Patent ID: 8086537

Claim:
A server apparatus operating a content sale site for selling a digital content and connecting communicably via a communication network to a client apparatus which may purchase a digital content for use in an electronic music apparatus, the server apparatus comprising: a communicating section communicable with the client apparatus for receiving therefrom order information specifying a digital content to be purchased, and machine ID information designating machine IDs of electronic music apparatuses which are intended to use the specified digital content; a licensing section that embeds the received machine ID information in the digital content specified by the client apparatus so as to license the specified digital content to the electronic music apparatuses designated by the client apparatus; a providing section that provides the digital content embedded with the machine ID information to the client apparatus such that the provided digital content is made available exclusively by the designated electronic musical apparatuses according to the embedded machine ID information; a charging section that charges the client apparatus for the specified digital content provided to the client apparatus; and a registering section that registers the embedded machine ID information in connection with the specified digital content, wherein the communicating section receives from the client apparatus new order information specifying the same digital content accompanied by new machine ID information designating machine IDs, wherein the charging section compares the machine ID contained in the new machine ID information with the machine IDs contained in the registered machine ID information to determine whether the machine IDs contained in the new machine ID information overlap with the machine IDs contained in the registered machine ID information, wherein the charging section reduces a charge to the client apparatus in response to determining that the machine IDs contained in the new machine ID information overlap with the machine IDs contained in the registered machine ID information, and wherein the charging section subtracts an amount already charged in association with the registered machine ID information from a charge computed for the new order information.