INFORMATION UTILIZATION CONTROLLING METHOD AND DEVICE AND RECORDING MEDIUM OF PROGRAM

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for controlling the information utilization by which the control of utilization of content with respect to each terminal is combined with the control of utilization of content with respect to a group. SOLUTION: A utilization control identifier having a hierarchical structure is granted to a terminal of a user. The user's terminal sends the utilization control identifier to a content providing terminal and the utilization hierarchy range of the utilization control identifier to the content providing terminal. The content providing terminal transforms the content required by the user's terminal by using the utilization control identifier within the utilization hierarchy range and sends the transformed content to the user's terminal. The user's terminal saves the transformed content and the user's terminal having a utilization controlling identifier which is identical with the utilization control identifier within the utilization hierarchy range restores the transformed content to its original shape by using the utilization control identifier within the utilization hierarchy range.