To markedly prevent unauthorized utilization of content data.

This special firmware FW generates an appliance identifier test value VM and a right information test value VR on the basis of: appliances identifier ID1 stored in a ROM2 of a content reproducing apparatus 1; and right information INF stored in a data storage medium 8 of the content reproducing apparatus 1, and makes the content reproducing apparatus 1 execute test value generation storage processing to store the generated appliance identifier test value VM and the right information test value VR in nonvolatile memory 4 of the content reproducing apparatus 1. When a manufacturing company identified by an organization identifier ID2 embedded in the special firmware FW and a manufacturing company identified by the organization identifier ID2 stored in a ROM2 of the content reproducing apparatus 1 are not matched, this test value generation storage processing is not allowed to be performed by the content reproducing apparatus 1.

COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI