ContentGuard and Digital Goods Form Alliance to Provide Integrated Digital Rights Management and Content Marketing.

Business Editors/Technology Writers

Seybold Seminars Boston 2001

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 10, 2001

Technology-services fusion to benefit owners of digital works such as

eBooks, music and video

ContentGuard, Inc., a leading provider of comprehensive, flexible digital rights management (DRM) solutions, and Digital Goods (Nasdaq:DIGS), the leader in digital content marketing, today announced a strategic alliance to link their technology and service offerings for content owners.

The agreement, announced at Seybold Boston, will see the companies integrate ContentGuard's RightsEdge(TM) technology and services with Digital Goods' Amplifi(TM) content marketing solutions, to provide customers with a combination of flexible, open DRM and cutting-edge interactive marketing and eCommerce tools.

This collaboration is designed to make it as easy as possible for content owners to market and sell DRM-enabled digital works such as eBooks, video and music.

"Content owners seeking to launch and run digital businesses are faced with a major challenge -- the need to manage and protect their intellectual property while creating consumer visibility and demand," says Michael Miron, ContentGuard CEO. "By combining our proven DRM experience with Digital Goods' expertise, we are directly addressing this need, enabling customers to effectively market and distribute valuable digital content, helping them capitalize on all possible opportunities afforded by the digital arena."

"This alliance with ContentGuard is an important step in our plan to provide content owners complete eCommerce and marketing solutions, from the best DRM technologies right through to our dynamic storefronts across the Web," said Scott Griffith, Digital Goods chairman and CEO. "We chose to work with ContentGuard because its flexible DRM implementation models complement our Amplifi(TM) marketing and eCommerce suite. We also see the promise of the open XrML initiative."

ContentGuard's RightsEdge platform and services are based on patented technologies and use XrML(TM) (eXtensible Rights Markup Language)(TM), an open rights specification language that embraces all content types, formats and platforms. These solutions are designed to provide customers with maximum flexibility to manage and control digital rights and offer digital content consumers multiple content acquisition models. ContentGuard's RightsEdge solutions enable eContent through all stages of its lifecycle -- from content preparation to consumption while providing the server functions required to handle ongoing rights tracking, reporting and enforcement.

Digital Goods' Amplifi is the first interactive marketing and eCommerce solution that provides all the technology tools and expert services content providers need to effectively target, reach and sell consumers digital products such as eBooks, audio and software. Amplifi provides publishers and other content companies the quickest, most effective path to marketing and selling its digital products, without making the significant capital investment necessary to build their own marketing, eCommerce and technology infrastructure. Digital Goods' leading-edge search engine optimization, contextual mapping technology, extensive affiliate networks and its patented Passalong(TM) viral distribution system dramatically improve consumers' experience by making relevant digital content available when and where they are most likely to buy it.

About ContentGuard, Inc

ContentGuard, Inc., launched in April 2000, is the catalyst for the revolution in eContent(TM). The company offers digital rights management (DRM) solutions designed to encourage Internet distribution of digital content such as eBooks, music, and business reports. ContentGuard's cross-platform technology, based on research originally developed at Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), and suite of services allow content owners and distributors to manage their intellectual property, track usage, prevent unauthorized access and enable a range of business models for user consumption. With operations in Bethesda, Md. and El Segundo, Calif., the company's key relationships include Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), Xerox Corporation (NYSE:XRX) and Accenture. For more information, please visit www.contentguard.com.

About Digital Goods

SoftLock.com, Inc. d/b/a Digital Goods (Nasdaq:DIGS) is the leader in digital content marketing. Amplifi(TM), the company's interactive marketing and eCommerce solution, helps its content partners deliver their products to a maximum audience while respecting copyrights. Consumers gain instant access to valuable content wherever and whenever they are ready to buy. Digital Goods is revolutionizing the way digital content is marketed, sold and distributed online, while enabling its content and affiliate partners to share in the commercial benefits of this expanding marketplace. The Digital Goods marketing network includes thousands of online affiliates and content publishers, including industry leaders such as Dun & Bradstreet, Standard & Poor's, Simon & Schuster, Random house, WetFeet.com, Borders.com and iVillage.com. Digital Goods is based in Maynard, Mass. For more information please visit http://www.digitalgoods.com

ContentGuard, RightsEdge, XrML, eXtensible Rights Markup Language and `the catalyst for the revolution in eContent' are trademarks of ContentGuard Holdings, Inc. All other company and product trademarks are the property of their respective owners.