An information processing apparatus that enables management of copyrighted content to which identification information is not added. An arithmetical unit computes a hash value based on data from a portion of the content data recorded in a mini-disk (MD), and transmits the value from an input/output unit to a personal computer. Based on the hash value, the personal computer identifies the content recorded in the MD, and performs management procedures based on the display information of check-in and checkout of the content. The information processing apparatus can also be applied to personal computers.