PUBLICATION CONFIRMING METHOD, PUBLICATION INFORMATION ACQUISITION APPARATUS, PUBLICATION INFORMATION PROVIDING APPARATUS AND DATABASE

A publication information acquisition apparatus used by a user of a service converts information extracted from a newspaper into electronic information and transmits the electronic information to a publication information providing apparatus. The publication information providing apparatus decodes the electronic information, acquires key information for searching for characters and/or an image from the decoded electronic information, and searches newspaper information in a database based on the key information. The publication information providing apparatus acquires the name of a newspaper and the date of issue thereof as confirmation information and transmits the confirmation information to the publication information acquisition apparatus. It is therefore possible to easily know from which newspaper the extraction is acquired and when the newspaper was issued.