Interesting script for Amazon associates

[Dan Kaplan]

http://www.computer-mentors.co.uk/download.html

I just ran across it the other day.[nbsp][nbsp]The name is Maxcomm, and it replaces the regular Amazon search box and brings the results back on your own site, placing your associate ID in the resulting link so that you earn 15% commission as opposed to 5% for regular searches.

I've played around with it a bit, and it seems to work as advertised (free), although the footer file doesn't seem to show up for searches with found results, and customization seems pretty limited.

I imagine Amazon would frown on it, although I can't really see how it would go against any specific rule...[nbsp][nbsp]After all, you're entitled to place direct links to their products anywhere for maximum commission, this just combines that aspect with user searches.

Dcommission
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The artist briefly known as dank

[PaulKroll]

Check the "Legal" link at the bottom of, oh, any Amazon page, and you'll see the problem: what's being done w/that script is "modification and retransmission."

It's a copyright violation... although, I am not a lawyer, and this is not Legal Advice. :)

Now, will Amazon CARE... that I can't answer.[nbsp][nbsp]But if the script gets popular, I'll bet a formal response from Amazon will show up. You'd think they'd encourage anything that helps them keep affiliates/associates happy, but given how some companies are (i.e., etoys) you just never know.

[Dan Kaplan]

Good point.[nbsp][nbsp]I can see that getting into some very grey area of terminology...[nbsp][nbsp]Nothing's really being modified; the script is merely appending your associate id to the link, which is proper linking format.[nbsp][nbsp]As far as retransmitting, that's a tough call.[nbsp][nbsp]The script appears to just display the output from an Amazon search (largely why it doesn't seem easy to customize), so is that considered transmitting?

I was thinking of trying to work it into another search engine script.[nbsp][nbsp]But given the issues you raised, it might be worth an email to Amazon and see what they think about it up front.

Dogooder

[This message has been edited by Dan Kaplan (edited 03-29-00@6:23 pm)]

[Justin]

Do a search on these forums for "anaconda" and you'll find a few discussions regarding a similar script. I would recommend against using such a script, as I believe Amazon has a patent on the words "cgi", "script", "web", and many other terms associated with using their "internet".

:P

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Justin Nelson
FutureQuest (http://www.FutureQuest.net/index.php) Support

[Dan Kaplan]

I had heard of Anaconda previously, but I never knew what sort of script it was (or in this case, the company produced)...

These are the only threads I found in the search:

http://www.aota.net/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000372-1.html
http://www.aota.net/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000148-1.html
http://www.aota.net/ubb/Forum3/HTML/000480-1.html
http://www.aota.net/ubb/Forum3/HTML/000216-1.html

Was I supposed to find some deterring opinion?[nbsp][nbsp]Everything looks pretty positive regarding Anaconda...

Thanks,
Dig

[Justin]

Hm... I know we had some discussions a while back where someone found that Amazon had threatened to sue and so on - might not have been Anaconda then... but it's not at any of those URL's (guess I should check before pointing people to a search)...

At any rate, I'd double check that it's legit to use such a script, because I know for a fact there was discussion on this a while back...

-- I'm not crazy - it's the rest of the world who's crazy! ;)

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Justin Nelson
FutureQuest (http://www.FutureQuest.net/index.php) Support

[Stephen]

i think you'll find that reproducing lists of Amazon.com bestsellers (as in taking the list off their site directly) with your associate ID factored in is OK. the anaconda people have been doing that for ages and Amazon.com has never asked them not to redistribute the script.

on the other hand, reproducing entire pages is a no no. for a while anaconda had a "pipeline" version of their script that did exactly that. i created one as well. but when i asked Amazon.com if they had objections to it, they said "sure do!"

so i put that script on ice. there is another anaconda script for Etoys.com which does reproduce entire pages and Etoys seems to be OK with it (although the script is not quite as attractive now that Etoys changed its commission scheme). so it really just depends on the company involved.