Patent ID: 6912514

Claim:
A content distribution system including at least one distribution server for distributing digital contents via a network in response to requests from user terminals, said content distribution system comprising: a reference server operable to hold at least one piece of location information showing a location of a distribution server on the network, and to transmit one piece of location information to one of the user terminals in response to a user request, wherein each distribution server includes: a determining unit operable to determine, when said respective distribution server is accessed by one of the user terminals, whether the user terminal has connected to said respective distribution server using one of the at least one pieces of location information received from said reference server as a connection target; a generating unit operable to generate; (1) a piece of first payment information instructing the user terminal to pay a purchase fee to said respective distribution server, when the user terminal is determined to have connected without receiving the piece of location information from said reference server, and (2) a piece of second payment information instructing the user terminal to pay a purchase fee to both said respective distribution server and said reference server, when the user terminal is determined to have connected using the piece of location information received from said reference server; and a transmitting unit operable to transmit (a) one of the generated pieces of first and second payment information and (b) a digital content to the user terminal, the piece of first payment information instructs the user terminal to pay all of a purchase fee for playback rights of the digital content to said respective distribution server; and the piece of second payment information instructs the user terminal to pay a% of the purchase fee for playback rights of the digital content to said reference server, and (100−a)% to said respective distribution server.