Data right purchasing/selling device and recording medium with data right purchase/sales program recorded

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD [Detailed description of the invention]

【0001】

[Technical field to which the invention belongs]

The present invention relates to a data right purchase and sale device that provides a service of recording digital data on a recording medium.

【0002】

[Conventional technology]

Recently, with the progress of digital music data compression technology, many technologies for compressing the size of data to, for example, about 1/10 have been proposed without deteriorating the sound quality of the original digital music data. For example, a 5 minute song with the same sound quality as a CD (16bit 44.1kHz) will be about 50MB if it is digital data as it is, but the data format is changed by the above audio compression technology. When converted, it is possible to convert the data to about 5MB. With such a data size, it is not so difficult to download it to a PC in a general household, for example, via the Internet.

【0003】

However, using such compression technology, music data recorded on a commercially available CD is converted into compressed data, which is converted into compressed data without the permission of the copyright holder, for example, WWW (World Wide Web) on the Internet. There is a site that illegally distributes on the above homepage, which is a problem.

【0004】

That is, due to the nature of digital data, the data does not deteriorate even if copying is repeated. Therefore, digital data having a copyright does not have a copy protection function like a PC (Personal Computer), for example. Moreover, if the data can be handled by a device capable of easily copying, theoretically, the copyright data can be easily copied indefinitely. In this case, the rights of the copyright holder cannot be fully protected.

【0005】

Therefore, in music distribution using the Internet, a data distribution system capable of protecting copyright has been proposed. Here, an example of such a data distribution system will be described.

【0006】

In this data distribution system, it is possible to download music data for distribution to, for example, a PC by paying a fee by some method, for example, payment by a credit card. This music data for distribution is encrypted data and can be played only by specific application software.

【0007】

Further, the downloaded music data for distribution will be saved in the hard disk in the PC, and the information of the saved state is written in the music data for distribution. Then, when the music data for distribution is reproduced, the application software compares the information on the storage state in the music data for distribution with the actual storage state of the music data for distribution, and both match. It is designed to play only occasionally. Therefore, the downloaded music data for distribution can be played only on the PC on which the download is made.

【0008】

Further, the music data for distribution can be copied to a specific recording medium in a limited number of times. To explain in detail, first, the music data for distribution includes information on the number of times that can be copied, and when the music is first downloaded, the number of times that the copy can be made is set to three. Further, as the recording medium, a recording medium having an ID authentication function is used.

【0009】

Then, when copying the music data for distribution from the PC to the recording medium, the application software in the PC performs ID authentication of the copy destination recording medium, and the data including the information of the recording medium is transferred to the recording medium. Forward. In addition, when copying is performed on a recording medium, processing is performed to reduce the copyable number of times information in the music data for distribution in the PC by one. That is, when the downloaded music data for distribution is copied to three recording media, it becomes impossible to copy it to other recording media any more. Further, it is impossible to copy the data from the copied recording medium to another recording medium.

【0010】

Furthermore, it is also possible to return the data to the PC from the recording medium on which the data was copied. That is, in the recording medium on which the copied data is recorded, when the data is no longer needed, the data is deleted from the recording medium and the copyable number information in the music data for distribution in the PC is used. It is possible to perform the process of increasing once. As a result, for example, after copying data to three recording media, when it is desired to copy data to another recording medium, the data is transferred from one recording medium having the copied data. The process of erasing the data, increasing the copyable number of times information in the music data for distribution in the PC by one, and then copying the data to a desired recording medium is performed.

【0011】

According to the above data distribution system, the distribution music data once downloaded into the PC includes information on the storage status and information on the number of times copying is possible, and if these information are not valid, the playback operation will be performed. And since the copy operation cannot be performed, it is possible to solve the above-mentioned copyright protection problem related to digital data to a considerable extent.

【0012】

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

For example, with regard to music CDs, when the purchased CD is no longer needed, it can be sold to a used CD store or the like. However, in the above data distribution system, a system has not been constructed in which the music data for distribution downloaded by paying a one-time fee can be sold even if it is no longer needed.

【0013】

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is a data right purchase and sale device capable of selling rights information contained in digital data possessed by a consumer. Is to provide.

【0014】

[Means for solving problems]

In order to solve the above problems, the data right purchase and sale device according to claim 1 is recorded on a recording medium brought by the consumer in the data right purchase and sale device that provides a service of recording digital data on a recording medium. The data reading means for reading the digital data including the content data and the right information, and the rewriting of the digital data so as to delete a part or all of the right information in the digital data read by the data reading means. It is characterized by having a means for rewriting the right information to be performed and a means for refunding the fee according to the deleted right information to the consumer.

【0015】

According to the above configuration, the consumer records his / her own digital data including content data and right information on a recording medium, and brings the recording medium to the data right purchase / sale device. , Part or all of the rights information of the digital data can be sold. Therefore, for consumers, it is possible to reduce the risk of purchasing digital data including rights that are likely to be unnecessary in the future, for example, from a data right purchase / sale device. Therefore, for example, it is possible to improve the sales of digital data in the data right purchase and sale device. In addition, since digital data rights can be freely bought and sold, it is possible to create a more active market by increasing the distribution volume of digital data.

【0016】

The data right purchase / sale device according to claim 2 is characterized in that, in the configuration according to claim 1, the digital data is digital data obtained by downloading via a communication network.

【0017】

According to the above configuration, even for digital data downloaded via a communication network such as the Internet, the digital data is recorded on a recording medium, and the recording medium is brought to the data right purchase and sale device. Part or all of the digital data rights information can be sold. Therefore, it is possible to diversify the data that can be bought and sold in this data right purchase and sale device.

【0018】

In the data right purchase / sale device according to claim 3, in the configuration according to claim 1 or 2, the digital data read by the data reading means is digital as a product stored in the data right purchase / sale device. Further provided with data checking means for determining whether or not the data is substantially the same, in the data checking means, the read digital data and the digital data as the product are substantially the same. When it is determined that there is, the right information deleted from the read digital data is added to the right information of the digital data as the product.

【0019】

According to the above configuration, the digital data as a product, which is recorded on the recording medium brought by the consumer and is substantially the same as the digital data read by the data reading means, is in the data right purchase and sale device. When stored in, it is possible to move the right information deleted from the read digital data to the digital data as a product. That is, for the data right purchase and sale device side, it is possible to sell the purchased right. Therefore, the data right purchase / sale device can purchase the rights in the digital data at a low price, and can also sell the purchased rights at a low price. Therefore, it is possible to construct a system that allows more free and active buying and selling of data rights.

【0020】

In the data right purchase / sale device according to claim 4, in the configuration according to claim 3, the digital data as a product determined to be substantially the same as the read digital data by the data check means is used. When it is determined that the data is not stored in the kiosk terminal device, the right information deleted from the read digital data is stored.

【0021】

According to the above configuration, the digital data as a product, which is recorded on the recording medium brought by the consumer and is substantially the same as the digital data read by the data reading means, is in the data right purchase and sale device. If it is not stored in, the rights information deleted from the read digital data will be saved. Therefore, in the future, when the data right purchase and sale device obtains the digital data corresponding to the saved right information from the master server or the like, the saved right information should be added to the obtained digital data right information. Is possible. Therefore, for the consumer side, even if the data right purchase and sale device does not have substantially the same digital data as the digital data including the right information to be sold, the right can be sold and the data right can be sold. Even in such a case, it will be possible for the purchase / sale device side to sell the purchased right in the future.

【0022】

The data right purchase / sale device according to claim 5 is characterized in that, in the configuration according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the right information includes information on the number of times the digital data can be copied.

【0023】

According to the above configuration, the digital data includes the information on the number of times the digital data can be copied as the right information. Here, the copyable number of times corresponds to the number of times that duplication and conversion into data of almost the same data format can be performed. As a result, once the digital data is passed to the consumer from the data right purchase / sale device or the like, it is possible to prevent the consumer from being able to duplicate the digital data indefinitely. As a result, for example, even when the content data included in the digital data is the data having the copyright, it is possible to accurately protect the copyright. Further, since the number of times that the data can be copied can be grasped as the quantity of the data, it is possible to set the charge for the sale and purchase of the data based on the number of times that the data can be copied. Therefore, it is possible to trade data in the same way as trading ordinary goods.

【0024】

In the data right purchase / sale device according to claim 6, in the configuration according to any one of claims 1 to 5, the consumer deletes the right information of digital data, and at the same time, the right information of other digital data. When a purchase is made, the above refund method is characterized by increasing the refund amount.

【0025】

According to the above configuration, if the purchase is made at the same time as the sale of the digital data rights information, the refund amount is set to be large, so that the proportion of consumers making the purchase at the same time as the sale is high. Is expected. Therefore, for the data right purchase and sales device side, the sale of new data is promoted, and it is possible to improve the sales.

【0026】

The recording medium on which the data right purchase and sale program according to claim 7 is recorded is a data right purchase and sale program for realizing each means provided in the data right purchase and sale device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 on a computer. It is characterized by being a recording medium for recording.

【0027】

According to the above configuration, the data right purchase and sale device can be realized by operating the data right purchase and sale program read from the recording medium on a computer.

【0028】

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6.

【0029】

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an outline of an information distribution system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the information distribution system is configured to include a master server 1, a kiosk terminal (data right purchase and sale device) 2, and a PC 5.

【0030】

As shown in FIG. 2, for example, the master server 1 indicates a server computer that stores music data as a master and a master server management company that manages the master server computer by contract with a record company 3, music production 4, and the like. The master server 1 stores digitized original music data or music data for distribution converted into a data format suitable for distribution based on the original music data. In this information distribution system, a plurality of master server 1s may be provided.

【0031】

The kiosk terminal 2 is a terminal device connected to the master server 1 by a communication line. The kiosk terminal 2 can download music data for distribution stored in the master server 1 through a communication line based on a contract with a master server management company. The communication line may be any line capable of data communication, for example, a dedicated line or an Internet line.

【0032】

In addition, the kiosk terminal 2 can sell music data to consumers. As a form of sale, for example, the kiosk terminal 2 is installed in a store such as a convenience store or a game center, and a consumer visits the kiosk terminal 2 to record desired music data on a recording medium 6. , The system is such that the recording medium 6 is purchased.

【0033】

Further, the kiosk terminal 2 has a function of purchasing rights such as the number of reproducible times included in the music data recorded on the recording medium 6 brought by the consumer. That is, the consumer can sell the unnecessary rights in the music data by visiting the kiosk terminal 2 with the recording medium 6 on which the music data owned by the consumer is recorded. It has become. Details of this function will be described later.

【0034】

In reality, a plurality of kiosk terminals are connected to the master server 1, but FIG. 2 shows the connection state of one kiosk terminal among the plurality of kiosk terminals.

【0035】

The PC5 is equivalent to a so-called personal computer in which an OS (Operating System) is installed on a hard disk and various processes are performed by operating a program on the OS. This PC 5 is equipped with a communication means (not shown) and is connected to the master server 1 via a communication network such as the Internet. The PC5 can download music data from the master server 1 for a fee via this communication network.

【0036】

Further, the PC 5 includes a media drive (not shown) for reading and writing data to and from the recording medium 6. As a result, the music data downloaded from the master server 1 via the communication network can be recorded on the recording medium 6, and conversely, the music data recorded on the recording medium 6 purchased on the kiosk terminal 2 can be read out. It has become.

【0037】

In reality, many PCs are connected on the Internet, but Fig. 2 shows the connection status of one of these multiple PCs.

【0038】

Next, the configuration of the kiosk terminal 2 will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the kiosk terminal 2. The configuration shown in FIG. 1 shows an example in which the kiosk terminal 2 is configured by a PC (Personal Computer) -based server computer. As shown in the figure, the kiosk terminal 2 includes a data storage unit 7, a central processing unit 8, an authentication check unit 9, a cancellation control unit 10, a voice output device 11, a voice guide control processing unit 12, an order processing unit 13, and a playback unit. Completion processing unit 14, data purchase processing unit (data reading means / right information rewriting means) 15, data input / output device 16, communication processing unit 17, display unit 18, operation unit 19, ordering data management unit 20, billing management unit 21 , A reproduction processing unit 22, a reproduction data check unit 23, and a reproduction data storage processing unit 24 are provided. Note that FIG. 1 is a diagram in which all of the above configurations are connected in the same manner, but in reality, parts connected in terms of hardware via various buses and interfaces, and control / processing are performed. There are some parts that are connected by software due to the cooperation on the program.

【0039】

The data storage unit 7 is configured by a storage means such as a hard disk device, and stores music data for distribution received from the master server 1 and various management data in the kiosk terminal 2. .. The OS, various programs, data, etc. required for the operation of the kiosk terminal 2 are stored in this hard disk device or another hard disk device.

【0040】

The central processing unit 8 is composed of an arithmetic processing unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and performs various arithmetic processes performed in the kiosk terminal 2. Although not shown, RAM (Random Access Memory), which is required as a work area for performing various arithmetic processes, is also provided.

【0041】

The audio output device 11 is composed of an amplifier unit, a speaker, and the like, and is a block for outputting various audios. For example, when a consumer purchases or sells music data, the sound for auditioning the music is output, the sound for guiding the operation is output, or the BGM is output. ..

【0042】

The data input / output device 16 is a block that performs a process of writing or reading data to the recording medium 6 when a consumer purchases or sells music data. The type of recording medium 6 is not particularly limited, but for example, MD, CD-R, DVD, smart media (registered trademark), multimedia card, compact flash (registered trademark), MO, floppy (registered trademark) disk, ZIP disk. , JAZ® disks, PC cards, small hard disks, etc.

【0043】

The communication processing unit 17 serves as an interface for data communication with the master server 1, and is assigned a specific COM port of the computer constituting the kiosk terminal 2.

【0044】

The display unit 18 is composed of various display monitors such as a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) and an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). Further, the operation unit 19 is composed of a pointing device such as a joystick and an input device such as various buttons. The consumer sees the display on the display unit 18 and performs an input operation by the operation unit 19 to purchase or sell the desired data.

【0045】

The data storage unit 7, the central processing unit 8, the audio output device 11, the data input / output device 16, the communication processing unit 17, the display unit 18, and the operation unit 19 described above have hardware-like configurations in the kiosk terminal 2. It is a block to show. Then, the following authentication check unit 9, cancellation control unit 10, voice guide control processing unit 12, order processing unit 13, playback completion processing unit 14, data purchase processing unit 15, order data management unit 20, billing management unit 21, The reproduction processing unit 22, the reproduction data check unit 23, and the reproduction data storage processing unit 24 are blocks showing a software-like configuration in the kiosk terminal 2.

【0046】

The authentication check unit 9 is a block that sends a distribution request for specific distribution music data to the master server 1 and authenticates the data distribution. When making a distribution request, the ID and password of the kiosk terminal 2 are sent from the authentication check unit 9, and these authentication checks are performed on the master server 1 side. If this check is passed, the master server 1 The music data for distribution requested from the kiosk terminal 2 will be distributed.

【0047】

The cancellation control unit 10 is a block that stops the reproduction of the corresponding data and cancels the billing process when the cancellation is performed after the data reproduction request is once made by the consumer. Note that the reproduction referred to here corresponds to a state in which the data is sold to the consumer. That is, the music data purchased by the consumer is recorded on various recording media, and when the recording medium is in the hands of the consumer, it is counted as one reproduction. In addition, when the cancellation is made after the consumer requests the sale of the music data right, the cancellation control unit 10 cancels the right sale process of the corresponding data and also cancels the refund process. ..

【0048】

The voice guide control processing unit 12 is a block that controls various voice guides related to data reproduction and sale to consumers.

【0049】

The order processing unit 13 is a block that reads an ID of data recognized as requiring an order by the order data management unit 20, which will be described later, and makes a request to newly distribute the data from the master server 1. At this time, if there are a plurality of master server 1s, the connection destination is also selected.

【0050】

When the reproduction processing for the consumer is completed, the reproduction completion processing unit 14 transmits the data indicating the reproduction completion of the corresponding data to the master server 1 or the management server that manages the data distribution, and the reproduction completion history. It is a block that performs processing to save data.

【0051】

The data purchase processing unit 15 is a block that performs purchase data reading processing, purchaseable data check processing, purchase reproduction count registration processing, and corresponding data rewriting processing as shown below. The purchase data reading process is a process of reading the music data from a recording medium in which the music data for which the consumer intends to sell the right is recorded. The purchaseable data check process is a process for checking whether or not the right of the read music data can be purchased on the kiosk terminal 2. The purchase play count registration process is a process in which the consumer registers how many times the read music data can be played as a right to be sold. The corresponding data rewriting process is a process of rewriting the corresponding music data in accordance with the change of the right when the right of the music data is sold. The details of the processing in the data purchase processing unit 15 will be described later.

【0052】

The ordering data management unit 20 manages the data stored in the kiosk terminal 2, checks the play count information of all the data, and recognizes that the play count is 0 or less than a predetermined value. It is a block that performs a process of picking up the collected data as the data of the ordering requirement.

【0053】

The billing management unit 21 is a block that performs ordering data billing processing, normal data reproduction billing processing, purchase data refund processing, and data purchase selling price registration processing as shown below. The order data billing process is a process of paying a fee for the music data to the master server 1 when the music data is downloaded from the master server 1 by the order processing unit 13. The normal data reproduction billing process is a process of charging when a consumer makes a reproduction request, that is, a data purchase request. Examples of billing forms include cash payment, credit card, debit card, and prepaid card payment. The purchase data refund process is a process of refunding when a consumer requests the sale of data rights. Therefore, the billing management unit 21 includes a device for collecting cash, a device for making payments with various cards, and the like, and has a system for controlling these devices. The data purchase selling price registration process is a process of setting and registering the data purchase price and the selling price according to the type of data and the form of the right.

【0054】

The playback processing unit 22 decodes the encrypted distribution music data for the data requested to be played back, and if the corresponding distribution music data is compressed, simultaneously decompresses (decompresses) the data. It is a block to do. As a result, the data requested for reproduction is converted into a data format that can be converted into various data formats.

【0055】

When the specific data for which the consumer has requested reproduction is stored in the kiosk terminal 2, the reproduction data check unit 23 checks the reproduction count information of the stored specific data and can reproduce the data. It is a block to check whether or not it is. If it is determined that the reproduction is impossible here, the specific data for which the reproduction request has been made is requested to be distributed to the master server 1.

【0056】

The reproduction data storage processing unit 10 is a block that performs a process of recording the music data on some recording medium when the consumer purchases the music data. Further, the form for recording on the recording medium may be a form in which the consumer brings the recording by himself / herself, or when the recording medium is prepared in advance in the terminal device and sold, the data is obtained. It may be in the form of billing the amount obtained by adding the charge of the recording medium to the charge of.

【0057】

Next, the music data for distribution transmitted from the master server 1 to the kiosk terminal 2 will be described below. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of music data for distribution. As shown in the figure, the music data for distribution is composed of a header part and a data part.

【0058】

The playback count information, data ID, and authentication code are recorded in the header section. The playback number information is information indicating how many times the distribution music data can be played. As described above, the reproduction corresponds to the state in which the data is sold to the consumer, so this reproduction count information indicates how many times the music data for distribution can be sold. It will be. That is, by limiting the number of playbacks by this playback number information, it is possible to prevent a state in which once the music data for distribution is received, it can be sold unlimitedly.

【0059】

The data ID indicates a unique ID of the music data for distribution, indicates the content of the data included in the music data for distribution, and even if the data has the same content, the master server 1 first. The ID will be different depending on the timing and delivery route of the data delivered from. The authentication code is a code indicating that the data is used in this information distribution system.

【0060】

The data unit is composed of content data, that is, music information data. This content data may be coded data in an encrypted state so that the content cannot be easily analyzed. Further, since the music information data itself is generally large in size, it may be encoded in a compressed state.

【0061】

Next, the type of recording medium to which the reproduction process is performed will be described. Here, the types of recording media are classified into three types. First, the first recording medium corresponds to a recording medium such as an MD. Music information is recorded in each of these recording media in a unique data format, and a copyright protection technology called serial copy management is applied. When music data is recorded on such a recording medium, it is recorded in a corresponding data format, and recordings such as copyable count information, playable environment information, and kiosk terminal ID, which will be described later, are recorded. Not done. This type of recording medium will be referred to as an MD format recording medium.

【0062】

The second recording medium corresponds to a recording medium having an ID authentication function, such as SmartMedia. Such a recording medium is provided with an IC (Integrated Circuit) capable of performing ID authentication. A recording medium provided with such an ID authentication function will be referred to as an ID-authenticateable recording medium.

【0063】

The third recording medium corresponds to various recording media capable of recording arbitrary digital data, such as MO, ZIP disk, and JAZ disk. Music data in any data format can be recorded on such a recording medium, and the music data is read out by, for example, a PC or the like, and music playback software corresponding to the recorded data format is used. It will be played. Such a recording medium will be referred to as a general-purpose recording medium.

【0064】

Next, the flow of processing in the kiosk terminal 2 when a consumer requests to play (sell) music data will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. First, in S1, it is determined whether or not the consumer has requested the kiosk terminal 2 to reproduce specific data, and if it is determined that the reproduction request has been made (YES in S1), the steps after S2 Is executed and no reproduction request is made (NO in S1), the processing of S1 is repeated. That is, this step indicates the standby state of the reproduction request.

【0065】

Next, it is determined whether or not the music data corresponding to the data requested to be played is stored in the kiosk terminal 2 in a playable state (S2). Here, the fact that the music data is playable indicates that the number of playback times information recorded in the header portion of the music data is equal to or greater than the number requested for playback. If it is determined in S2 that NO, that is, the playable music data is not in the kiosk terminal 2, the subsequent processing from S3 is performed, and YES in S2, that is, the playable music data is in the kiosk terminal 2. If it is determined that it is inside, the processing from S7, which will be described later, is performed.

【0066】

If NO is determined in S2 above, the music data for distribution corresponding to the data requested to be played back will be downloaded from the master server 1. Therefore, in S3, the master server 1 of the delivery request destination is selected by the order processing unit 13. Here, as a method of selecting the master server 1, for example, it is highly likely that the master server 1 has music data for distribution corresponding to the data requested to be played back based on the past distribution history or the like. There are a method of selecting from the above, and a method of selecting from the master server 1 which has a high transfer speed at the time of data distribution. Note that the master server 1 can be selected in this way when the kiosk terminal 2 has a distribution contract with a plurality of master servers 1, and distribution is performed only with one master server 1. If so, this step is skipped.

【0067】

Then, a distribution request for the corresponding distribution music data is sent to the master server 1 selected in S3 (S4). At this time, authentication is performed by sending out the ID and password of the kiosk terminal 2.

【0068】

When the distribution request is accepted, the music data for distribution is transmitted from the master server 1 to the kiosk terminal 2 (S5). As a result, music data corresponding to the data requested to be played back is stored in the kiosk terminal 2.

【0069】

After that, before performing the playback operation of the downloaded music data, the ID of the kiosk terminal 2 is assigned to the music data (S6). Similarly, if YES in the above S2, that is, if it is determined that the playable music data is in the kiosk terminal 2, the ID of the kiosk terminal 2 is given to the corresponding music data (S7). By these steps, the information of the kiosk terminal that has performed the reproduction process is recorded in the music data. Note that the steps S6 and S7 are omitted when the recording medium of the recording destination is the above-mentioned MD format recording medium.

【0070】

For the music data to which the ID of the kiosk terminal 2 is given in this way, it is checked in S8 whether the music data can be played for confirmation. This check checks, for example, whether the kiosk terminal 2 conforms to the playback environment conditions recorded in the header part of the music data, but basically, the distribution process is normally performed. If is done, this check will pass. If it is determined that playback is not possible (NO in S8), an error message is displayed on the display unit 18 (S9), and the playback process is stopped.

【0071】

When it is determined that the music can be played back in S8 (YES in S8), the music data is recorded in the designated recording medium by the playback data storage processing unit 24, and the playback processing is performed (S10). Here, the recording medium on which the music data is recorded may be a recording medium prepared by the kiosk terminal 2 or a recording medium brought by the consumer. When the playback process is completed, the playback completion processing unit 14 sends data indicating the completion of playback of the corresponding music data to the master server 1 or the management server that manages the data distribution, and the history data of the playback completion. Is saved in the kiosk terminal 2. By performing the steps up to S10, the reproduction (sale) process is completed, and the process returns to S1 to return to the standby state of the reproduction request.

【0072】

Next, the structure of the music data recorded on the recording medium by performing the above reproduction processing will be described below. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of the music data. As shown in the figure, the music data is composed of a header part and a data part. Since the data format of the music data recorded on the above MD format recording medium is a data format corresponding to the recording medium, the structure of the music data shown in FIG. 5 is an ID-authenticateable recording medium and a general-purpose recording medium. It consists of music data recorded on a recording medium.

【0073】

In the header section, copyable count information, data ID, authentication code, playable environment information, and kiosk terminal ID are recorded. The copyable number of times information is information indicating how many times the music data can be copied to an ID-authenticateable recording medium or a general-purpose recording medium. That is, this copyable number of times information is added in order to prevent a state in which copying is possible an unlimited number of times once the music data is received by limiting the number of times of copying. Further, this copyable count information is rewritten so as to be decremented by one copy each time the copy process is performed, and when it reaches 0, it functions as prohibition information for prohibiting the copy process.

【0074】

The data ID indicates a unique ID of the music data, and indicates the content of the data included in the music data. Further, the data IDs may be different IDs depending on the timing (timing) of distribution from the master server 1 even if the data has the same contents. The authentication code is a code indicating that the data is distributed from the specific master server 1.

【0075】

The playable environment information is information that defines an environment for playing the music data. Details of the setting of this renewable environment information will be described later. The kiosk terminal ID is information indicating on which kiosk terminal 2 the music data is sold (reproduced).

【0076】

The data unit is composed of content data having a purchase value for consumers, that is, digital music data in the present embodiment. This digital music data may be coded data in an encrypted state so that the contents cannot be easily analyzed. Further, since such digital music data generally has a large data size, it may be encoded in a compressed state as necessary.

【0077】

Next, the setting of the playable environment information will be described. The content of the reproducible environment information differs depending on whether the music data is recorded on the above-mentioned ID-authenticateable recording medium or the above-mentioned general-purpose recording medium. When recording music data on an ID-authenticateable recording medium, the ID of the corresponding ID-authenticateable recording medium is recorded in the playable environment information. When playing music (normal playback) of music data recorded on an ID-authenticateable recording medium, the playback software uses the ID of the ID-authenticateable recording medium and the playable environment information in the header of the corresponding music data. Playback is permitted only when the two match with the recorded ID. As a result, even if the music data recorded on the ID-authenticateable recording medium is copied to, for example, another recording medium, the music cannot be played back from the recording medium. By such a mechanism, the copyright of the music data recorded on the ID-authenticateable recording medium is protected.

【0078】

On the other hand, when recording music data on a general-purpose recording medium, the playable environment information is set by the following processing. First, in the kiosk terminal 2, when creating music data to be recorded on a general-purpose recording medium, information on which the playback environment has not been set is added as playable environment information, and information on the kiosk terminal is also added. The kiosk terminal 2 records the music data having the header portion set in this way on a general-purpose recording medium, creates a management code corresponding to the music data, and stores the music data in the kiosk terminal 2.

【0079】

The consumer takes home the general-purpose recording medium on which the music data is recorded as described above, and uses a device capable of playing the music data, for example, the playback software installed on the PC5 shown in FIG. And the music will be played. At this time, if the playback software reads the music data recorded on the general-purpose recording medium and the playback environment information is not set, "Set the playback environment. Are you sure?" A dialog saying "?" Is displayed. That is, as long as the playback environment is not set, the music of the corresponding music data is not played.

【0080】

If an OK instruction is given when the above dialog is displayed, communication is performed with the master server 1 using the communication means provided in the PC5. On the master server 1 side, when a playback environment setting request is received, communication is performed with the kiosk terminal 2 for which data has been created based on the kiosk terminal information recorded in the music data, and management corresponding to the music data is performed. The code is queried. When it is confirmed by inquiring the management code that the playback environment has not been set, the master server 1 transmits the playback environment setting processing data corresponding to the music data to the PC5. , Instruct the kiosk terminal 2 to set the management code corresponding to the music data to the environment set.

【0081】

When the playback environment setting processing data is received from the master server 1 on the PC5 side, the playable environment information in which the PC5 is set as the playable environment is written to the music data based on this data. As a result, the music data can be played back on the PC5.

【0082】

According to the above processing, even when music data is recorded on a general-purpose recording medium, the music data cannot be played back in an environment that does not match the contents recorded in the playable environment information. It is possible to prevent unauthorized copying. When setting the playback environment, the kiosk terminal 2 that issued the music data is accessed to receive the playback environment setting processing data, and the music data management code is played back on the kiosk terminal 2 side. It is set as the environment has been set. Therefore, for example, even if the data before setting the playback environment is illegally copied and the playback environment is set in another environment using this copy data, the playback environment setting process of the corresponding music data has been performed before. If this is set in the management code, new data for playback environment setting processing will not be issued, so data due to unauthorized copying will not be available. Therefore, even when music data is recorded on a general-purpose recording medium, the copyright can be strongly protected.

【0083】

Although the processing for the music data recorded on the general-purpose recording medium has been described above, the music data recorded on the ID authentication recording medium may be processed by the same processing. That is, when recording music data from the kiosk terminal 2 on the ID authentication recording medium, the music data and the playable environment information are processed in the same manner as when the music data is recorded on the general-purpose recording medium without using the ID authentication function. May be recorded.

【0084】

Further, in the above, when the playback environment setting process is performed, the master server 1 is accessed from the PC 5 via a communication means, and the playback environment setting process data is received from the master server 1. It is not limited to. For example, the system may be such that the kiosk terminal 2 from which the music data has been purchased is accessed from the PC 5 via a communication means, and the playback environment setting processing required data is directly received from the kiosk terminal 2. Further, for example, the system may collectively perform the playback environment setting process on the main public server provided by the administrator who manages the music distribution system. Further, the playback environment setting process may be performed at the access destination specified by the purchaser of the music data. In this case, the user selects the access destination from the specifiable access destination list information. That is, any system may be used as long as it can obtain the permission of the administrator who manages the music distribution system when performing the playback environment setting process.

【0085】

Next, a case where the master server 1 is accessed from the PC 5 via a communication means and the music data is directly downloaded to purchase the data will be described. First, the access operation is performed from the PC 5 to the master server 1, and the authentication check of the user of the PC 5 is performed on the master server 1. When the authentication is completed normally, the content data corresponding to the music data requested to be distributed is encoded, and the data part of the music data is created.

【0086】

Then, the copyable number information in the music data is set according to the copyable number of data requested to be distributed from the PC5, and the playable environment information is set based on the playback environment information transmitted from the PC5. A header part including the information of is added to the music data. Then, the music data composed of the header unit and the data unit is transmitted to the distribution request destination PC5. At the same time as the transmission is performed, the data type, the set copyable number of times information, the transmission information such as the destination PC, and the like are recorded as a log in the master server 1.

【0087】

Next, the flow of processing when the right of music data is purchased on the kiosk terminal 2 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. First, in S11, the user selects to sell the right of music data while referring to the display screen of the kiosk terminal 2. When the sale of the music data right is selected, the option of the type of the right to sell is displayed on the display screen of the kiosk terminal 2. Here, the types of rights include the sale of the number of times the copy can be made, the sale of the music data itself, and the like. From these options, the user selects the right to sell (S12). When the right to sell is selected, the basic purchase price corresponding to the selected right is displayed on the display screen of the kiosk terminal 2, and the user confirms this basic purchase price (S13).

【0088】

After that, the user sets the recording medium on which the music data for which the right is to be sold is recorded in the recording medium insertion slot of the kiosk terminal 2 (S14). The kiosk terminal 2 takes in the information of the data recorded in the recording medium by reading the set recording medium (S15).

【0089】

Then, by analyzing the captured information, among the data recorded on the set recording medium, the data that can be purchased at the kiosk terminal 2 is checked (S16), and the checked data that can be purchased is displayed. Display on the screen (S17). Here, the data that can be purchased in the kiosk terminal 2 is the data that is permitted to buy and sell the data in the kiosk terminal 2, for example, the data sold in the kiosk terminal 2 and the kiosk terminal of the same series. , And the data distributed from the same master server 1. Checking whether the data is available for purchase is performed by referring to the header of the data.

【0090】

Further, in the data checked as purchaseable data, the right to sell in the relevant data, specifically, the remaining copyable number information in the relevant data is read and displayed on the display screen. Here, in the case of data in which the copyable number of times is 0, it is possible to sell the copyable number of times for one time by erasing the data from the recording medium. Therefore, for such data, by displaying the copyable number as 0, it is shown that the data can be sold with erasure.

【0091】

Next, the user selects the data for which the right is desired to be sold from the data checked as the data that can be purchased (S18). Then, in order to confirm whether or not the selected data is the data for which the user really wants to sell the right, the data is simply regenerated and the data is auditioned (S19). This may be because the display screen of the kiosk terminal 2 may only display the file name of the data, and it is possible to judge whether or not the data is desired to be sold based on such a file name alone. This is because the user may make a mistake. If there is a plurality of data for which the user wishes to sell the right, the processes of S18 and S19 will be repeated.

【0092】

When the data to be sold is selected, a list of the selected data is displayed on the display screen of the kiosk terminal 2, and the details of the purchase right in each data are displayed (S20). With reference to this information, the user sets, for each data, the right to sell, for example, the number of copies that the user wants to sell (S21). Then, when this setting is completed, the subtotal of the purchase price in each data and the total of these are displayed on the display screen and confirmed by the user (S22).

【0093】

In this way, after the setting regarding the sale of the data right is completed, the user is asked whether he / she wants to purchase other data (S23). This is effective when providing a service for setting a higher purchase price when selling other data at the same time as selling the right of data. That is, it is preferable that the processing of S23 is performed before the actual settlement related to the sale of the data right is performed.

【0094】

In the example shown in FIG. 6, after the total purchase price is displayed in S22, the inquiry for the purchase of other data in S23 is made, but the order of these processes may be reversed. In this case, when purchasing other data, the balance between the purchase price and the purchase price of the data can be displayed. Further, at this time, it is possible to display the income and expenditure that reflects the state in which the service for setting the purchase price higher when purchasing other data is performed.

【0095】

If the purchase of other data is desired in S23, the data sale process is performed in S24. In the data sales process here, the same process as the data sales (reproduction) process described above with reference to FIG. 4 is performed, and therefore the detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

【0096】

If the purchase of other data is not desired in S23, and after the data sale processing in S24 is performed, the right information of each data is set based on the right to sell in each data set in S22. Rewriting processing is performed (S25). That is, processing such as reducing the copyable number of times information of the data desired to be sold is performed.

【0097】

After that, in S26, the total purchase of data rights and, if other data is purchased, the deposit / withdrawal process is performed based on the total purchase (S26), and the deposit / withdrawal process is performed normally. When completed, the recording medium on which the data has been rewritten is taken out (S27), and the process ends.

【0098】

The data rights purchased by the kiosk terminal 2 as described above are added to the same data rights stored in the kiosk terminal 2. For example, when the copyable number of times is purchased, the process of increasing the copyable number of the same data stored in the kiosk terminal 2 by the purchased amount is performed.

【0099】

Here, if the data corresponding to the data for which the rights have been purchased is not stored in the kiosk terminal 2, only the information on the purchased rights is stored in the kiosk terminal 2 and the corresponding data is purchased in the future. When a request is made and the relevant data is downloaded from the master server 1, the information on the rights of the relevant data is rewritten. Of course, if the data corresponding to the purchased rights data is not stored in the kiosk terminal 2, the corresponding data may be downloaded from the master server 1 on the spot.

【0100】

According to the above configuration, the consumer records his / her own digital data on a recording medium, and by bringing the recording medium to the kiosk terminal 2, the number of times the digital data can be copied can be determined. You can sell your rights. Therefore, for the consumer side, it is possible to reduce the risk of purchasing digital data set to the copyable number of times, which is likely to be unnecessary in the future, from, for example, the kiosk terminal 2 or the master server 1. Therefore, for example, it is possible to improve the sales of digital data in the kiosk terminal 2 and the master server 1. In addition, since digital data rights can be freely bought and sold, it is possible to create a more active market by increasing the distribution volume of digital data.

【0101】

In addition, regarding digital data purchased by downloading from the master server 1 via the Internet, the digital data is recorded on a recording medium, and the recording medium is brought to the kiosk terminal 2 to obtain the right information of the digital data. It is possible to sell some or all of the. Therefore, the kiosk terminal 2 can buy and sell various types of digital data rights.

【0102】

In the above, when selling a part or all of the rights information of digital data, the rights information for the sale is deleted. The term "deletion" here means that when the rights information is reduced due to the sale, the rights for which the scope of rights is narrowed are deleted. For example, if the copyable count is changed from 5 to 3, it means that the copyable count for 2 times has been deleted.

【0103】

Next, a method of setting the purchase price of the data right will be described. First, the purchase price of a specific right of a specific data is set to be N% of the selling price of the same right of the same data. When purchasing other data at the same time, the purchase price is set to be (N + α)% of the selling price.

【0104】

The value of N (%), which is the ratio of the purchase price to the selling price, is determined as follows. Basically, the value of N above is set according to the position of the relevant data in the resale market and the rank determined based on the purchase price of the relevant data. A specific example will be described below.

【0105】

First, the position in the resale market is classified into the following three types, A1 to A3. Category A1 is the data in the top 100 of sales, category A2 is the data in the 101st to 500th of sales, and category A3 is the data in the 501st or lower of sales. In addition, the purchase price is also classified into the following three types, B1 to B3. Category B1 is data in which the price at the time of purchase is a premium price, category B2 is data in which the price at the time of purchase is a standard price, and category B3 is data in which the price at the time of purchase is a discount price.

【0106】

According to the combination of the classification of the position in the resale market and the classification of the purchase price as described above, it is classified into ranks 1 to 5 as shown below. Rank 1 ... Category A1 and Category B1, or Category A1 and Category B2 Rank 2 ... Category A1 and Category B3, or Category A2 and Category B1 Rank 3 ... Category A2 and Category B2 Rank 4. Category A2 and Category B3, or Category A3 and Category B1 Rank 5 ... Category A3 and Category B2, or Category A3 and Category B3 And if the data is included in Rank 1, N = 60, Rank N = 50 if included in 2, N = 30 if included in rank 3, N = 20 if included in rank 4, N = 10 if included in rank 5 I will set it as.

【0107】

Further, the value of α when purchasing other data at the same time is set according to the purchase quantity of the other data and the profit margin of the data to be purchased. As a specific example, C is a value set according to the purchase quantity of other data, D is a value set according to the profit margin of the data to be purchased, and α is determined by α = C + D. It shall be. As a method of setting the value of C, C = 5 when the purchase quantity of other data is 1 to 4, C = 7 when the purchase quantity is 5 to 9, and C = 10 when the purchase quantity is 10 or more. In addition, as a method of setting the value of D, D = 2 when the data has a good rate of return, D = 1 when the data has a normal rate of return, and D = 1 when the data has a bad rate of return. Let D = 0. For example, if the purchase quantity of other data is 6, and the data judged to have a good profit margin is sold, α = 7 + 2 = 9.

【0108】

In the above example, the buying and selling of music data rights has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, image data including image information, video data including video information, printed matter data including printed matter information, and the like. It is also possible to buy and sell. In such data, the rights of the data to be bought and sold include, for example, the right to display only, the right to reproduce only audio, the right to copy data, the right to print out, and the like.

【0109】

[Effect of the invention]

As described above, the data right purchase / sale device according to the invention of claim 1 is recorded on the recording medium brought by the consumer in the data right purchase / sale device that provides the service of recording digital data on the recording medium. , data reading reads the digital data including the content data and rights information and look-up means, so as to remove some or all of the rights information in the digital data read by said data reading means, the rewriting of the digital data The configuration is provided with a means for rewriting the right information to be performed and a means for refunding the fee according to the deleted right information to the consumer.

【0110】

As a result, for consumers, for example, it is possible to reduce the risk of purchasing digital data including rights that are likely to be unnecessary in the future from a data right purchase and sale device. Therefore, for example, data. It has the effect of improving the sales of digital data in the right purchase and sales device. In addition, since the rights of digital data can be freely bought and sold, it is possible to create a more active market by increasing the distribution volume of digital data.

【0111】

The data right purchase / sale device according to the invention of claim 2 has a configuration in which the digital data is digital data obtained by downloading the digital data via a communication network.

【0112】

As a result, in addition to the effect of the configuration of claim 1, even for digital data downloaded via a communication network such as the Internet, part or all of the rights information of the digital data can be sold. It has the effect of being able to diversify the data that can be bought and sold in the data right purchase and sale device.

【0113】

In the data right purchase / sale device according to the invention of claim 3, the digital data read by the data reading means is substantially the same as the digital data as a product stored in the data right purchase / sale device. When it is determined that the read digital data and the digital data as the product are substantially the same in the data checking means, the data checking means for determining whether or not the data is obtained is further provided. The right information deleted from the read digital data is added to the right information of the digital data as the product.

【0114】

As a result, in addition to the effect of the configuration of claim 1 or 2, the data right purchase and sale device can purchase the right in digital data at a low price and can also sell the purchased right at a low price, so that it is more free. It has the effect of making it possible to build a system that allows active buying and selling of data rights.

【0115】

In the data right purchase and sale device according to the invention of claim 4, the digital data as a product determined to be substantially the same as the read digital data by the data check means is stored in the kiosk terminal device. When it is determined that the data is not stored in the data, the right information deleted from the read digital data is stored.

【0116】

As a result, in addition to the effect of the configuration of claim 3, for the consumer side, even if the data right purchase and sale device does not have substantially the same digital data as the digital data including the right information to be sold. In addition to being able to sell the right, the data right purchase and sale device side will also have the effect of being able to sell the purchased right in the future even in such a case.

【0117】

The data right purchase and sale device according to the invention of claim 5 has a configuration in which the above right information includes information on the number of times the digital data can be copied.

【0118】

As a result, in addition to the effect of the configuration of any one of claims 1 to 4, once the digital data is passed to the consumer from the data right purchase / sales device or the like, the consumer copies the digital data indefinitely. Since it is possible to prevent the state of being able to do so, for example, even if the content data included in the digital data is the data having the copyright, the effect of being able to accurately protect the copyright is possible. Play. In addition, since the number of times the data can be copied can be grasped as the quantity of the data, it is possible to set the charge for the sale and purchase of the data based on the number of times the data can be copied, and the data transaction is usually performed. It has the effect of being able to be carried out in the same way as the transaction of goods.

【0119】

In the data right purchase and sale device according to the invention of claim 6, when the consumer deletes the right information of digital data and at the same time purchases the right information of other digital data, the above refund means can be used. The structure is to raise the refund amount.

【0120】

As a result, in addition to the effect of the configuration of any one of claims 1 to 5, it is expected that the proportion of consumers who make a purchase at the same time as the sale is expected to increase. This will have the effect of promoting sales and improving sales.

【0121】

The recording medium on which the data right purchase and sale program according to the invention of claim 7 is recorded is the data right purchase and sale for realizing each means provided in the data right purchase and sale device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 on a computer. It is a configuration that is a recording medium on which a program is recorded.

【0122】

As a result, the data right purchase and sale device can be realized by operating the data right purchase and sale program read from the recording medium on the computer.

[Simple explanation of drawings]

[Figure 1]

It is a block diagram which shows the schematic structure of the kiosk terminal provided in the information distribution system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention.

[Figure 2]

It is a block diagram which shows the schematic structure of the said information distribution system.

[Fig. 3]

It is explanatory drawing which shows the schematic structure of the music data for distribution.

[Fig. 4]

It is a flowchart which shows the flow of processing in a kiosk terminal when a consumer makes a request for reproduction (sale) of music data.

[Fig. 5]

It is explanatory drawing which shows the schematic structure of the music data recorded on a recording medium.

[Fig. 6]

It is a flowchart which shows the flow of processing when the right of music data is purchased in a kiosk terminal.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Master server 2 Kiosk terminal (data right purchase and sales device) 5 PC 6 Recording medium 15 Data purchase processing department (data reading means / rights information rewriting means) 21 Billing Management Department (Refund method)