Distribution of content

Abstract

Among other things, a publisher of digital content items is enabled to select a digital content item to offer to another party who will present it to users. The publisher defines terms under which the other party may present the digital content item to the users and receives a request from the other party to permit the other party to present the digital content item to the users. The request includes a location of a presentation context to which the request applies. The publisher is enabled to respond to the request.

1 . A method comprising: 
 enabling a publisher of digital content items to select a digital content item to offer to another party as an offer;    enabling the publisher to define terms under which the other party may present the digital content item to end users;    enabling a publisher to receive a request from the other party to permit the other party to present the digital content item to a user, the request including a location of a presentation context to which the request applies; and    enabling the publisher to respond to the request.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the location comprises a network address.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , also comprising: 
 enabling the other party to define a presentation in which the digital content item is to be presented to the user.    
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  also including enabling the other party to provide the request to the publisher.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3  in which enabling the other party to define the presentation includes enabling the other party to define a user experience.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 3  in which enabling the other party to define a presentation includes enabling the other party to customize a player for displaying the digital content item.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  also including enabling the other party to package the digital content item with other digital content items.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7  in which enabling the other party to package the digital content item includes enabling the other party to organize the digital content item with other digital content items as a lineup.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 4  in which enabling the other party to provide the request includes determining that the other party has been given permission by the publisher to view the offer.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  also including electronically sending to the other party a network address of a document that presents information associated with the offer.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1  also including distributing the digital content item to the affiliate.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1  in which the terms include an amount of money to be paid by the other party for permission to present the digital content item to users.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1  also including storing a record of the offer including an identifier of at least one of: the offer, the digital content item, the publisher, other parties having permission to view the offer, and other parties who have been approved to present the digital content item to users.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1  also including posting an address associated with the offer in a publicly available directory.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1  in which enabling the publisher to define terms comprises enabling the publisher to set restrictions on modifications to a presentation of the digital content item.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1  also including enabling the publisher to deny permission to the other party to present the digital content item to users.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1  also including allowing the digital content item to be presented only in the presentation context to which the request applies.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 4  in which enabling the other party to provide the request includes enabling the other party to identify the presentation context.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 4  in which enabling the other party to provide the request includes enabling the other party to enter comments pertaining to the request.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 4  in which enabling the other party to provide a request to the publisher includes: 
 providing the offer in a list of offers available to the affiliate, the list including status indicators that indicate whether the affiliate has been approved to syndicate the offers in the list;    enabling the other party to highlight the offer in the list;    presenting details of the offer that include at least one of: a name of the offer, information associated with the publisher, and a description of the digital content item.    
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 4  in which enabling the other party to provide a request to the publisher including presenting a preview of the digital content item.  
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising providing, to the other party, a list of all requests made by the other party, including at least one of information pertaining to the offers requested; 
 information pertaining to publishers that own offers; and    status indicators showing whether the requests have been approved    
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 11  in which distributing the digital content item to the other party comprises permitting the other party to include, only in the presentation context identified in the request, a presentation content code configured to present the digital content item to users within the presentation context.  
     
     
         24 . A method comprising 
 enabling a publisher, through a user interface of an integrated application, to (a) identify items of digital content to be published, (b) define packages of items of the digital content to be made available to third parties for distribution, (c) define audio-visual contexts in which the packages of digital content may be presented to end users, (b) define terms under which the packages may be distributed, (d) make arrangements with the third parties for distribution of the packages to end users in accordance with the defined contexts and the defined terms, (e) publish the packages through a central server to the third parties, and (f) review historical and financial information about distributions of the packages.    
     
     
         25 . A method comprising 
 through a user interface of an integrated application, enabling a party (a) to receive information from publishers about digital content items that are available for use by the party in presentations to users, (b) to define presentation contexts in which the party would present the digital content items to users, and (c) to request of the publishers permission to present the digital content items to users in accordance with the defined presentation contexts.    
     
     
         26 . A method comprising 
 on a server that is accessible through a network to publishers and other parties,    maintaining a database of information about offers by the publishers to the other parties of digital content items to be presented by other parties to users, and    enabling the publishers and other parties, by communication through the network with the server, to interact with respect to the terms of the offers, information about the interaction being stored in the database.