Reciprocal and ContentGuard to Assist McGraw-Hill With eBook Offerings; Leading Publisher Releases eBooks Via Corporate Site

Business Wire, August 18, 2000

Business Editors & High-Tech Writers

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 18, 2000

Reciprocal(TM) Inc., the global leader in digital rights management (DRM) transaction services, and its e-Publishing partner, ContentGuard Inc., the provider of digital rights management solutions for all forms of high-value content, today announced that McGraw-Hill Professional Book Group, a leading trade publisher, has selected the companies to provide digital rights management services for its online distribution.

McGraw-Hill Professional Book Group has chosen the electronic Publishing Clearing Service (ePCS), a comprehensive suite of secure e-commerce services that utilize Reciprocal's Digital Clearing Service and ContentGuard's DRM technology, to offer several eBook titles via the company's Web site, www.ebooks@mcgraw-hill.com.

"We're excited by the McGraw-Hill Professional eBook offering, which is one of the most relevant libraries of digital content for the current audience of business readers," said Matt Moynahan, senior vice president and general manager, Reciprocal Publishing.

"Reciprocal and ContentGuard have shown us that they understand the business issues associated with publishing and can accommodate eBook publishers' DRM and clearinghouse services needs," said Robert Bolick, vice president and director, New Business Development, McGraw-Hill Professional Book Group.

DRM technology and services protect and control access to digital content, so that it can be distributed to end users without risking a loss of control of copyright for the content owner. McGraw-Hill will use ePCS to protect and control access to its digital content.

ePCS combines ContentGuard's DRM technology and content commerce applications with Reciprocal's robust and scalable Digital Clearing Service for rights enforcement and clearing, informational and financial tracking, reporting and 24/7 customer support.

"ePCS manages the entire Internet distribution process for content owners like McGraw-Hill, including file creation, copyright-protected delivery and provision of a user-friendly environment for consumers," said Ranjit Singh, president and COO of ContentGuard.

"McGraw-Hill's adoption of ePCS demonstrates how the service's flexibility is making it easy for content owners to integrate DRM into their businesses, accelerating the global trend towards digital delivery of high-value content," Singh added.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies

McGraw-Hill Professional Book Group is part of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE:MHP), a global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, Business Week and McGraw-Hill Education.

Founded in 1888, the corporation has more than 400 offices in 32 countries. Sales in 1999 were $4.0 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com

About ContentGuard Inc.

ContentGuard, launched in April 2000, offers digital rights management (DRM) solutions designed to encourage Internet distribution of digital content such as music, eBooks and business reports. ContentGuard's cross-platform technology and suite of services allow content owners to manage the digital distribution process by tracking usage, preventing unauthorized access and enabling a range of business models for user access.

Based in McLean, Va., and with operations in Palo Alto and El Segundo, Calif., the company's key partners include Microsoft Corp., Xerox Corp., Adobe Systems Inc. and Reciprocal Inc. For more information, visit http://www.contentguard.com.

About Reciprocal

Reciprocal, the global leader in digital rights management transaction services, provides comprehensive, easy-to-implement e-commerce clearing services and back-office solutions for the music, publishing, software, film, entertainment and other digital content-rich industries. Reciprocal offers content owners a true outsourced DRM solution that allows them to realize new revenue streams while efficiently protecting their online digital assets.

The Reciprocal Digital Clearing Service leverages leading DRM technology from InterTrust Technologies Corp., Microsoft Corp., IBM, ContentGuard Inc., Adobe Systems Inc. and Preview Systems, allowing companies to choose the solution that best fits their business needs.

Reciprocal Digital Clearing Service is secure, flexible and capable of handling millions of transactions per day. Leading content companies such as Sony Music Entertainment, BMG Entertainment, Zomba Records, Houghton Mifflin, Reuters and Aberdeen Group have selected Reciprocal as their digital rights management services provider. Privately held, Reciprocal maintains offices in New York City; Buffalo, N.Y.; and Research Triangle Park, N.C.

Note to Editors: Reciprocal, the Reciprocal symbol and Driving the Content Economy are trademarks of Reciprocal Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other products and companies mentioned are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective owners.