Patent ID: 7275261

Claim:
A method executed in a computer system for monitoring a utilization condition of contents, wherein said computer system is provided on a network to which a user terminal is allowed to connect, said user terminal carrying out information processing by utilizing said contents, comprising the steps of: equipping information gathering means on the network; registering authentication information on a database; embedding digital information in said contents, said digital information itself causing said user terminal to automatically transmit a contents utilizing history indicating a utilizing condition of the contents to said information gathering means at a predetermined timing; distributing said contents to said user terminal, wherein said user terminal includes a memory medium in which authentication information identical to said registered authentication information is included, and wherein said terminal is authenticated by said authentication information in the memory medium; gathering, according to the digital information included in the distributed contents, said contents utilizing history via said information gathering means which is automatically transmitted from the user terminal; recording the gathered contents utilizing history, in correspondence with said registered authentication information, in the database; and creating utilizing information indicating how much the particular content is utilized, based on recorded data in the database.