To automatically manage payment of charge produced between an apparatus manufacturer
and an information provider, and to promote sales of an information processing
apparatus and information contents.
There are provided: a terminal device 11 to managed so as to manufacture
and manage an information processing apparatus 16 and so as to sell to a
user 14 an information processing apparatus at a price lower than a desired
sales price of an apparatus manufacturer 15; a terminal device 12 managed
so as to provide to the user 14 available information contents 18 at
the information processing apparatus 16, and then, collect charge; and a
sales activity management apparatus 13 for managing the terminal devices
11 and 12 based on a license agreement made in advance between an
apparatus manufacturer 15 and an information provider 17, wherein
this sales activity management apparatus 13 issues an instruction for the
terminal device 12 to return to the terminal device 11 an amount
of money corresponding to a difference produced because the apparatus manufacturer
15 has provided the information processing apparatus 16 to the user
14 at a low price according to an amount of money for a charge collected
from the user 14.
