Patent ID: 7225165

Claim:
A license-issuing system which issues an electronic license for certifying that usage of digital contents is permitted to a specific user, the digital contents being provided by at least one of a provider and a seller, the system comprising: verification information generation means for generating information for verification from a license-issuing center, the license-issuing center being independent from the at least one of the provider and the seller, the information for verification required to verify legitimacy of an electronic license; verification information output means for outputting the information for verification generated by the verification information generation means; license generation means which receives information to specify information for verification and generates the electronic license from the license-issuing center, the electronic license able to be verified by the information for verification specified by the received information; and license output means for outputting the electronic license generated by the license generation means, wherein information to specify an intermediator of the issuance of the electronic license and an agreement for certifying that the intermediation of the issuance of the electronic license corresponding to the specified information for verification is allowed to the specified intermediator are input to the license generation means together with the information to specify information for verification, and it is checked by the agreement whether or not the intermediation of the issuance of the electronic license corresponding to the information for verification is allowed to the intermediator and only in the case the intermediation is allowed, the electronic license is generated.