To reduce the communication volume over a network of information related to authority transfer to shorten the communication time and to prevent leakage of authority transfer information.

In distributed object circumstances where objects are distributedly arranged on a computer network, a server 21 constituting the computer network inquires of a remotely placed client 11 (connected through a remote line 10) about information related to access authority transfer. The client 11 returns reference information to an agent 31, which holds information related access authority transfer, instead of information related to access authority transfer. The server 21 uses reference information to inquire of an agent 31, which is placed on the same network (local line 30), about information related to access authority transfer and obtains information related to access authority transfer from the agent 31.