Patent ID: 7406541

Claim:
An accounting method for use in accounting information distribution in a packet communication network in which information is distributed by packets between a server of an information service provider and a plurality of terminals of users by way of the packet communication network, said accounting method comprising the steps of: amending a specific accounting of numbers of transmitted and received packets in said packet communication network with accounting amendment information based on the distributed information; and deciding an account to be charged to said information service provider and to said users, based on the amended specific accounting; determining whether any unsolicited advertisements are included in the number of transmitted and received packets, and counting a number of packets corresponding to the unsolicited advertisements; and deciding an account for a supplier of the unsolicited advertisements based on at least a protocol used in the packets corresponding to the unsolicited advertisements, wherein said accounting amendment information is determined based on a combination of a kind, a use, and a protocol of said distributed information.