DATA DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM, DATA DISTRIBUTION APPARATUS, DATA DISTRIBUTION METHOD, AND PROGRAM THEREOF

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a data distribution system etc. which provides information about the existence and content of a right in a form easy to be used by a user and let every user well-know about the information. SOLUTION: In this system, a patent information storing server 1 stores patent information which explains an invention. When a terminal 3-k for an employee acquires data which specifies retrieval conditions and supplies them to the patent information storing server 1 through a relay server 2 for an enterprise, the patent information storing server 1 retrieves patent information matching the conditions and returns the retrieval result to the terminal 3-k for the employee. When the terminal 3-k for the employee acquires patent information and its use form and supplies them to the patent information storing server 1, the patent information storing server 1 retrieves the corresponding patent information and returns it to the terminal 3-k for the employee. If the use form is browsing on a display screen, advertisements are also returned. The terminal 3-k for the employee displays on the display screen or prints the returned information according to the data indicating the use form. COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI