Patent ID: 7809742

Claim:
A managing apparatus configured to manage contents that are possessed by one or more devices in a system, said managing apparatus comprising: a first search unit; a determination unit; and an update unit, wherein to each content is attached attendant information having a first area in which a device that possesses the content in question records first identification information for uniquely identifying the content on the device and a second area in which the managing apparatus records second identification information for uniquely identifying the content in the system and the first identification information that is recorded in the first area, said first search unit being configured to, upon receipt of a notification from a device, which indicates an occurrence of a change in a content list that is managed by the device, search for a content for which the first identification information that is recorded in the first area and the second area, respectively, of the attendant information are different, from among contents that are possessed by the device in question; said determination unit being configured to determine whether or not the second identification information that is recorded in the second area of the attendant information of the content that is searched for and retrieved by said first search unit is unique among contents in the system; and said update unit being configured to, when said determination unit determines that the second identification information of the attendant information of the content that is retrieved is not unique, update the first identification information that is recorded in the second area of the attendant information with the first identification information that is recorded in the first area of the attendant information, and update the second identification information to identification information that is unique in the system, and when said determination unit determines that the second identification information of the attendant information of the content that is retrieved is unique, update the first identification information that is recorded in the second area of the attendant information with the first identification information that is recorded in the first area of the attendant information without updating the second identification information recorded in the second area, wherein the first identification information of the content is recorded in the first area by the device when the content is newly registered in the device or copied or moved from another device into the device, and wherein the first identification information and the second identification information of the content are recorded in the second area by said managing apparatus when the content is newly registered in the device or copied or moved from another device into the device.