INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS AND METHOD THEREFOR

A table is generated in which content information for digital contents and the relation between the digital contents are registered. A request message indicating a content identifier and data range of a requested digital content is received. A determination is made regarding the presence of a digital content corresponding to the requested digital content based on the table and the content identifier indicated by the request message, and a determination is made regarding a data range based on the table and the data range indicated by the request message. Based on the results of the determinations, the content identifier and data range of the digital content corresponding to the data range indicated by the request message are decided by referring to the table. A message to the request message is transmitted based on the determinations and the decision.