Saw this on alt.wired. They are creating electronic vouchers which you can use, in effect, to buy software on the net. I have more comments below:

Newsgroups: alt.wired Path: portal!sdd.hp.com!sgiblab!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!newsserver.jvnc.net!jvnc.net!exit14tty21.jvnc.net!user From: Schull@SoftLock.com (Jon Schull) Subject: Re: Time for an Internet Electronic Funds Transfer Protocol? Message-ID: <Schull-040194174238@exit14tty21.jvnc.net> Followup-To: alt.wired Sender: news@tigger.jvnc.net (Zee News Genie) Nntp-Posting-Host: exit14-tty21.jvnc.net Organization: SoftLock Services References: <35218@mindlink.bc.ca> <2fnvni$99h@inca.gate.net> <CIysJ9.4yA@world.std.com> <pfarrellCIyuL0.Hr9@netcom.com> Date: Tue, 4 Jan 1994 22:49:49 GMT Lines: 46

I think we at SoftLock Services are pretty much there already.

We have an automated, 24 hour 800 number set up for sale of anyone's products. Dial 1-800-SoftLock.

We respond to Email. (Send something to Intro@SoftLock.com)

We take VISA, MasterCard, and SoftLock Vouchers. (SoftLock Vouchers are pre-paid virtual certificates, redeemable by Email for anything we sell. Since you get to determine the value of the Voucher, you risk only the value of your Voucher.)

We have a license from RSA to use the DES- and public-key-based RIPEM for secure Email transactions. And since we'll soon be selling Passwords by return Email, the purchaser's risk and delay-of-gratification can be virtually zero.

And we give away the Tools for creating SoftLocked documents and executables, (freely copyable, partially encrypted, and instantly unlockable with a workstation-specific SoftLock Password). So anyone can sell anything online, or off. For example, The SoftLock DOS document toolkit, for example, will soon be available for free at popular internet sites, and can be ordered for $9.99 as ProductNumber 10011 from 1-800-SoftLock. (When asked for a SoftLockID, you can press 30639668).

P.S. We're still shaking this stuff down (and Passwords@SoftLock.com is still in chains), but we're open for business.

Please inform me or Staff@SoftLock.com now if you have any problems, questions, or propositions! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A 400-line press-release, "SoftLock Services Introduces SoftLock Services" is automatically available from the Email robot at IntroLong@SoftLock.com.

Jon Schull Schull@SoftLock.com (716)-242-0348 "You trust your mother, but you still cut the cards. SoftLock makes for a good game."

I got the press release referred to. The business is to provide passwords to unlock advanced features of software products distributed like shareware. You can use a crippled version of the program for free, but to get the advanced features you call Softlock and pay them money, then they give you a code which unlocks all the program's features. Softlock takes a percentage of the fee and passes the rest on to the developer. This is not that new, but one thing they do have is a pre-paid voucher usable to purchase software password codes. When you buy a new password to unlock a program you can pay electronically by MC/VISA or by voucher. (You can also send checks and cash by postal mail.) Presumably these vouchers could be given as gifts, or exchanged in other ways. If Softlock eventually develops a good range of useful software, this could lead to a grass-roots form of electronic money. It would be backed by the Softlock software products, but could eventually be used to buy other things, because people would know that the vouchers were worth real products so they would accept them. This route to backing money seems to have less problems with the banking laws, etc. The specific Softlock vouchers are not anonymous, I'm sure. Anonymity would add a lot of overhead and complexity in working with them (see our earlier discussions of Chaumian cash). But they could be a start towards a net-wide electronic payment system. The Softlock people are somewhat crypto aware, accepting RIPEM messages, which is good if you want to send your VISA card number to them. I wonder if they might be interested in a more cryptographically advanced untraceable voucher system. Hal