Patent ID: 8032921

Claim:
A Non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing an access rights management program for managing access rights to an electronic document, the access rights management program causing a computer to execute a process comprising: storing a first access policy containing information on a first distributee to which the electronic document is distributed, and information on second distributees to which the first distributee is permitted to distribute the electronic document, as well as information on use rights that permit the second distributees to use the electronic document with a defined scope of authority; storing distribution target information indicative of the second distributees; confirming, in response to a distributee specifying request from the first distributee which requests permission to grant the use rights to a specific distributee that the first distributee has selected based on the information on the second distributees which is contained in the first access policy, whether the specific distributee is included in the second distributees, by referring to the distribution target information; registering a second access policy that the first distributee has set for the specific distributee by further limiting the use rights granted to the second distributees in the first access policy, when said confirming has confirmed that the specific distributee is included in the second distributees; and permitting, with reference to the second access policy, the specific distributee to use the electronic document using the use rights, when a use request for permission of use of the electronic document is received from the specific distributee.