Google Tosses 'One Pass' to Online Media Subscribers

Image via CrunchBaseGoogle has unveiled "One Pass," a micropayment service that will enable users to access content on Web sites, tablets and smartphones through a single sign-in.

As reported by The Wall St. Journal and Bloomberg News, One Pass, which presently is available in the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Germany, France, Italy and Spain, enables uers to purchase articles and subscriptions from participating publications via Google Checkout. The publications are able to authenticate existing subscribers and access the subscribers' name and information.

Publishers participating in One Pass will pay Google 10 percent of the revenue generated. Thus far, German newspaper publisher Axel Springer, Gruner + Jahr, le Nouvel Observateur, U.S. newspaper-owner Rust Communications,  and Prisa are among publishers who have lined up for One Pass.

One Pass will compete against Apple's digital content payment system, also unveiled this week, that accesses content through iPad and iPhone devices, but that seeks a 30 percent cut from the participating publications' revenues.