2. Users (subscribers) to Publishing Member A select hypertext links via any WWW browser which uses HTML 2.0 standards. The URL request is transmitted over the net as an http request. If the request is to information at any Clickshare(sm)-enabled location OTHER THAN the user's home base, the remote Publishing Member authenticates the user with the Clickhshare(sm) Authentication and Transaction Settlement Service. Following succesful authentication, user freely accesses (and may purchase) information.
3. Authentication queries and replies between the Publishing Member's Clickshare(sm)-enhanced server and the Clickshare "back end" Authentication and Transaction Settlement Service are private-key encrypted. Micro-transaction settlement data, and advertiser third-party log validation (tracked by individual users) is also passed in this fashion. No credit-card information is passed across this link at any time.
4. Royalties for content sales due to the copyright-owning Publishing Member and "referral commissions" due to the User's home-base Publishing Member are settled at least monthly among the entire Clickshare(sm) Publishing System membership. Clickshare's operator, Newshare Corp., retains a transaction fee on each sale.
5. An off-net database of completed micro-transactions and usage tracking is assembled in real time by the Clickshare backend and is used to supply consumer users with a report of their account once every 24 hours upon request. It is also used to assemble and supply billing information to Publishing Members (or their designee) and advertising third-party tracking data. This database NEVER contains names of consumer users. Names are held ONLY by the Publishing Member who enrolls the user/subscriber.
Newshare and Clickshare are service marks of Clickshare Corp.
Copyright, 1996, Clickshare Corp. All rights reserved.