The past year brought renewed interest (1, 2, 3) in whether client-side software is playing fair, versus claiming affiliate commissions not truly earned. “Fair” is arguably subjective, but fortunately disputes are grounded by contracts between software makers, affiliate networks, and merchants.
These contracts date back more than two decades. They’ve been updated periodically, and that’s important to close any ambiguity or perceived ambiguity. This week James Little and I proposed a full rewrite, designed to eliminate all doubt about rules and expectations. We’ve provided a comment system so anyone interested can suggest adjustments.
Code of Conduct for Affiliates Using Browser Extensions and Other Client Software