Patent ID: 8401909

Claim:
A content distribution system including a user terminal programmed to be operated by a user and a server programmed to transmit data to or receive data from the user terminal, the user terminal comprising a specific information obtaining unit programmed to obtain user-specific information that specifies the user; wherein the user terminal further comprises: a content storing unit programmed to store a content with which permitted-user information indicative of a user permitted to use the content is associated; a status determining unit programmed to determine that a user corresponding to the user-specific information is permitted to use the content in a case where the user-specific information and the permitted-user information has a predetermined relation, and that the user is not permitted to use the content in a case where the user-specific information and the permitted-user information does not have the predetermined relation; a content processing unit programmed to execute a process using the content in a case where it is determined by the status determining unit that the use is permitted; a permission process requesting unit programmed to, in a case where the status determining unit determines that the use is not permitted, transmit to the server the user-specific information obtained by the specific information obtaining unit and the permitted-user information associated with the content; and a change processing unit programmed to, when new permitted-user information is obtained from the server, change the permitted-user information associated with the content to the new permitted-user information, and the server comprises: a user-related information generating unit programmed to generate and store user-related information in which the user-specific information transmitted from the user terminal is set to a distribution destination and the permitted-user information is set to a distributor; and a new permitted-user information generating unit programmed to generate and provide to the user terminal, the new permitted-user information so as to have the predetermined relation with the user-specific information transmitted from the user terminal.