Patent ID: 7814120

Claim:
A list management server for adding or deleting an information provider terminal, which is monitored by a receiver terminal, in a buddy list that is used to distribute information from said information provider terminal to said receiver terminal, based on an updating request sent through a communication link from a third party terminal which is different from both said receiver terminal and an administrator terminal of an administrator of said buddy list, said server comprising: a list storage unit for storing said buddy list; and a controller for accepting said updating request from said third party terminal and identifying information for identifying a user of said third party terminal, determining whether said user has an updating authority to update said buddy list or not, using said identifying information, and, if said controller judges that said user has an updating authority to update said buddy list, permitting said third party terminal to add or delete said information provider terminal in or from said buddy list, said controller comprising: an authority storage unit for storing specifying information for specifying an authority holder that has an updating authority for updating the buddy list stored in said list storage unit, wherein said authority storage unit stores first specifying information indicating whether each user that is capable of using said list management server has the updating authority for updating said buddy list, second specifying information for specifying an authority holder having an updating authority for updating each of buddy lists, and third specifying information for specifying an authority holder having an updating authority for updating each of information provider terminals indicated by said buddy list; and an updating permission unit for accepting said updating request and said identifying information from said third party terminal, determining whether said user has said updating authority or not based on said identifying information and the specifying information stored in said authority storage unit, and permitting said third party terminal to add or delete said information provider terminal in or from said buddy list if said updating permission unit judges that said user has said updating authority, wherein said updating permission unit selects either one of said first specifying information, said second specifying information, and said third specifying information depending on said updating request from said third party terminal.