Patent ID: 8341618

Claim:
An information processing apparatus comprising: a user computer configured to obtain a list of modules from a module-storing region, a module identified in said list of modules being software; and a center computer configured to generate location information identifying said module-storing region from a list of a plurality of module-storing regions, wherein said user computer obtains said list of the plurality of module-storing regions from said center computer, wherein said user computer obtains a list of new modules from said module-storing region when said list of new modules is absent from said user computer, said list of new modules being identified in said list of modules by said user computer comparing said list of modules and modules currently being installed in said user computer, wherein said module-storing region is one of the plurality of the module-storing regions, wherein said location information is recorded within said list of the plurality of module-storing regions, wherein said user computer communicates with said module-storing region and said center computer over a network, said center computer communicating with said module-storing region over said network, wherein said user computer sends user identification information onto said network, said user identification information identifying said user computer, wherein said center computer compiles said list of the plurality of module-storing regions when said user computer is judged as having a license, said center computer using said user identification information in judging whether said user computer has said license, and wherein said location information corresponds to each of the plurality of module-storing regions, said each of the plurality of module-storing regions being linked to said user identification information.