim 7

A digital reproduction apparatus usable as a transmitter-side apparatus in a system comprising a plurality of digital apparatuses that are connected to each other via a bus and mutually authenticated, said system being constructed to transmit digital data from the transmitter-side apparatus of the digital apparatuses to a receiver-side apparatus thereof through respective interfaces that permit transmission and receiving of the digital data between the authenticated apparatuses, comprising: a reading device that reads out recorded data from a digital recording medium; an error detecting/correcting device that extracts an error correction code from the recorded data read by said reading device, and detects and corrects an error in the recorded data read out by said reading device, based on the extracted error correction code; a particular pattern error detecting device that detects whether the error detected by said error detecting/correcting device has a particular pattern or not; an output device that generates the recorded data whose error has been corrected by said error detecting/correcting device, in a form of digital information that matches specifications of the interfaces; a copy control information judging device that extracts and makes a judgment on copy control information contained in the recorded data whose error has been corrected, said copy control information being provided for restricting digital copying of the data; an electronic watermark information judging device that extracts electronic watermark information indicating a copy restriction level, from the recorded data whose error has been corrected, and makes a judgment on the electronic watermark information; and an output control device that determines whether the digital recording medium is an original medium or a copy medium, based on a result of detection of said particular pattern error detecting device, and permits or prohibits reproduction of the recorded data by the digital reproduction apparatus as the transmitter-side apparatus, based on a result of determination by the output control device and results of judgments made by said copy control information judging device and said electronic watermark information judging device.

Claim 8

A digital reproduction apparatus usable as a transmitter-side apparatus in a system comprising a plurality of digital apparatuses that are connected to each other via a bus and mutually authenticated, said system being constructed to transmit digital data from the transmitter-side apparatus of the digital apparatuses to a receiver-side apparatus thereof through respective interfaces that permit transmission and receiving of the digital data between the authenticated apparatuses, comprising: a reading device that reads out recorded data from a digital recording medium; an error detecting/correcting device that extracts an error correction code from the recorded data read by said reading device, and detects and corrects an error in the recorded data read out by said reading device, based on the extracted error correction code; a particular pattern error detecting device that detects whether the error detected by said error detecting/correcting device has a particular pattern or not; an output device that generates the recorded data whose error has been corrected by said error detecting/correcting device, in a form of digital information that matches specifications of the interfaces; a copy control information judging device that extracts and makes a judgment on copy control information contained in the recorded data whose error has been corrected, said copy control information being provided for restricting digital copying of the data; an electronic watermark information judging device that extracts electronic watermark information indicating a copy restriction level, from the recorded data whose error has been corrected, and makes a judgment on the electronic watermark information; and an output control device that determines whether the digital recording medium is an original medium or a copy medium, based on a result of detection of said particular pattern error detecting device, and permits or prohibits reproduction of the recorded data by the digital reproduction apparatus as the transmitter-side apparatus, based on a result of determination by the output control device and results of judgments made by said copy control information judging device and said electronic watermark information judging device.

Claim 9

A digital reproduction apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein said copy control information judging device determines one of three copy restriction levels from the copy control information, said three copy restriction levels indicating permission of free copying, permission of one-generation copying, and prohibition of copying, respectively; wherein said electronic watermark information judgment device determines one of two copy restriction levels from the electronic watermark information, said two copy restriction levels indicating permission of free copying and prohibition of copying; and wherein said output control device determines whether the digital recording medium contains data that was recorded with permission, based on results of determinations of said copy control information judging device and said electronic watermark information judging device, and a result of detection of said particular pattern error detecting device, and allows the digital reproduction apparatus to reproduce the data recorded in the digital recording medium if the data was recorded in the medium with permission.

Claim 10

A digital reproduction apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein said output control device allows the digital reproduction apparatus to reproduce the data recorded in the digital recording medium, if the error having a particular pattern is detected by said particular pattern error detecting device, and the copy restriction level determined by said copy control information judging device indicates permission of one-generation copying, while at the same time the copy restriction level determined by said electronic water information judging device indicates prohibition of copying.

Claim 11

A digital reproduction apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein said output control device inhibits the digital reproduction apparatus from reproducing the data recorded in the digital recording medium, if the error having a particular pattern is detected by said particular pattern error detecting device, and contradictory results are obtained from said copy control information judging device and said electronic watermark information judging device except the case where the copy restriction level determined by said copy control information judging device indicates permission of one-generation copying, and the copy restriction level determined by said electronic watermark information judging device indicates prohibition of copying.

Claim 12

A digital reproduction apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein said output control device inhibits the digital reproduction apparatus from reproducing the data recorded in the digital recording medium, if the error having a particular pattern is detected by said particular pattern error detecting device, and contradictory results are obtained from said copy control information judging device and said electronic watermark information judging device except the case where the copy restriction level determined by said copy control information judging device indicates permission of one-generation copying, and the copy restriction level determined by said electronic watermark information judging device indicates prohibition of copying.

Claim 13

A digital reproduction apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein said output control device inhibits the digital reproduction apparatus from reproducing the data recorded in the digital recording medium, if the error having a particular pattern is detected by said particular pattern error detecting device, and no electronic watermark information is detected by said electronic watermark judging device.

Claim 14

A digital reproduction apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein said output control device inhibits the digital reproduction apparatus from reproducing the data recorded in the digital recording medium, if the error having a particular pattern is detected by said particular pattern error detecting device, and no electronic watermark information is detected by said electronic watermark judging device.

Claim 15

A digital reproduction apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein said output control device inhibits the digital reproduction apparatus from reproducing the data recorded in the digital recording medium, if no error having a particular pattern is detected by said particular pattern error detecting device, and a result of determination of said copy control information judging device is different from a result of determination of said electronic watermark information judging device.

Claim 16

A digital reproduction apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein said output control device inhibits the digital reproduction apparatus from reproducing the data recorded in the digital recording medium, if no error having a particular pattern is detected by said particular pattern error detecting device, and a result of determination of said copy control information judging device is different from a result of determination of said electronic watermark information judging device.

Claim 17

A digital recording apparatus usable as a receiver-side apparatus in a system comprising a plurality of digital apparatuses that are connected to each other via a bus and mutually authenticated, said system being constructed to transmit digital data from a transmitter-side apparatus of the digital apparatuses to the receiver-side apparatus through respective interfaces that permit transmission and receiving of the digital data between the authenticated apparatuses, comprising: a receiving device that receives digital data that includes a first portion comprising at least one of picture and voice information, and a second portion comprising copy control information having one of copy restriction levels indicating permission of free copying, permission of one-generation copying and prohibition of copying, said digital data further including electronic watermark information that is added to said first portion of the digital data comprising said at least one of picture and voice information; and a recording control device that determines the copy restriction levels of the copy control information and electronic watermark information of the digital data, and controls said digital recording apparatus such that wherein, when the determined copy restriction level of the copy control information indicates permission of one-generation copying and the determined copy restriction level of the electronic watermark information indicates prohibition of copying, said digital recording apparatus records the electronic watermark information as it is, and records the copy control information with the copy restriction level thereof being rewritten into one indicating prohibition of copying.

Claim 18

A digital recording apparatus usable as a receiver-side apparatus in a system comprising a plurality of digital apparatuses that are connected to each other via a bus and mutually authenticated, said system being constructed to transmit digital data from a transmitter-side apparatus of the digital apparatuses to the receiver-side apparatus through respective interfaces that permit transmission and receiving of the digital data between the authenticated apparatuses, comprising: a receiving device that receives digital data that includes a first portion comprising at least one of picture and voice information, and a second portion comprising copy control information having one of copy restriction levels indicating permission of free copying, permission of one-generation copying and prohibition of copying, said digital data further including electronic watermark information that is added to said first portion of the digital data comprising said at least one of picture and voice information; and a recording control device that determines the copy restriction levels of the copy control information and electronic watermark information of the digital data, and controls said digital recording apparatus such that wherein, when the determined copy restriction level of the copy control information indicates permission of one-generation copying and the determined copy restriction level of the electronic watermark information indicates prohibition of copying, said digital recording apparatus records the electronic watermark information as it is, and records the copy control information with the copy restriction level thereof being rewritten into one indicating prohibition of copying.

Claim 19

A digital copy control method according to claim 1 , wherein the authenticated digital apparatuses include at least one apparatus that is constructed to be able to output contents of digital data recorded on the digital recording medium, as an analog signal, without passing through said interfaces, and at least one apparatus that is constructed to be able to record the contents of digital data received as the analog signal, into a new digital recording medium, without passing through said interfaces, all of said authenticated digital apparatuses being constructed such that when data contents supplied in a form of an analog signal or a digital signal is digitally recorded onto the digital recording medium, electronic authentication signature data that can be recognized only between the authenticated apparatuses are recorded in addition to the data contents, onto the digital recording medium, said method further comprising the steps of: detecting presence of the electronic authentication signature data that can be recognized only between the authenticated digital apparatuses, when reproducing the contents of digital data recorded in the digital recording medium; and permitting reproduction of the contents of digital data in the digital recording medium only when the electronic authentication signature data is present.

Claim 20

A digital recording medium according to claim 2 , on which is further recorded electronic authentication signature data that can be recognized only between the authenticated digital apparatuses.

Claim 21

A digital reproducing apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising a detecting device that detects electronic authentication signature data that can be recognized only between the authenticated digital apparatuses, and wherein said output control device inhibits the digital reproducing apparatus from reproducing the recorded data when the electronic authentication signature data is not detected by said detecting device.

Claim 22

A digital recording apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the authenticated digital apparatuses include at least one apparatus that is constructed to be able to output contents of digital data recorded on the digital recording medium, as an analog signal, without passing through said interfaces, and wherein said recording control device records electronic authentication signature data that can be recognized only between the authenticated digital apparatuses, in addition to the contents of digital data, onto the digital recording medium, when digitally recording the contents of digital data supplied in a form of the analog signal, onto the digital recording medium.