US Patent 7409063 Contents distribution system

A digital contents distribution system has a multi-layered structure including a server device (CS device) of one or a small number of managers which are each to be a manager main body, a plurality of server devices (DS devices) of middle managers, and client terminal devices (SC terminal devices) of a large number of users. Accesses from the respective users are processed in the server devices of respective ones of the middle managers. It is therefore possible to prevent an inconvenience in which the accesses from a large number of users concentrate on the CS device of the manager. As a result, it is possible to reduce the load imposed on the CS device, and to perform a smooth distribution service of digital contents.