Information reproducing and recording apparatus and method which permits copying for personal use while protecting a copyright

摘要

The following operations are performed according to instructions from a CPU. The ID information of music information having a copyright that is recorded on a reproduction-side recording medium is detected by a first inherent information detection circuit. The ID information indicating the kind of a recording-side recording medium is detected by a second inherent information detection circuit. Based on information retrieved from a history memory, a judgment circuit judges whether the music information has already been copied to and recorded onto a recording medium of the same kind as the recording-side recording medium. If a judgment result is affirmative, the CPU prohibits the operation of copying and recording the music information recorded on the reproduction-side recording medium onto the recording-side recording medium. If the judgment is negative, the operation of copying and recording the music information recorded on the reproduction-side recording medium onto the recording-side recording medium is performed with the CPU's judgment that this operation is intended for personal use of the music information having a copyright. A digital watermark generated by a digital watermark encoder and a collation code are recorded separately on the recording-side recording medium, whereby analog recording is also prohibited. Alteration of the data of the recording-side recording medium can be detected by comparing a collation code obtained from the digital watermark and the collation code recorded separately from the digital watermark. The music information having a copyright can thus be protected accurately.