iCopyright Launches iCopyright Publisher Central

Posted on July 3, 2001

iCopyright has announced the release of iCopyright Publisher Central, a suite of Web-based tools and services that enables publishers to implement the iCopyright's clearance service themselves, as well as manage their online licensing and reprints business. Competitors of iCopright, include the Copyright Clearance Center's Rightslink service.

``This is a landmark day for iCopyright. With the release of iCopyright Publisher Central, we give publishers of all sizes the tools they need to make the most of their content licensing business with online convenience,'' said Mike O'Donnell, iCopyright CEO. ``They can do it all from their Web browser -- sign up for the Instant Clearance Service, implement it on their website, set prices and policies, track activity, and then make business decisions based upon that activity to optimize revenues.''

The initial rates for the service are $99, until September 1, 2001. The discounted monthly subscription to Publisher Central is $29.95. After September 1, the activation fee will be $495 and the monthly subscription fee will be $49.95. iCopyright also earns 50 percent of the revenues it generates for publishers with the Instant Clearance Service.

``It's the best deal in town,'' said O'Donnell. ``Other digital-rights management solutions cost thousands of dollars up front and require weeks to set up. Through iCopyright Publisher Central, publishers can start issuing licenses for their content in a matter of hours, rather than weeks. Just to break even, they only need to sell $38 worth of licenses in one month.''

iCopyright Publisher Central takes online publishers through the process of integrating the Instant Clearance Service on their sites, step by step. Publishers can set prices, choose the kinds of licenses they'd like to offer, pick from a number of pre-designed style sheets for certain clearances, and upload their logos online through the extranet site. Once the Instant Clearance Service has gone live on their sites, they can return to iCopyright Publisher Central to make changes and manage their account. Publisher Central provides publishers with reports that show which articles are selling, click-through rates and information about who is clearing their content.