Electronic money, electronic use right, charging system, information processing apparatus, and reproducing method and reproduction control method of contents data

Abstract

A reproducing method, electronic money, or an electronic use right of contents data, whereby when compressed and/or encrypted contents data is reproduced, a security for electronic money or an electronic use right is checked, if the electronic money or the electronic use right is invalid as a result of the security check, the reproduction of the contents data is stopped, and if the electronic money or the electronic use right is valid as a result of the security check, the contents data is reproduced and the electronic money or the electronic use right is consumed.

1 . A charging system in which when software that was compression encoded and/or encrypted is distributed and a user decodes the distributed software, a charging process is performed through electronic money that the user possesses, wherein 
 a security for the electronic money is changeable by one of an issuing source and an administrator.    
     
     
         2 . The charging system according to  claim 1 , wherein said security is one of a key for encryption, a key length of said key, an error detection and/or correction code, and a valid term.  
     
     
         3 . The charging system according to  claim 1 , wherein changing of said security is performed at every predetermined time period.  
     
     
         4 . The charging system according to  claim 1 , wherein changing of said security is performed in accordance with a necessity of one of said issuing source or said administrator.  
     
     
         5 . The charging system according to  claim 1 , wherein after completion of changing said security, the security before said change is invalidated after lapse of a predetermined time period.  
     
     
         6 . The charging system according to  claim 1 , wherein one of said issuing source and said administrator performs one of buying one of the electronic money and an electronic use right that the user possesses and exchanging one of the electronic money and the electronic use right for one of valid electronic money and a valid electronic use right.  
     
     
         7 . The charging system according to  claim 1 , wherein a request for one of the electronic money and an electronic use right is generated at a timing when a result of the decoding by the user reaches a range permitted by one of the electronic money and the electronic use right.  
     
     
         8 . The charging system according to  claim 1 , wherein said software is one of audio data, video data, still image data, character data, computer graphics data, game software, and a computer program.  
     
     
         9 . A charging system in which when software that was compression encoded and/or encrypted is distributed and a user decodes the distributed software, a charging process is performed through an electronic use right that the user possesses, wherein 
 a security for the electronic use right is changeable by one of an issuing source or an administrator.    
     
     
         10 . The charging system according to  claim 9 , wherein said security is one of a key for encryption, a key length of said key, an error detection and/or correction code, and a valid term.  
     
     
         11 . The charging system according to  claim 9 , wherein changing of said security is performed at every predetermined time period.  
     
     
         12 . The charging system according to  claim 9 , wherein changing of said security is performed in accordance with a necessity of one of said issuing source administrator.  
     
     
         13 . The charging system according to  claim 9 , wherein after completion of changing said security, the security before said change is invalidated after lapse of a predetermined time period.  
     
     
         14 . The charging system according to  claim 9 , wherein one of said issuing source and said administrator performs one of buying one of electronic money and the electronic use right that the user possesses and exchanging one of the electronic money and the electronic use right for one of valid electronic money and a valid electronic use right.  
     
     
         15 . The charging system according to  claim 9 , wherein one of a request for electronic money and the electronic use right is generated at a timing when a result of decoding by one of the user reaches a range permitted by the electronic money and the electronic use right.  
     
     
         16 . The charging system according to  claim 9 , wherein said software is one of audio data, video data, still image data, character data, computer graphics data, gamma software, and a computer program.  
     
     
         17 . A charging system that operates by using one of electronic money and an electronic use right, wherein 
 a security for one of the electronic money and the electronic use right is checked, and    when a result of said security check indicates a no go (NG), at least one of a stop of the operation of the system and a notification showing that the result of said security check indicates NG is performed.    
     
     
         18 . The charging system according to  claim 17 , wherein said security check is a check of one of a result of a decoding of an encryption, a result of an error detection and/or correction, and a valid term.  
     
     
         19 . The charging system according to  claim 17 , wherein said security check is performed by checking whether one of remaining electronic money and the electronic use right is in a legal state after completion of a decoding operation.  
     
     
         20 . The charging system according to  claim 17 , wherein said notification is made to one of an issuing source and an administrator of one of the electronic money and the electronic use right.  
     
     
         21 . The charging system according to  claim 17 , wherein said notification is made to a user.  
     
     
         22 . A charging system in which when software that was compression encoded and/or encrypted is distributed and a user decodes said distributed software, a charging process is performed through one of electronic money and an electronic use right that the user possesses, wherein 
 a security for one of the electronic money and the electronic use right is checked, and    when a result of said security check indicates a no go (NG), at least one of a stop of the operation of the system and a notification showing that the result of said security check indicates NG is performed.    
     
     
         23 . The charging system according to  claim 22 , wherein said security check is a check of one of a result of a decoding of an encryption, a result of an error detection and/or correction and a valid term.  
     
     
         24 . The charging system according to  claim 22 , wherein said security check is performed by checking whether one of remaining electronic money and the electronic use right is in a legal state after completion of the decoding.  
     
     
         25 . The charging system according to  claim 22 , wherein said notification is made to one of an issuing source and an administrator of one of the electronic money and the electronic use right.  
     
     
         26 . The charging system according to  claim 22 , wherein said notification is made to the user.  
     
     
         27 . An information processing apparatus in which when distributed software that was compression encoded and/or encrypted is decoded, a charging process is performed through one of electronic money and an electronic use right, wherein 
 a security for one of the electronic money and the electronic use right is checked, and    when a result of said security check indicates a no go (NG), at least one of a stop of decoding the software and a notification showing that the result of said security check indicates NG is performed.    
     
     
         28 . The information processing apparatus according to claim  27 , wherein said security check is one of a check of a result of a decoding of an encryption, a result of an error detection and/or correction, and a valid term.  
     
     
         29 . The information processing apparatus according to  claim 27 , wherein said security check is performed by checking one of the remaining electronic money and the electronic use right is in a legal state after completion of the decoding.  
     
     
         30 . The information processing apparatus according to  claim 27 , wherein said notification is made to one of an issuing source and an administrator of one of the electronic money and the electronic use right.  
     
     
         31 . The information processing apparatus according to  claim 27 , wherein said notification is made to a user.