PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technology of realizing the confidentiality of design data while suppressing complication of work to be performed by a designer or the like.SOLUTION: Design data represents a deposition and shape of each cell such as a contact 63, polysilicon 64, or wiring 65. Accordingly, when the contents of at least one of the disposition and shape of a cell selected from among cells are manipulated, a relationship of association between cells cannot be grasped or becomes hard to be grasped. By utilizing this fact, encryption is achieved by manipulating the contents of at least one of the disposition and shape of a cell without modifying the format of the design data.
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