Sun Java System Content Delivery Server Reference Manual

This chapter covers the following topics:

• Pricing Models
• Pricing Options
• Disassociating Content From Pricing Options

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Pricing Models

The Catalog Manager administrator must associate one or more pricing models for each content type. A pricing model is the condition of purchase (per download, per periods of uses, and per number of uses) associated with content. The pricing models supported in the Content Delivery Server are defined in TABLE 6-1.

The former usage pricing model of X downloads in Y days is no longer available by default. That pricing model is now used, optionally, as a grace period. A grace period, if configured at deployment, can be attributed to the Every Download pricing model (see TABLE 6-1). Upon purchase, a grace period allows additional numbers of downloads or extends the download period. The system administrator can set the properties pricing.model.recurringDownload.numberOfDays and pricing.model.recurringDownload.numberOfTimes to enable a grace period. See the Sun Java System Content Delivery Server Integration and Configuration Guide for information on setting a grace period.

Each DRM supports some set of the pricing models available in the Content Delivery Server. The pricing models that you can assign to a content type are dependent on the DRM that is associated with the content type.

The Content Delivery Server supports the combinations of DRM options and pricing models as shown in TABLE 6-2.

You determine whether to enable all the available pricing models for a content type or just a subset. For instance, if you associate a CDS DRM Agent with MIDlets, you can elect to enable all the available pricing models possible with that DRM or a subset, such as first download only, per use, and per period. In the case where a deployment of the Content Delivery Server has multiple CDS DRM Agents, the available pricing models are those that are common to all supported agents.

You make the DRM selections and the pricing model selections for a content type on the MIME Types page in the Catalog Manager. All the pricing models supported by the Content Delivery Server are listed. Nonapplicable pricing models are not selectable. Therefore, if you selected None for the image content type, you cannot select the per use pricing model because it is not available without DRM protection.

Previously, a content item, such as a MIDlet, could have a combination of pricing models such as charge on first download only and charge per subscription. Such combinations are not possible with the use of digital rights management. To simplify management of content, all content items can have only one pricing model. For preexisting content items that have a pricing model combination, the first download only and recurring download models are no longer applicable.

Correlation of DRM Types to Content Types and Pricing Models

TABLE 6-3 lists the possible pricing models that can be used for content types with the corresponding DRM types:

ringtone
image
midlet
iappli
videostreaming_audio
streaming_video
group_logo
operator_logo
monophonic_ringtone
sms_picture

 midlet

midlet

midlet

midlet

midlet

midlet

ringtone
image
midlet
iappli
video

ringtone
image

ringtone
image

ringtone
image

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Pricing Options

At the same time that you select a pricing model, you have the option of creating pricing options for it. Having predefined pricing options gives you more control over the pricing of content and can make managing content easier. You can set up predefined pricing options for content providers to choose from instead of having them decide content pricing and usage terms.

Another benefit to creating predefined pricing options is that it enables you to apply the same purchase criteria to all contents with the same content type. For instance, all image content types can have the pricing option of $0.50 for every download. By changing the purchase price of a pricing option, you change the purchase price for all content using that pricing option at once. You always have the ability to edit a pricing option or create custom prices for specific content items as needed.

A pricing option consists of a unique ID for the pricing option, an option name, and the purchase characteristics of the content. The pricing option consists of the following elements:

• External options ID - A unique designation used by the billing system to identify this pricing option.
• Pricing option name - A name that identifies a specific pricing option.
• Purchase price - A monetary value, which can be 0.
• Specific pricing model - The condition for purchase. Only one model can be applied.

A pricing option looks like this, for example:

1222 Ringtones-Jazz $.99 1st Download Only.

Pricing options cannot be deleted, you can only enable or disable them once they are created. Regardless of whether a pricing option is enabled or disabled, you can still edit the option through the Catalog Manager.

As the Catalog Manager administrator, you determine whether content providers are required to use the pricing options you enable for the content type or create a custom price based on the available pricing model. An option on the MIME types page allows you to restrict the content type to the pricing options you enabled. Content providers submitting content of that type must select from one of the enabled pricing options.

Changing the Pricing of Content

You can change the pricing of content in the following ways:

• Edit the content type
• Edit the properties of a submitted, published, or unpublished content item
• Edit the pricing option
• Create a customized price for a published content item

By editing the content type, you can set the preferred DRM, select available pricing models, and create new pricing options. By editing the properties of a content item, you can change the price, pricing model, and pricing option. By editing the pricing option, you can change the price. See Disassociating Content From Pricing Options for more information about creating a customized price for a published content item.

Changing the pricing of content is dependent on several factors, such as the content item status, the DRM assigned, and whether the content item is copyrighted.

For a copyrighted content item, the pricing options you can choose from are dependent on the currently allowed pricing models for the item’s content type because copyrighted content cannot be associated with a DRM. Also, the item’s current pricing model is always available so that you can modify the price without having to change the pricing model.

For a submitted content item that has a status of new, pending, or denied and is not copyrighted, the pricing models you can choose from are dictated by the DRM associated with the item’s content type. Also, the item’s current pricing model is always available so that you can modify the price without having to change the pricing model.

For a content item with a status of published, unpublished, or testing, the pricing models you can choose from depend on the following factors:

• The content item’s current pricing option
• The currently allowed pricing models for the item’s content type
• The DRM used by the content item

For example, suppose SpruceDraw, a content item of type midlet is published. At the time it is published, midlet has no DRM assigned and the pricing model of first download only or every download. Therefore, SpruceDraw has no DRM assigned to it and uses the first download only pricing model. If no change occurs to the content type, the Edit Content page for SpruceDraw allows you to choose either first download only or every download.

Later, the content type preferences are edited so that midlet now uses OMA DRM 1.0 and the pricing models are changed to first download only and per interval. Because SpruceDraw is already published, its DRM option does not change, it is still None. While the available pricing models for midlet are now first download only and per interval, the per interval model is not available to content without DRM protection. So the Edit Content page for SpruceDraw does not list per interval in the Catalog Price list. When editing SpruceDraw, you can only choose first download only.

If a content item uses OMA DRM 1.0 and one of the trials, per use, per period, or per interval pricing models, the pricing model cannot be changed because the content item would require reprotection, that is, a reapplication of the DRM. You can change the purchase price of the item, but not whether it has or does not have trial usage or its pricing model.

However, a content item that has a non-published status can be reprotected when the DRM type for its content type is changed by editing the price of the content. In addition, when the price is changed for non-published content, all of the content’s editions are reprotected when the DRM Agents specified differ from the DRM Agents that are protecting the content. In this case, all existing derived editions are removed and a new derived edition is created for each DRM Agent specified.

Pricing for Editions

For additional editions or edition updates for published or non-published content, derived editions are created to match the DRM types that protect the content (as opposed to the DRM types that are configured). This ensures the consistency of content pricing and DRM protection for all editions of the content item.

For published or non-published content using OMA DRM 1.0 or CDS OMA DRM 1.0 Forward Lock, new derived editions are created with DRM protection matching any existing derived editions of the content. For example, if content editions using plain and forward locked protection exist, new editions also have plain and forward locked protection. If editions exist with separate and combined delivery, new editions also have separate and combined delivery.

For published or non-published MIDlets using CDS DRM Agent, new derived editions are created with DRM protection matching any existing derived editions of the content. For example, if content editions protected with Disconnected Time and Use Sensitive and Standard Connected Time and Use Sensitive agents exist, new editions are also protected with the same agents even if the CDS DRM Agent configuration was changed.

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Disassociating Content From Pricing Options

Sometimes a Catalog Manager or a Vending Manager administrator might want to change the purchase price of a specific item of content that is currently assigned a pricing option. By doing so, the administrator disassociates a content item from its pricing option. For example, suppose an item of content named Roses has the content type picture and a pricing option of $0.75 for first download only. You determine that Roses would sell better if it is priced at $.50 for first download only. When you edit the content and change its price, Roses becomes disassociated from other content of type picture with that pricing option. If the purchase price for picture content changes later, Roses is unaffected by the change because it is no longer associated with its original pricing option. Roses is considered to have a custom price. Any future changes to the purchase price for Roses must be made explicitly to that content item.

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Pricing Scenarios

The pricing scenarios given here show the effect on content in both the Catalog Manager and the Vending Manager when changes are made to the purchase price of content.

All scenarios are based on the following existing conditions:

• Pricing option 1A is defined in the Catalog Manager as $1.00 per download.
• Two content items, Item1 and Item2, both are assigned pricing option 1A.
• Automatic pricing updates is selected in the Vending Manager.

Initial purchase price for Item 1 and Item 2 are shown as they exist in the Catalog Manager and the Vending Manager. The currency type is the same for both the Catalog Manager and Vending Manager ($). The General Pricing Rule is $1.00 is equivalent to $1.00 and no markup is applied.

Table notation:

• PO - Pricing option
• DIS - Content is disassociated from pricing option
• RE - Content is reassociated with pricing option

Scenario 1: The Catalog Manager administrator edits pricing option 1A from $1.00 per download to $1.50 per Download.

Scenario 2: The Catalog Manager administrator edits the properties of Item 1 by changing its purchase price to $1.50. Item 1 is now disassociated from pricing option 1A in the Catalog Manager. No changes are made to the pricing option itself.

Scenario 3: Two changes to Item1 occur:

• The Vending Manager administrator edits the property of Item 1 by changing the purchase price from $1.00 to $0.75. Item 1 is now disassociated from pricing option 1A in the Vending Manager.
• Later, the Catalog Manager administrator edits pricing option 1A by changing the purchase price from $1.00 to $0.80. In the Catalog Manager, Item 1 and Item 2 are still associated with pricing option 1A.



TABLE 6-7 Resulting Pricing for Items 1 and 2 in Scenario 3

	Catalog Manager		Vending Manager
Item1	$0.80 per download	PO 1A	$0.75 per download	Custom PO 1A DIS
Item2	$0.80 per download	PO 1A	$0.80 per download	PO 1A

Scenario 4: Two changes to Item1 occur:

• The Vending Manager administrator edits the property of Item 1 by changing the purchase price from $1.00 to $0.75. Item 1 is now disassociated from pricing option 1A in the Vending Manager.
• Later, the Catalog Manager administrator edits the property of Item 1 by changing the purchase price from $1.00 to $0.80. Item 1 is now disassociated from pricing option 1A in the Catalog Manager:



TABLE 6-8 Resulting Pricing for Items 1 and 2 in Scenario 4

	Catalog Manager		Vending Manager
Item1	$0.80 per download	Custom PO 1A DIS	$0.80 per download	Custom PO 1A DIS
Item2	$1.00 per download	PO 1A	$1.00 per download	PO 1A

Scenario 5: The Vending Manager administrator has a custom price of $0.80 for Item1. The administrator then unstocks Item1 and later restocks Item1 and accepts pricing option 1A for Item1. Item1 is now associated with its original pricing option

Scenario 6: Item1 is never associated with a pricing option. The Catalog Manager administrator assigns a price of $2.00 to it. Later the administrator changes the price to $2.50.

^{1 (TableFootnote) A grace period can be applied for this pricing model by the system administrator for the Vending Manager administrator.}

Sun Java System Content Delivery Server Reference Manual

820-1946-10

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