CONTENT-DISTRIBUTION METHOD, CONTENT-DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM, CONTENT-DISTRIBUTION DEVICE, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To sell contents without imposing a large load on a content-distribution server.;SOLUTION: A content-distribution firm distributes encoded content to the terminals 1 of a prescribed number of primary users from a content-distribution server 6. The terminals 1 of the primary users acquire a decoding key from a key-issuing server 7, decode the encoded content and output it. The primary users distribute the encoded content to distribution destination users such friends or the like. The terminals 1 of the distribution destination users acquire the decoding key from the key-issuing server 7, decode the encoded content and then output it. Other users who want to acquire the content refer to a content distribution destination list, which a Web server 5 opens to the public, through the terminals 1, and request users, who store the content, to transmit the content. The users who acquire the encoded content acquire the decoding key from the key-issuing server 7 through their own terminals 1. Charging to each user is made when the decoding key is transmitted from the key-issuing server 7.;COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT