Method and apparatus to restrict free hyperlinking by internet content distributors to web sites of original content producers

摘要

The present invention enables content producers to selectively choose which content distributors may hyperlink to the content producer's website. The content producer provides an initial URL referencing a document on the content producer server to the content distributor. The content distributor creates an HTML file that contains the initial hyperlink URL that was given to the content distributor. The content distributor allows the content producer the privilege of updating the HTML file containing the initial hyperlink URL. The content producer may periodically access the content distributor server to replace the hyperlink with a new URL reference to the document. Because the hyperlink referring to a document is modified at the will of the content producer, the content producer controls the entities that can hyperlink to the document. As a side effect, the content producer may also determine which content distributor referred a client and may also keep records of such referral.