Communications system and method, information processing apparatus and method, information management apparatus and method, recording medium and program

An information processing apparatus comprising:

• a processor programmed to execute instructions comprising:
• requesting, via a network, playing of content from a playing position represented by a time stamp;
• and
• playing said content from said playing position represented by said time stamp in accordance with a response to the requesting of the playing of said content from said playing position represented by said time stamp,
• wherein the response is based on a result of judging whether the play of said content from said playing position represented by said time stamp is allowed based on access right information and identification information stored in association with the time stamp, wherein the identification information includes user identification information allotted to each user and user group identification information allotted to each user group, wherein the access right information includes information indicating whether confirmations, by user identification information and user group identification information, of an access right to said playing position of the content represented by said time stamp are necessary,
• wherein the judging includes determining whether a confirmation of an access right by user group identification information is necessary (i) in a case where a determination is that user information identification transmitted with the request for the playing of said content from said playing position represented by said time stamp does not match the user identification information stored in association with the time stamp and (ii) in a case where a determination is that a confirmation of an access right by user identification information is not necessary, and
• wherein said information processing apparatus is to connect via said network to another information processing apparatus, said playing position represented by said time stamp corresponds to a stopped position whereat a user requested that said content be stopped by use of one of said information processing apparatus and said another information processing apparatus.