Method with arrangement for reproducing media data with a
control function controlled by the reproduced file for accessing the
reproduction via a
reproduction device with A) codes of reference addresses contained in the reproduced file, which designate sections of the file and their lengths from which points in the file can be selected for playback, B) an
access control for the playback device corresponding to the encoding of the file, C) a blocking function which allows the
reproduction of the file by the said encodings only in extracts or parts of the file influenced by the encodings; characterized in that i. a non-volatile
data memory is provided in the playback device which, for each part of the file which is played back from a section which is played back for the first time, stores a file entry belonging to the played back section, which refers to the coding of reference addresses to the sections of the file and their length information mentioned in
paragraph A) in the played back file, which is no longer immediately erasable by the user without further aids, permanently (i.e. even when the device is switched off), ii. and that by summing the lengths of the file as they correspond to the file entries stored in the non-volatile
data memory for the reference addresses and their length information, the reproduction of the file beyond a total length limited by a predetermined limit is prevented in accordance with the sum formed by this summation.