methods of and information recording devices for recording and / or inhibiting recording of a signal including copy bits on a record carrier , and a record carrier including that signal . the signal has successive information frames including main data and subcode data . the subcode data of the information frames make up successive subcode frames having copy bits with logic values which alternate among the subcode frames in accordance with a predetermined pattern . each subcode frame has at least one copy bit . in one of the embodiments , the signal is received and a determination is made whether to inhibit its recording on the basis of the predetermined pattern exhibited by the logic values of the copy bits contained in the subcode frames . in another embodiment the subcode frames are replaced by substitute subcode frames having copy bits with logic values which alternate among the substitute subcode frames in accordance with a selected pattern prior to recording of the signal . the predetermined and selected patterns are indicative of a particular characteristic of the main data .