Sony Corporation

Teruhiko Kori

Tadashi Ezaki

Masaya Otsuka

Satoshi Tsuchiya

Hisato Shima

Harumi Kawamura

Masaki Oguro

Kazuyuki Ogawa

Keiji Kanota

Akira Ogino

Yuji Kimura

Ken Iizuka

Asako Fujii

Jun Hirai

Miki Furuya

Takao Takahashi

Hiroshi Yamazaki

Koji Iijima

Masaaki Kojima

Kazuo Yoshino

Takehiko Nakano

Noboru Murabayashi

Hajime Watanabe

Hiroshi Yoshioka

Sakae Okazaki

Toshiharu Fukui

Minoru Yamazaki

Atsuko Ogasawara

Noriko Ninoseki

Harumi Kawahura

Ken Iizuki

To securely transmit content through remote access via an external network, such as a WAN, while exceeding restrictions of an RTT and a TTL. A way of handling a flag for controlling remote access of content is explicitly defined, and an authentication method is explicitly defined when a content using device performs remote access. Thus, also in remote access, similarly to access of the related art in a household, a copyright protection environment of content based on the DTCP-IP is constructed.

Communication system, communication device, communication method, and computer program

A video signal is processed to selectively permit copying by superposing in that portion of the video signal which does not contain useful picture information a copyright information signal indicative of whether the viewable picture that is displayed from the video signal is subject to copyright and a copy generation signal indicative of the number of successive generations of copies that can be made from the video signal.

Copy control for a video signal with copyright signals superimposed as predetermined bits in the VBID data of the video signal

Copy control, for a video signal with copyright signals superimposed as predetermined bits in the VBID data of the video signal

Recording control with additional information superposed on data and recording control in response to a type of a recording medium on which data are recorded are disclosed. A recording apparatus for recording data onto a recording medium includes an identification data detection section for detecting identification data for identification of data from the data, a copying count data detection section for detecting copying count data for limiting the number of times of copying the data from the data, and a recording control section for controlling recording of the data onto the recording medium based on the identification data detected by the identification data detection section and the copying count data detected by the copying count data detection section. Another recording apparatus for recording data onto a recording medium includes a discrimination section for discriminating a type of the recording medium, and a control section for selecting a recording control method for recording the data onto the recording medium in response to the discrimination section and controlling recording of the data onto the recording medium in accordance with the selected recording control method.

Copy protection apparatus and method

An electronic signal transmission apparatus executes an authentication process with a transmitting electronic device over a transmission line and receives an encrypted signal and first and second key information therefrom. The encrypted signal is decrypted based on the first key information, displayed and/or recorded, and re-encrypted using the second key information. The encrypted signal is transmitted to another electronic transmission apparatus if that apparatus does not have a recording capability and determined to be authorized using a second authentication process. The re-encrypted signal is sent to the another electronic transmission apparatus if that device has a recording capability and is authorized.

Electronic transmission device, and signal transmission method

To enable usage of content at a receiver which does not have a copying function even if copyright protection is provided. Model names of receivers not having a function enabling copying of content are held in an authentication processing circuit () of a transmitter (). When a model name obtained from a connected receiver () is held, regardless of whether the content is copyright protected, a signal selection circuit () selects a terminal a side, a switch () is turned on, and an unencrypted signal is transmitted. When a change of the receiver () is detected by a hot plug detection function or a plug and play function at a processing circuit () during the transfer of a signal of copyright protected content without providing copyright protection, the selection circuit () is made to select a terminal b side or the switch () is turned off to suspend the transfer of the non-copyright protected signal. The information indicating the receiver is held in a tamper-proof updateable manner.

Transmitter, signal transfer method, data distribution system and method of same, data receiver, data provider and method of same, and data transferer

Outputting apparatus, outputting method, recording apparatus, recording method, reproduction apparatus, reproduction method and recording medium

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for protecting the copyright of an information signal recorded on a recording medium such as a DVD (Digital Video Disc) for presenting the signal to the user or an information signal transmitted through transmission media such as the Internet and for preventing an illegal copy of such an information signal. To put it in detail, information on copyright protection which is read out from the recording medium and information on copyright protection which is encrypted to make the information difficult to alter is used. If both of the information do not match each other, the information on copyright protection is judged to have been altered in an attempt to play back the information signal which is obtained as a result of an illegal copy operation in which case, the operation to play back the information signal is disabled.

Information-signal playback system, information-signal reading apparatus, information-signal processing apparatus, information-signal playback method, information-signal reading method and information-signal processing apparatus

To enable usage of content at a receiver which does not have a copying function even if copyright protection is provided. Model names of receivers not having a copying funtion are held in an authentication processing circuit of a transmitter. When a model name obtained from a connected receiver is held, regardless of whether the content is copyright protected, a signal selection circuit selects a terminal a side, a switch is turned on, and an unencrypted signal is transmitted. When a change of the receiver is detected by a hot plug detection or plug and play function at a processing circuit during the signal transfer of copyright protected content without providing copyright protection, the selection circuit selects a terminal b side or the switch is turned off to suspend the transfer of the non-copyright protected signal. The information indicating the receiver is held in a tamper-proof updateable manner.

Transmitter, signal transmitting method, and data distributing system for transferring a content signal or processing copyright protection on a content signal

An electronic signal transmission device comprises a first communication section to be connected to a first electronic device of a signal transmitting side; a second communication section to be connected to a second electronic device of a signal receiving side; an authentication section for executing an authentication process with the first electronic device and supplying key information for decryption; a decryption section for executing a decryption process of an encrypted signal supplied from the first electronic device based on the key information from the authentication process; and a supply section for directly supplying the encrypted signal from the first electronic device and the key information to the second communication section in order to avoid signal delay by the authentication.

A recorder provides to a recorder/player via a high-speed bus content-related information such as a digital audio signal as information, a content ID being identification information on the digital audio signal and a standard playing time of the digital audio signal. The recorder/player has a controller which stores the content ID into a copy-history information management memory when the same content ID is not existent in the memory. The content ID is held for a period measured by a timer. For this period, the recording function of the recorder/player is limited so that the same digital audio signal cannot be copied at a high speed.

Method for limited recording of an information signal, system for controlled recording of an information signal, and information signal recording apparatus

A recording medium cartridge includes a memory circuit for storing information concerning signals recorded on the recording medium within the cartridge. The information is stored in the memory circuit in the form of a hierarchic data structure which includes a plurality of data packets having a predetermined form and length. Each data packet includes a code indicative of a level in the data structure to which the data packet belongs. At least some of the data packets include data indicative of starting and ending positions on the recording medium of recorded signals which the data packet represents. The hierarchic (or 'tree') data structure facilitates rapid retrieval and reproduction of the signals recorded on the recording medium, particularly when the recording medium is a magnetic tape. The tree structure also facilitates storage of information in connection with recording of additional signals on the recording medium.

Recording medium cartridge with memory circuit employing a hierarchical data structure

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Kanagawa, Japan

Teruhiko Kori