Distinguishing between live and recorded content in a network comprising a rendering device, an access device, and a storage device. The rendering device broadcasts a message requesting devices in the network to respond if they diffuse a content, and sets a timer. The devices respond if they diffuse the content. The rendering device then determines that the content is: live, if it has received a response from the access device; recorded, if it has received a response from the storage device, but not from the access device; and illegal, if it has not received a response before time-out of the timer. There is further a “still live delay” after diffusion of the content during which the access device responds that it is diffusing the content, and following which it may send a content release message to the storage device that may then respond to request messages.