My name is Benjamin Edelman, and today I’ll be discussing the effect of software downloads on affiliate programs.  eComXpo participants surely already understand the way ordinary affiliate links work – a user clicks on a link on an affiliate’s web site, then reaches a merchant’s web site, and if the user makes a purchase, the affiliate gets a fee.  But software downloads turn this procedure on its head: Software programs can and do claim affiliate commissions even if users never click on any affiliate link.