At least one kind of control signal concerning control of contents, added
to specific locations inside contents data, is detected as first control
information, and at the same time, at least one kind of control
information concerning control of contents, embedded inside the contents
data by a digital watermark, is detected as second control information.
Consistency between the first control information as detected, and the
second control information as detected is determined and on the basis of
results of the determination, the control of the contents is executed.
Thus, it is possible to reduce a possibility of the contents being
improperly copied, thereby enabling the control with assurance of still
higher safety.