JP2003256595A - Content delivery authentication system, content delivery authentication method, program for making computer execute the method, and storage medium with the method stored therein - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a person to regenerate a content even by use of a personal computer having a different machine ID if he/she is the identical person who establishes a prescribed contract to download the content. <P>SOLUTION: A reads bio information from a personal computer PC-X (S31), and transmits bio personal data and the previous bio personal ID to a bio data center (S32). When the bio data center collates the bio personal data with the bio personal ID and transmits OK to the personal computer PC-X (S33), A can regenerate the content in the personal computer PC-X. When A copies the content and a license to regenerate it in another personal computer PC-Y (S34), input of bio personal data is requested since the machine ID recorded in the license is not matched to the machine ID of the personal computer body by comparative collation. Thus, A reads its own bio personal data into the personal computer PC-Y and transmits it to the bio data center with the bio personal ID. A receives the collation result of OK and regenerates the content in the personal computer PC-Y. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a content distribution authentication system for authenticating a user who receives distribution of content in individual units in order to protect the copyright of digital content.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when distributing contents such as music and moving images on the Internet, the distributed contents are protected by the copyright law, and therefore the user cannot use the contents without permission. For example,
DRM (Digital Rights Managem) managed by the provider
The copyright of the content distributed by ent) is protected and managed. Note that DRM is a technology for safely delivering contents on the Internet. According to this DRM, the content and the copyright thereof are collectively encrypted, and the content is distributed to the user as a license contract for using the content, whereby the copyright management of the content can be easily performed. Further, copyright management of contents by DRM is performed for each machine ID of a personal computer (hereinafter, referred to as a personal computer) owned by a user. Hereinafter, in the present invention, a user is referred to as a consumer.

FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram of a conventional content distribution authentication system. In the figure, Consumer A is
Personal computer PC1 by purchasing content from provider P
When downloaded to, click the play button of the player for the downloaded content. By such an operation, the player of the consumer A sends the provider P a machine ID “1” of the personal computer PC1.
The license issuance request in which "234" is recorded is transmitted. Then, the provider P determines that the machine ID is "1234".
The recorded license is transmitted to the player of the personal computer PC1. As a result, the personal computer PC1 compares and collates the machine ID “1234” recorded in the received license with its own machine ID “1234”. If the machine IDs of the two match, the personal computer PC1 selects the content desired by the player. Can be played. Regarding payment of the price, the payment screen is displayed when Consumer A presses the player's click button. Therefore, enter the card number of the credit card or select another payment method there. Can be processed by.

However, another consumer B copies the contents and license downloaded by the personal computer PC1 owned by the consumer A, and his own personal computer P
When attempting to reproduce by C3, the machine ID "1234" of the copied license and the machine ID "9999" of the personal computer PC3 of its own do not match, so that the consumer B cannot reproduce the content by the personal computer PC3. In this way, copyright infringement by the illegal copy of consumer B is prevented. Further, when the consumer A tries to reproduce the content downloaded by his / her own personal computer PC1 on his / her own personal computer PC2, the machine ID “1234” of the license does not match the machine ID “5555” of the personal computer PC2. Similarly, the consumer A cannot reproduce the content even with his / her personal computer PC2. That is, even if the consumer A tries to reproduce the content downloaded by his / her personal computer PC1 on his / her personal computer PC2, it is regarded as an illegal use by copying the content and the reproduction is prevented.

As described above, the general consumer contracts with the provider using a predetermined personal computer (that is, pays the price) to obtain the license, and then reproduces the content distributed from the provider by the predetermined personal computer. . At this time, since the machine ID of the corresponding personal computer is registered in the license, the delivered content cannot be reproduced because the machine ID is different when the personal computer is different. In other words, since it is considered that the personal computer and the consumer who uses the personal computer match, the content user is generally identified only by the machine ID unique to the personal computer. Therefore, the reproduction of the content downloaded by the formal procedure is limited to the downloaded PC.

[0006]

However, in the above-described conventional content distribution authentication system, even though the consumer purchases the content according to the formal procedure, the content is reproduced on another personal computer owned by the consumer. There is a problem that you can not do it. For example, even if a consumer tries to play the content downloaded at home under a license agreement with another personal computer that he owns, or if he takes it to the office etc. and plays it with another personal computer, the machine ID is different. Therefore, the content cannot be played. That is, the content cannot be reproduced on any computer other than the personal computer corresponding to the registered machine ID. Therefore, the use range of the content acquired by the formal procedure is limited, and there is a problem that the usability is not good at the time of reproducing the content.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its purpose is to use any personal computer having a different machine ID if the person who has made a predetermined contract and downloads the content. Another object is to provide a content distribution authentication system capable of reproducing the content.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, a content distribution authentication system of the present invention is a content distribution authentication system for authenticating the legitimacy of reproducing a content and determining whether or not the content can be reproduced. At
The bio-information indicating the physical characteristics of the user who reproduces the content is input, and the content reproduction unit that reproduces the content when the legitimacy of reproduction is authenticated, and the bio-information acquired from the content reproduction unit are stored. At the same time, a bio-information management means for transmitting the bio-information to the content reproduction means, and a content distribution means for distributing the license including the bio-information specifying the user to the content reproduction means for reproducing the content. It is characterized by being provided.

According to the content delivery authentication system of the present invention, in order to identify a user who uses a personal computer, personal bioinformation such as a fingerprint, a voiceprint, or an iris showing the physical characteristics of the user is used. There is. Therefore, a person who has purchased the content legally can freely reproduce the content from any computer, not limited to the downloaded computer. by this,
The environment in which the PC is used during content playback is expanded and the usability is extremely improved. In addition, anyone other than the person who purchased the content cannot use any personal computer to play the content. Therefore, even if a third party illegally acquires the personal computer of the person who purchased the content legally, the content cannot be reproduced from the personal computer.

Further, in the content delivery authentication system of the present invention, the bio information transmitted by the bio information management means to the content reproduction means is a bio personal ID in which a unique code is replaced, and the content delivery means is a bio personal ID.
It is characterized in that the user who reproduces the content is specified based on the. In other words, according to the content distribution authentication system of the present invention, the bio-personal data is data relating to individual characteristics such as fingerprints, voiceprints, and iris, and therefore cannot be used when leaked to the outside and used. Therefore, in order to ensure the safety of the distribution of bio information, the bio personal data is converted into a unique bio personal ID and distributed as bio information. With such a bio-individual ID, even if it is leaked to the outside, it can be replaced with another code number, so that it is possible to prevent the danger from spreading.

Further, in the content distribution authentication system of the present invention, the content reproducing means has a unique machine ID,
The content distribution means is characterized in that the bio individual ID and the machine ID are used together to identify the user who reproduces the content. In other words, according to the content delivery authentication system of the present invention, the machine ID unique to the personal computer is also used for authentication, so if the bio information of an individual is registered when the content is first reproduced, the same personal computer can be used. In the case of reproduction by, the authentication is performed by the machine ID without performing the personal authentication by the bio information each time the reproduction is performed, so that the burden of taking in bio information by the personal computer user can be reduced. However, in order to ensure the accuracy of the authentication, it is desirable to perform the authentication by the bio-information once every several times by the machine ID.

Further, the content distribution authentication method of the present invention is a content distribution authentication method which authenticates the legitimacy of reproducing a content and decides whether or not the content can be reproduced. A procedure of inputting bio-information showing the physical characteristics of the bio-information, a bio-information management means for managing the bio-information receives and stores the bio-information from the content reproducing means, and a procedure of transmitting the bio-information to the content reproducing means, The content delivery means for delivering the content includes a procedure for delivering a license including bio-information specifying a user to the content playback means for playing back the content.

Further, in the content delivery authentication method of the present invention, the bio information transmitted by the bio information management means to the content reproduction means is a bio personal ID in which a unique code is replaced, and the content delivery means uses a bio personal ID. It is characterized in that a user who reproduces the content is specified based on the content.

Further, in the content distribution authentication method of the present invention, the content reproducing means has a unique machine ID, and the content distributing means specifies the user who reproduces the content by using the bio personal ID and the machine ID together. It is characterized by doing.

Further, the present invention is also applied to a program that causes a computer to execute each of the content distribution authentication methods described above, and a computer-readable recording medium that records a program for executing each of the content distribution authentication methods described above. It

[0016]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the content distribution authentication system of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In order to identify a content user, the content delivery authentication system of the present invention uses a machine ID of a personal computer and a bio-individual ID, which is personal data of biometrics, in combination to verify the identity of the content user. In that case, the feature is that the content can be reproduced by using any personal computer. For example, if the biometric personal ID is used to confirm the identity at the time of the first download, the content can be reproduced by being regarded as the same user several times after the next download if the machine IDs match.
Even if the machine IDs do not match, if the bio individual IDs match, it is regarded as the same user and reproduction is possible. Then, only when the machine ID and the bio individual ID do not match, it is regarded as another user so that the content cannot be reproduced. Note that biometrics is an authentication system that performs personal authentication using personal information that indicates the physical characteristics of an individual such as a fingerprint, voiceprint, or iris.

If the personal biometric data obtained by biometrics is recorded in the license as it is, the personal data will be distributed to an unspecified number of people when the license is copied, causing a safety problem. Is converted into a unique ID number to be a bio-personal ID, and the number of the bio-personal ID is recorded in the license. At this time, the merit of using the bio personal ID can be dealt with by transferring the bio personal ID assigned to the license to the bio personal ID of another number, even if the bio personal ID is leaked to the outside. However, in the case of raw bio-personal data, even if it leaks to the outside, it cannot be replaced with other data, so it cannot be dealt with.

Also, every time content is downloaded or played, biometrics (bio personal ID)
However, since the user is burdened and authentication has a problem in convenience, the user is specified by using the machine ID together. At this time, considering that the bio personal ID is leaked to the outside, the bio personal ID is authenticated once every time the content is reproduced several times. For example, if the authentication by the machine ID is performed 5 times, the personal authentication by the bio individual ID is performed once. In this way, the number of times of content reproduction is authenticated by the machine ID, and the authentication by the bio personal ID is interrupted once in the middle of content reproduction. By doing so, the convenience of the user and the accuracy of the authentication are ensured.

The content distribution authentication system of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a flow of operations of the content distribution authentication system according to the present invention. In the figure, Consumer A is
In advance, along with the machine ID of the personal computer PC1 in the home 1, bio personal data such as the fingerprints and voiceprints of the consumer A itself are registered in the bio data center 11, and the bio personal ID corresponding to the bio personal data is registered from the bio data center 11. Get it. The trigger for registering the personal biometric data is when the consumer A processes the license issuance request to reproduce the content. When the consumer A purchases the content from the provider 3 and tries to download it to the personal computer PC1 of the home 1, the provider 3 pays a predetermined contract price, and the consumer A's bio personal ID "2222".
Request issuance of a recorded license of. Then, the provider 3 transmits the recorded license of the bio personal ID “2222” to the personal computer PC1. PC P
C1 is the bio individual I recorded in the received license.
D "2222" is compared with bio-personal ID "2222" owned by Consumer A itself. At this time, since the operator is the consumer A himself, the bio-personal IDs “2222” of both are the same, and the desired content can be reproduced by the player of the personal computer PC1.

Further, even when the consumer A tries to reproduce the content downloaded by the personal computer PC1 at home 1 on another personal computer PC2 owned by his / her own department,
Since the operator of the personal computer PC2 is the consumer A himself, the bio-personal ID "2222" is read. Therefore, the bio personal ID “222” recorded in the license
2 ”and the bio-personal ID“ 2222 ”of the consumer A match, so the personal computer P operated by the consumer A
The content can be reproduced by C2.

Further, when the consumer A copies the content downloaded by his / her own personal computer PC1 and reproduces it on the personal computer PC3 of the company 2, as in the above case,
Consumer A's bio personal ID “2222” and license's bio personal ID “222” attached to the content
2 ”match, so that Consumer A can play back the content on Company 2's personal computer PC 3. However, Consumer B can play content on Company 2's personal computer PC 3.
Consumer B bio individual I
D “5454” and license bio individual ID “222”
The content cannot be reproduced because it does not match 2 ".

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functions of the content delivery authentication system of the present invention. The configuration of this content delivery authentication system includes a bio data center (bio information management means) 11 that manages information on biometrics, and a consumer (contents that downloads and reproduces content by receiving authentication of information on biometrics). It is composed of a reproducing means) 14 and a provider (content distributing means) 17 which distributes a desired content to the consumer 14 while managing the copyright of the content based on the information on the biometrics.

The biodata center 11 stores the biometrics personal information and the data management system 12 for managing the biometrics personal information such as registration / inquiry of the biometrics personal information and return of the inquiry result. It is composed of the database 13.
The consumer 14 uses a player 15 that performs reproduction / control of encapsulated content, acquisition of biometrics personal information, check of license, and the like, and a biometrics device 16 that captures biopersonal data such as a fingerprint, voiceprint, or iris of the consumer 14. It is configured. The provider 17 includes a DRM 18 that issues a license in which biometrics information is recorded to a consumer 14 who intends to execute reproduction of digital content that is encapsulated and distributed.

Next, the flow of operation of the content distribution authentication system of the present invention will be described using a flow chart. FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing the operation flow of the content distribution authentication system of the present invention. This flowchart shows a flow of information exchanged between the consumer 14 (more precisely, the personal computer owned by the consumer 14), the biocenter 11 and the provider 17. Therefore, the operation flow will be described with reference to the configuration diagram of FIG. 2 and the flowchart of FIG.

First, the consumer 14 is replaced by the player 15
When the content to be reproduced is selected and the reproduction button is clicked (step S1), the dedicated software is started up, and a license check is performed as to whether or not there is a license for the corresponding content (step S2). When the content is reproduced for the first time, the consumer 14 does not have a license yet and newly acquires bio-personal data. That is, since the player 15 requests the bio personal data to be input, the consumer 1
The user inputs his / her bio personal data from the biometrics device 16 (step S3). Then, the bio-data center 11 acquires the bio-personal data sent from the consumer 14 (step S4). The bio-personal data at this time is personal information indicating the physical characteristics of the consumer such as the fingerprint, voiceprint, and iris of the consumer.

Next, the bio-data center 11 corresponds to the acquired bio-personal data to prevent the bio-personal data from leaking to the outside illegally.
The D unique number is issued and paid out to the consumer 14 (step S5). At this time, the bio-data center 11 has issued the bio-personal ID to the database 13.
And register the acquired bio personal data. On the other hand, the consumer 14 is a machine ID that is data unique to the personal computer.
Is obtained from the personal computer body (step S6).

Then, the consumer 14 performs step S
Bio-individual I acquired from bio-data center 11 in 5
D and the machine ID acquired from the personal computer body in step S6 are passed to the provider 17 to request issuance of a license (step S7). At this time, the consumer 14 and the provider 17 also make a payment contract for the purchase price of the content. Next, the provider 17
The received bio-personal ID and machine ID are authenticated, and if the authentication result is valid, a license in which the bio-personal ID and machine ID are recorded is issued (step S8) and transmitted to the consumer 14. Then, the consumer 14 stores the received license in a corresponding place and reproduces the desired content. That is, the consumer 14 reproduces the content based on the authentication result of the bio personal ID.

Next, the distribution of the contents after the second time will be described. If the presence or absence of the license is checked in step S2, the bio individual ID and the machine ID are extracted from the license already stored in the personal computer (step S10). Then, the machine ID, which is a value unique to the personal computer, is acquired from the main body of the personal computer, and a comparison check with the machine ID recorded in the license is performed (step S11).

Here, if the comparison result is OK (if they match), the count value of the content reproduction counter is judged (step S12), and if the count value is less than 5 (count value <5). , 1 is added to the reproduction counter to reproduce the content. That is, in the case of the reproduction up to the fourth time, the machine I
If the authentication result of D is valid, the content is reproduced (step S19).

Next, in the determination of the reproduction counter in step S12, if the count value is 5 (count value = 5), the reproduction counter is cleared, that is, the reproduction counter is set to 0 (step S14), and the consumer 14 The consumer 14 is prompted to input bio-personal data such as a fingerprint, voiceprint, or iris, and the consumer 14 acquires the bio-personal data of the consumer 14 from the biometrics device 16 (step S15). Then, the bio personal ID extracted from the license in step S10 and step S1
The personal biometric data acquired in step 5 is transmitted to the biodata center 11 to make a data verification request (step S1).
6).

Then, the bio-data center 11 searches the database 13 by the received bio-personal ID, and if there is corresponding bio-personal data, step S is executed.
The bio personal data received in 16 is compared and collated. Here, if both bio-personal data match, OK,
When the bio personal data of both do not match, NG is returned to each consumer 14. That is, the bio-data center 11 performs data collation of bio-information based on the bio-personal ID and bio-personal data, and returns the collation result to the consumer 14 (step S17).

Then, the consumer 14 judges the collation result returned from the bio-data center 11 (step S18), and if the collation result is coincident (OK), reproduces the content (step S19), and collates the result. If does not match (NG), an error message is issued and the content is not reproduced (step S20). On the other hand, in step S11, the comparison result between the machine ID unique to the personal computer and the machine ID recorded in the license does not match (N
If G), in step S15, the bio-personal data of the consumer 14 is acquired, and the above-described step S1 is performed.
Similar to the steps from 6 onward, collation by bio individual ID is performed. In this way, when the verification by the machine ID is performed five times or when the machine IDs do not match in the middle, bio personal data is acquired again from the consumer 14 and authentication by the bio personal ID is performed.

Next, a concrete example of the content distribution authentication system of the present invention will be described. Figure 4
In the content distribution authentication system of the present invention, it is a conceptual diagram showing a flow of registration of bio-personal data and issuance of a license when the first reproduction is performed. First, in the first content reproduction, Mr. A, a consumer, takes in bio-information by the personal computer PC-X (step S21). At this time, bio personal data that is bio information of Mr. A is "BF983021234567", and the machine ID of the personal computer PC-X owned by Mr. A is "334455".

Next, Mr. A uses the personal computer PC-X for bio personal data "BF983021234567" and machine ID "33445.
When 5 "is transmitted to the biodata center (step S2
2) The data management system of the bio data center pays out the bio personal ID “123456” corresponding to the bio personal data “BF983021234567”, and the bio personal data “BF98
3021234567 ”and bio personal ID“ 123456 ”are associated and registered in the database. Furthermore, the bio data center registers bio personal ID“ 123456 ”on Mr. A's personal computer PC.
-X is returned (step S23).

Next, Mr. A is the acquired bio individual ID.
Personal computer PC-X with "123456" and machine ID "334455"
Request the issuance of the license by transmitting it to the provider (step S24). Then the DRM of the provider
Mr. A's personal computer PC-X by issuing a license that records bio individual ID "123456" and machine ID "334455"
To (step S25). As a result, Mr. A compares and collates the bio-personal ID “123456” owned by himself with the bio-personal ID “123456” recorded in the license, and since they match, the content is downloaded by the personal computer PC-X. Can be played back.

Next, the flow of the authentication operation of the content distribution authentication system when the content is reproduced for the second time and thereafter and when the copied content is reproduced on another personal computer will be described. FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing a flow of an authentication operation when the content is reproduced for the second time and thereafter and when the content is reproduced on another personal computer in the content distribution authentication system of the present invention.

First, in the second content reproduction,
Mr. A, who is a consumer, takes in bio-information by the personal computer PC-X (step S31). At this time, bio personal data, which is bio information of Mr. A, is "BF983021234567", which is a personal computer PC owned by Mr. A.
The machine ID of -X is "334455". Next, Mr. A uses the personal bio-data "BF983021234567" and the previously acquired bio personal ID "123456" on the personal computer PC-
Transmit from X to the biodata center (step S3)
2). Then, the data management system of the bio data center searches the database and
It is verified whether or not the 983021234567 ”and the bio personal ID“ 123456 ”correspond, and the verification result information indicating that the verification result is normal (OK) is transmitted to Mr. A's personal computer PC-X (step S33). This enables Mr. A to play the content on the personal computer PC-X.

Next, copy the contents and license downloaded by Mr. A on the personal computer PC-X with the machine ID "334455", and copy the machine ID "6677" owned by Mr. A.
Attempting to play the content on the 88 "personal computer PC-Y. Then, the license and the recorded content of the bio personal ID" 123456 "and the machine ID" 334455 "attached to the content are owned by Mr. A. It is sent to the personal computer PC-Y (step S34), where the player of the personal computer PC-Y is the machine I under license.
D is compared with the machine ID of the personal computer itself, but the machine ID of the personal computer PC-Y is "667788" and not "334455", so the content is rejected and bio information is taken in. Request.

As a result, Mr. A has a personal computer PC-Y.
Takes in his or her bio information, that is, bio personal data “BF983021234567” (step S35), and Mr. A sends the bio personal data “BF983021234567” and bio personal ID “123456” from the personal computer PC-Y to the bio data center. Yes (step S36).

Then, the data management system of the bio data center searches the database and verifies whether or not the bio personal data “BF983021234567” and the bio personal ID “123456” correspond, and the collation result is normal. (O
K) The collation result information indicating that it is A's personal computer PC-
It is transmitted to Y (step S37). As a result, Mr. A can download the contents from the personal computer PC-X.
Content can be reproduced by a personal computer PC-Y which is a personal computer different from the above.

Next, the flow of operations when Mr. B, who is different from Mr. A, illegally copies the contents and performs personal authentication will be described. FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing a flow of operations when a person who illegally copies content performs personal authentication in the content distribution authentication system of the present invention. Mr. B, who is different from Mr. A who downloaded the contents, tries to play the contents based on the contents and license copied from Mr. A's personal computer, using the personal computer PC-Z with the machine ID “994499” (step S41). At this time, the personal confirmation information recorded in the license acquired by Mr. B is Mr. A's own bio individual ID "123456" and machine ID "334455".

Next, Mr. B uses his / her personal computer PC-Z to obtain his / her bio information, that is, bio personal data “5656”.
5689898989 ”is fetched (step S42), and this bio personal data“ 56565689898989 ”and the bio personal ID“ 123456 ”obtained from the license are transmitted to the bio data center (step S43). , The database is searched to check whether or not the bio personal data “56565689898989” and the bio personal ID “123456” correspond, but what is the bio personal data “56565689898989” and bio personal ID “123456”? Since it does not correspond, the collation result information indicating that the collation result is a mismatch (NG) is transmitted to Mr. B's personal computer PC-Z (step S44). Content cannot be played back with Z.

[0043]

As described above, according to the content distribution authentication system of the present invention, in order to identify a user who uses a personal computer, a fingerprint, a voiceprint, an iris, or the like showing the physical characteristics of the user is displayed. It uses personal bio information. Therefore, a person who has purchased the content legally can freely reproduce the content from any computer, not limited to the downloaded computer. As a result, the environment in which the personal computer is used during content playback is expanded, and the usability is greatly improved. In addition, anyone other than the person who purchased the content cannot use any personal computer to play the content. Therefore, even if a third party illegally acquires the personal computer of the person who purchased the content legally, the content cannot be reproduced from the personal computer.

Further, according to the content distribution authentication system of the present invention, since the authentication is performed by using the machine ID unique to the personal computer, the bio information of the individual should be registered when the content is first reproduced. , When playing on the same personal computer, each time it is played back, it is possible to authenticate by machine ID without performing personal authentication by bio information.
It is possible to reduce the burden on the personal computer user of importing bio-information. However, in order to ensure the accuracy of the certification,
It is desirable that biometric authentication is performed once every several times of machine ID authentication.

Further, since the bio-personal data is data relating to individual characteristics such as fingerprints, voiceprints and iris, it cannot be dealt with if it is used outside. Therefore, in order to ensure the safety of the distribution of bio information, the bio personal data is converted into a unique bio personal ID and distributed as bio information. With such a bio-individual ID, even if it is leaked to the outside, it can be replaced with another code number, so that it is possible to prevent the danger from spreading.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a flow of operations of a content distribution authentication system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing functions of a content distribution authentication system according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation flow of the content distribution authentication system in the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing a flow of registration of bio-personal data and issuance of a license when the initial reproduction is performed in the content distribution authentication system of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing a flow of an authentication operation when the content is reproduced for the second time and thereafter and when the content is reproduced on another personal computer in the content distribution authentication system of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing a flow of operations when a person who illegally copies content performs personal authentication in the content distribution authentication system of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram of a conventional content distribution authentication system.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... home, 2 ... company, 3 ... provider, 11 ... bio data center, 12 ... data management system, 13 ... database, 14 ... consumer, 15 ... player, 16 ...
Biometrics device, 17 ... Provider, 18 ... DR
M (Digital Rights Management)

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. In a content distribution authentication system that authenticates the legitimacy of reproducing a content and decides whether or not to reproduce the content, bioinformation indicating a physical characteristic of a user who reproduces the content is input, Content reproduction means for reproducing the content when the legitimacy of reproduction is authenticated, and bio-information management means for storing the bio-information acquired from the content reproduction means and transmitting the bio-information to the content reproduction means. And a content distribution means for distributing a license including bio-information specifying a user to a content reproduction means for reproducing the content. 2. The bio information transmitted by the bio information management means to the content reproduction means is a bio personal ID replaced with a unique code, and the content distribution means reproduces the content based on the bio personal ID. The content distribution authentication system according to claim 1, wherein a user who performs the operation is specified. 3. The content reproduction means comprises a unique machine ID, and the content distribution means specifies a user who reproduces the content by using the bio-personal ID and the machine ID together. The content distribution authentication system according to claim 2. 4. A content distribution authentication method for authenticating the legitimacy of reproducing a content and determining whether or not the content can be reproduced, wherein bio-information indicating the physical characteristics of the user from the content reproducing means for reproducing the content. A procedure for inputting the bio information, a bio information management means for managing the bio information receiving and storing the bio information from the content reproducing means, a procedure for transmitting the bio information to the content reproducing means, and distributing the content. A content distribution authenticating method, comprising: a content distribution unit distributing a license including bio-information specifying a user to a content reproducing unit that intends to reproduce the content. 5. The bio-information transmitted by the bio-information management means to the content reproduction means is a bio-personal ID replaced with a unique code, and the content distribution means reproduces the content based on the bio-personal ID. The content delivery authentication method according to claim 4, wherein a user who performs the operation is specified. 6. The content reproduction means includes a unique machine ID, and the content distribution means specifies a user who reproduces the content by using the bio-personal ID and the machine ID together. The content distribution authentication method according to claim 5. 7. A program for causing a computer to execute a content distribution authentication method for authenticating the legitimacy of content reproduction and determining whether or not the content can be reproduced, wherein the content reproduction means for reproducing the content changes the content from the user's body. Of inputting bio-information indicating a physical characteristic, and a step of transmitting the bio-information to the content reproduction means while the bio-information management means for managing the bio-information receives and stores the bio-information from the content reproduction means. And a program for causing a computer to execute a procedure in which a content distribution unit that distributes content distributes a license including bio information that identifies a user to a content reproduction unit that reproduces the content. 8. The bio-information sent by the bio-information management means to the content reproduction means is a bio-personal ID replaced with a unique code, and the content distribution means reproduces the content based on the bio-personal ID. The program according to claim 7, characterized in that a user who performs the operation is specified. 9. The content reproduction means includes a unique machine ID, and the content distribution means specifies a user who reproduces the content by using the bio-personal ID and the machine ID together. The program according to claim 8. 10. A computer-readable recording medium storing a program for executing a content distribution authentication method for authenticating the legitimacy of reproducing a content and determining whether or not the content can be reproduced. A procedure for inputting bio-information indicating the physical characteristics of the user from the content reproduction means, and a bio-information management means for managing the bio-information receives and stores the bio-information from the content reproduction means, and the bio-information To the content reproduction means, and the content distribution means for distributing the content distributes the license including the bio-information specifying the user to the content reproduction means for reproducing the content. Computer readable code that records the program to execute Recording medium. 11. The bio-information transmitted by the bio-information management means to the content reproduction means is a bio-personal ID replaced with a unique code, and the content distribution means reproduces the content based on the bio-personal ID. The recording medium according to claim 10, wherein a user who performs the operation is specified. 12. The content reproducing means comprises a unique machine ID, and the content distributing means specifies a user who reproduces the content by using the bio-personal ID and the machine ID together. Claim 11
The recording medium described in.