To simplify the operation required for shifting a plurality of electronic equipment such as television receiver, recording and reproducing device into a mode to restrict their operations.

Whether a condition for shifting to a function restriction mode (child lock mode, V chip restriction mode or parental restriction mode) and a condition for cancel are established or not (S102, S103, S107, S108) and in accordance with a result of the detection, shifting to the function restriction mode and the cancel thereof are switched (S104, S109). Furthermore, transmission (S106) of a command instructing the other electronic equipment to shift to the function restriction mode or transmission (S111) of a command instructing the cancel thereof is executed via a CEC line of an HDMI interface and the system is simultaneously shifted to the function restriction mode as a whole or it is canceled.