A Microsoft spokesman said the company would not comment on the pricing arrangements.

Palcom, a tiny start-up company in Santa Barbara, Calif., that intends to operate an on-line trading post for the restaurant industry, finds this an attractive pricing arrangement.

Bank of America would gain fees from the fund investments, while Mr. Stern would gain from the favorable pricing arrangement.

When publishers asked Amazon to accept similar pricing arrangements, the company originally threatened to pull books from its inventory.

Supporters see this pricing arrangement as a way to bring more money into the hands of the state's many dairy farmers, thereby aiding rural economies that need every nickel they can get.

Microsoft, Mr. Fade testified, determined that the new price for the Windows operating system should yield the same revenue as the previous pricing arrangements, which were negotiated by company.

"It's another pricing arrangement that will allow the financial adviser to diversify their clients' portfolios in the proper funds at an appropriate expense ratio," he said.

In practice we are seeking assurance that you do not receive preferential treatment under the inter-company pricing arrangements because of your relationship with the seller.

He is stuck with the same rigid pricing arrangements for the next five years.

In late 2005, Telstra Wholesale made changes to their pricing arrangements, each of which forced iiNet to make changes to their product line and pricing.