Patent ID: 8307201

Claim:
An information processing system, comprising: a service providing apparatus; and a plurality of information processing apparatuses connected to said service providing apparatus via a first network which is public, wherein the plurality of information processing apparatuses include first and second information processing apparatuses of respective first and second users, wherein said service providing apparatus includes authentication means for authenticating the connection of said service providing apparatus to said first information processing apparatus, via said first network, on the basis of identification information sent from said first information processing apparatus; providing means for providing a private virtual space service to the first information processing apparatus of the first user; sharing means for making the second information processing apparatus of the second user share said private virtual space service being provided to said first information processing apparatus of said first user; and common-use means for providing common use of streaming content data, held in an electronic device connected to a second network, among the first and second information processing apparatuses; when the streaming content data is being provided to the private virtual space provided to the first information processing apparatus of the first user in response to a request for the streaming content data from the first information processing apparatus of the first user, the streaming content data is provided to the second information processing apparatus only when the second information processing apparatus shares the private virtual space provided to the first information processing apparatus of the first user, the streaming content data being selected by the first user from a plurality of different content data and being separate from data representing the private virtual space; the common-use means notifies the second information processing apparatus of the request for the streaming content data by the first information processing apparatus; and the second information processing apparatus requests the same streaming content data from the electronic apparatus in response to the notification from the common-use means.