To provide a document management system and a document management method which can decide a relative relation between a plurality of documents copied by using genotypic document ID, and perform the distributed decision or management of a copy route.

This document management system executes document management in various configurations by adding genotypic ID changing each time a document is copied to the document, that is, the management of the copy or distribution of paper documents, the management of the copy or distribution of an electronic document, the inter-document access management of a multimedia presentation document (MM-Handler document), the management (copyright management) of the copy or distribution of electronic data (e.g. still image, music, moving image), the management of the insurance, authentication or security of originality, the reception management of an electronic mail, the traffic management of a network, and the access management of a network game or the like.