Google today introduced One Pass, a new system for paying online publishers for digital content, and it appears that Google’s plan is less restrictive than Apple’s plan.
Google’s ecommerce transaction service Google Checkout would be the clearing house for sales of digital content, which would be sold through mobile apps and on the Web. One Pass would also allow readers to access the content by using their Google email address and password.
Google’s One Pass appears to be more flexible and profitable for publishers than Apple’s system, which calls for Apple to keep 30 percent of any sale of digital content made within an iPhone or iPad app, while Google is expected to retain just 10 percent of sales made by publishers using One Pass.
“Our goal is to provide an open and flexible platform that furthers our commitment to support publishers, journalism and access to quality content,” Lee Shirani, director, business product management, Google Commerce, wrote in a blog post.