Content provision, distribution, registration, management, and reproduction

A content registration/management system comprising:

• content registration request reception means, for receiving a request for content registration from a content provider that provides content;
• identifier provision means, for setting an identifier, based on said request that is received, to be added to said content that is to be provided a user terminal, and for providing said identifier to a content provider;
• and
• a content ledger database, for storing information related to said identifier provided said content provider.

An advertisement distribution management system, which is connected to a user terminal connected to a network and which manages the distribution of an advertisement to a user terminal, comprising:

• an advertisement ledger database, for the storage therein of a list to which content used as an advertisement medium and information concerning an advertisement distribution site for disseminating said advertisement when said content is reproduced;
• reception means, for receiving a content ID output by said user terminal when said content is reproduced;
• search means, for performing a search, based on said content ID, of said advertisement ledger database for said predetermined advertisement distribution site;
• and
• notification means, for issuing to said advertisement distribution site, when found, an advertisement distribution request.

A content provider system, which is connected to a user terminal via a network and which provides a content for said user terminal, comprising:

• storage means, for storing pertinent content and a corresponding content ID for identifying said pertinent content;
• reception means, for receiving a content download request from said user terminal;
• and
• content provision means, for reading, based on said content downloading request, said pertinent content and said corresponding content ID from said storage means, and for providing for said user terminal said pertinent content and said content ID.

A user terminal comprising:

• content reproduction means, for reproducing content wherein a content ID has been embedded;
• detection means, for detecting said embedded content ID when said content is to be reproduced;
• notification means, for transmitting said detected content ID to a predetermined server via a network;
• and
• additional information reception means for receiving from a predetermined additional information distribution site, via a network, additional information corresponding to said content ID.

An advertisement distributer system comprising:

• registration request output means, for outputting an advertisement registration request to an agent server system that manages an identifier included in predetermined content;
• address information reception means, for receiving address information for a user terminal that reproduces content;
• and
• advertisement data distribution means, for distributing advertisement data that is output to said user terminal for content reproduction.

A content reproduction program that permits a computer, for reproduction of content in which a content ID is embedded, to perform:

• a function for detecting said content ID embedded in said content;
• a function for transmitting said content ID via a network;
• and
• a function for, before content reproduction, outputting advertisement data, based on said content ID, that has been received via said network.

A storage medium on which a computer stores a computer-readable program that permits said computer to perform:

• a process for, before content reproduction, detecting said content ID embedded in said content;
• a process for transmitting said content ID via a network;
• and
• a process for outputting additional information, based on said content ID, that are received via a network, while interacting with said content reproduction.

An additional information distribution method comprising the steps of:

• providing an identifier for digital content to identify said digital content;
• detecting said identifier before reproduction of said digital content to which said identifier is added;
• transmitting said detected identifier, together with user terminal information, to a network;
• and
• distributing predetermined additional information to said user terminal based on said identifier that is transmitted.

A content distribution system comprising:

• a content provider system, for providing for a user terminal a content to which an identifier has been added;
• a user terminal, for receiving said content, via a network, from said content provider system, and for identifying and outputting, to said network, said identifier added to said content;
• and
• an content provider system, for the distribution to said user terminal, based on said identifier output by said user terminal, of predetermined content via said network.