Patent ID: 8335849

Claim:
A terminal apparatus in a communication system including a plurality of terminal apparatuses and being configured to perform transmission and reception of content information between the terminal apparatuses via a network, the terminal apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory, the memory storing an information processing program that when executed causes the at least one processor and at least one memory to function as: a content acquisition unit which is configured to acquire content information from another apparatus via the network; a content storage unit which is configured to store the content information acquired by the content acquisition unit; a content transmission unit which is configured to transmit the content information stored in the content storage unit to another terminal apparatus capable of transmitting/receiving the content information in response to a request from said another terminal apparatus via the network; and a control unit which is configured to, when acquisition processing of the content information starts, execute acquisition permission determination processing of the content information to determine an availability number, based on a time counter, the number of terminal apparatuses requesting the content information and the number of terminal apparatuses capable of transmitting the content information, which permits the acquisition of the content information, wherein if the availability number is less than a predetermined number, the control unit increments the time counter by a predetermined period and continues the acquisition permission determination processing, the availability number being increased along with a lapse of time from starting of the acquisition processing of the content information for every predetermined period, and if the availability number is equal to or greater than the predetermined number, the control unit allows the acquisition of the content information, and the content acquisition unit is configured to, when the control unit allows the acquisition of the content information based on the determined availability number, acquire the content information from another terminal apparatus capable of transmitting/receiving the content information.