<PAGE>
 
                                                                   EXHIBIT 10.15
                                    FORM OF
                           NONCOMPETITION AGREEMENT
                                        

     This NONCOMPETITION AGREEMENT (this "Agreement"), dated as of July 10,
1998, is between             ,an individual ("Employee"), and Rowe.com Inc., a 
Delaware corporation (the "Company").

PRELIMINARY STATEMENTS:

     A.   The Company and its affiliates are in the business of electronic
          commerce transactions involving the sale of periodicals, research
          reports and subscriptions of such materials (the "Business");

     B.   The Company is issuing shares of its Class B Preferred Shares, $. par
          value, at a price of $ per share to certain investors (the
          "Investors") pursuant to a stock Purchase Agreement dated as of May 4,
          1998 (the " Stock Purchase Agreement").

     C.   Employee is an employee of the Company, owning ____% of the Company's
          capital stock prior to the Investors' investment in the Company on a
          fully- diluted basis.

     D.   One of the conditions to the investment by the Investor is the
          execution of this Agreement by Employee.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration and as a condition of Employee's employment by
the company, the investment by the Investors under the Stock Purchase Agreement,
and the mutual covenants and agreement contained herein, the receipt and
sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, and intending to be legally bound
hereby, parties hereto agree as follows:

1) DEFINITIONS.  The following terms, when capitalized, shall have the meanings
set forth below:

     BOARD- shall mean the Board of Directors of the Company.

     BUSINESS- shall have the meaning provided in the Recitals to this
     Agreement.

     CAUSE- shall mean (I) any act or acts by Employee resulting directly or
     indirectly in, or intended to result directly or indirectly in, material
     gain or personal enrichment to Employee or any third party at the expense
     of the Company; (ii) the willful, wanton or reckless failure by Employee to
     properly perform his duties with the Company (other than any such failure
     resulting from incapacity due to mental or physical illness);  (iii)
     Employee's indictment for a felony or (iv) Employee's breach of Section 5
     or Section 6 of this Agreement.  Employee's employment shall in no event be
     considered to have been terminated by the Company for cause if such
     termination took place as the result of bad judgement or ordinary
     negligence.

     CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION- shall mean information that, although not a Trade
     Secret, is not generally known and includes, but is not limited to, sales
     and marketing information, customer account records, training and
     operations materials and memoranda, personnel records, pricing and
     financial information relating to the business, accounts, customers,
     employees and affairs of the Company or of its affiliates; any information
     marked "Confidential" by the Company or by its affiliates; and any other
     similar information that is not a Trade Secret.

     GOOD REASON- shall mean Employee's duties are Negatively Altered.

     NEGATIVELY ALTERED- shall mean if any of the following shall occur without
     Employee's express written consent:  (i) the assignment to Employee of any
     duties materially inconsistent with Employee's position, duties,
     responsibilities and status with the Company (other than promotions) or a
     material adverse change   

                                                                               1
<PAGE>
 
     in Employee to move his residence more than 100 miles; or (iii) the failure
     by the Company to continue to provide Employee with employee benefits that
     are comparable to employees of a similar status.

     NONCOMPETITION PERIOD- shall mean the period of time consisting of the term
     of Employee's employment with the Company and a period of twelve (12)
     months following the termination of Employee's employment hereunder for any
     reason by the Company or by Employee.

     SERVICES- shall have the meaning described in Section 2.

     TERRITORY- shall mean the United States, Canada and in any other country
     where the Company has generated revenue.

     TRADE SECRET- shall mean (i) any scientific or technical information,
     program, software, design, process, procedure, formula, invention or
     improvement that is secret and of value and (ii) information including, but
     not limited to, technical or nontechnical data, formula patterns,
     compilations, programs, software, devices, methods, techniques, drawings,
     processes, financial data and lists of actual or potential customers which
     the Company or its affiliates takes reasonable efforts to protect from
     disclosure.

2) EMPLOYMENT AT WILL. Employee shall continue to be employed by the Company on
   an " at will" basis and Employee's employment shall continue for such time as
   the Company is in need of, or desirous of, the services of Employee. It is
   expressly understood and agreed between the Company and Employee that the
   duration of Employee's employment is unspecified and results in the sole
   discretion of the Company.

3) DUTIES. Employee shall devote his full business time and efforts solely to
   the business and interest of the Company. During the term of this Agreement,
   Employee shall not engage in any activity which would be inconsistent with
   such duties or with the objectives and business of the Company and shall
   diligently perform his obligations and discharge his duties under this
   Agreement. Employee shall adhere to all ethical practices and other rules and
   regulations established by the Company.
 
4) SEVERANCE.
     (A)       If (i) the Company terminates Employee's employment with the
          Company for any reason other than Cause or (ii) Employee voluntarily
          terminates his employment with the Company for Good Reason, the
          Company shall pay Employee during each month of the Noncompetition
          Period and amount equal to two-thirds of Employee's monthly salary in
          effect at the time of such termination; provided, however, that the
          Company may elect not to make severance payments to Employee or to
          cease making such severance payments at any time during the
          Noncompetition Period, in which event Employee's obligations under
          Section 5 shall terminate. If employee is employed by a third party
          after the termination of his employment with the Company and prior to
          the end of the Noncompetition Period, the Company shall be entitled to
          deduct from Employee's monthly severance payments an amount equal to
          Employee's monthly salary (including all other cash compensation)
          received from such third party employer.
 
     (B)       If (i) the Company terminates Employee's employment with the
          Company for Cause or (ii) Employee voluntarily terminates his
          employment with the Company other than for Goof Reason, the Company
          shall not be obligated to make any severance payments to Employee and
          Employee shall only be entitled to receive his salary earned, pro
          rata, up to and including the date of any such termination.

5) NONCOMPETITION & PROPRIETARY INFORMATION.

     (A)  During the Noncompetition Period, Employee shall not, directly or
          indirectly, either individually, in partnership, jointly, or in
          conjunction with any person, firm, partnership, limited liability
          company, corporation, or unincorporated association of any kind,
          whether as principal, agent, shareholder, employee, or in any other
          capacity whatsoever:

               (I)    engage in any business in the Territory which competes
                      with the Business;

               (II)   solicit or contact potential customers on behalf of,      
                      invest in, obtain any interest, in, advise, lend money to,
                      or guarantee the debts or obligations of any person, firm,
                      partnership,
<PAGE>
 
                      limited liability company, corporation, or unincorporated
                      association of any kind, which is engaged in the Territory
                      in any business which competes with the Business;

               (III)  solicit or accept business from any of the Company's or
                      its affiliates customers or actively sought prospective
                      customers, for the purposes of providing products or
                      services in the Territory which are the same as or
                      substantially similar to those provided by the Company in
                      connection with its conduct of the Business; or

               (IV)   persuade or attempt to persuade any employee of the
                      Company or its affiliates to terminate his or her service
                      with the Company or with such affiliates.

     (B)  During Employee's employment with the Company and thereafter, Employee
          shall not use, reveal or divulge any Trade Secrets or Confidential
          Information relating to the Business. Notwithstanding the foregoing,
          Employee shall not be subject to the restrictions set forth in this
          Section 5 with respect to information which:

               (I)    becomes generally available to the public other than as a
                      result of disclosure by Employee or his agents or
                      representatives;

               (II)   becomes available to Employee on a non-confidential basis
                      from a source other than the Company or its agents,
                      provided that such source lawfully obtained such
                      information and is not bound by a confidentiality
                      obligation not to disclosure such information; or

               (III)  is required to be disclosed by law.

6) ASSIGNMENT OF INVENTIONS & RETURN OF COMPANY DOCUMENTS.

     (A)  Employee shall promptly make full written disclosure to the Company,
          shall hold in trust for the sole right and benefit of the Company, and
          hereby assigns to the Company, or its designee, all of Employee's
          right, title and interest in and to any and all inventions,, original
          works of authorship, developments, concepts, improvements, designs,
          discoveries, ideas, trademarks or trade secrets, whether or not
          patentable or registrable under copyright or similar laws which
          Employee may solely or jointly conceive or develop or reduce to
          practice, or cause to be conceived or developed or reduce to practice,
          within the scope and during the period of time of Employee's
          employment with the Company ( collectively referred to as
          "Inventions"). Employee hereby also assigns to the Company, or its
          designee, all of Employee's rights, title and interest and to any and
          all Inventions, which Employee solely or jointly conceived or
          developed or reduced to practice, or caused to be developed or reduced
          to practice, within the scope and during Employee's employment with
          the Company prior to the date of this Agreement. Employee further
          acknowledges that all original works of authorship which are made or
          were made by Employee (solely or jointly with others) within the scope
          of and during the period of Employee's employment with the Company
          prior to and after the date of this Agreement and which are
          protectable by copyright are "works made for hire," as that term is
          defined in the United States Copyright Act. Employee understands and
          agrees that the decision whether or not to commercialize or market any
          invention developed by Employee solely or jointly with others is
          within the Company's sole discretion and for the Company's sole
          benefit and that no royalty shall be due to Employee as a result of
          the Company's efforts to commercialize or market any such invention.

     (B)  Employee shall keep and maintain adequate and current written records
          of all Inventions made by Employee (solely or jointly with others)
          during the term of his employment with the Company. Employee shall
          keep such records in the form of notes, sketches, drawings, and any
          other format that may be specified by the Company. The Records shall
          be available to and remain the sole property of the Company at all
          times.

     (C)  Employee shall assist the Company, or its designee, at the Company's
          expense, in every proper way reasonably necessary to secure the
          Company's rights in the Inventions and any copyrights, patents or
          other intellectual property rights relating thereto in any and all
          countries, including the disclosure to the Company of all pertinent
          information and data with respect thereto, the execution of all
          applications, specifications, oaths, assignments and all other
          instruments which the Company shall deem necessary in order to apply
          for and obtain such rights and in order to assign and convey to the
          Company, its
<PAGE>
 
          successors, assigns, and nominees the sole and exclusive rights, title
          and interest in to such Inventions, and any copyrights, patents or
          other intellectual property rights relating thereto. Employee further
          agrees that such obligations to executed or cause to be executed, when
          it is in Employee's power to do so, any such instrument or papers at
          the Company's expense shall continue after the termination of this
          Agreement. If the Company is unable because of the mental or physical
          incapacity of Employee's signature to apply for or to pursue any
          application for any United States or foreign patents or copyright
          registrations covering Inventions or original works of authorship
          assigned to the Company pursuant to this Agreement, then Employee
          hereby irrevocably designates and appoints the Company and its duly
          authorized officers and agents as Employee's agent and attorney in
          fact to act for and in Employee's behalf and stead to execute and file
          such applications and to do all other lawfully permitted acts to
          further the prosecution and issuance of letters patent or copyright
          registrations thereon with the same legal force and effect as if
          executed by Employee.

     (D)  Upon termination of Employee's employment with the Company, Employee
          shall deliver to the Company ( and shall not keep in his possession,
          recreate or deliver to anyone else ) any and all devices, records
          data, notes, reports, proposals, lists, correspondence, specification,
          drawings, blueprints, sketches, materials, equipment, other documents
          or property, or reproductions of any aforementioned items developed by
          Employee pursuant to Employee's employment with the Company or
          otherwise belonging to the Company, its successors or assigns

7)  REMEDIES.  Employee acknowledges and agrees that the Company would suffer
    irreparable harm from a breach by Employee of the restrictive covenants set
    forth in Section 5 or 6. Therefore, in the event of the actual or threatened
    breach by Employee under Section 5 or 6, the Company any, in additional and
    supplementary to any other rights and remedies existing in its favor
    (including, without limitation, its right to terminate Employee's
    employment), apply to any court of law or equity of competent jurisdiction
    for specific performance or injunctive or other relief in order to enforce
    or prevent any violation of the provisions of Section 5 or 6. Employee
    agrees not to raise the defense of an adequate remedy at law in any such
    proceeding. Employee agrees that the existence of any claim or cause of
    action by Employee against the company, whether predicated upon this
    Agreement or any other contact, shall not constitute a defense to the
    enforcement by the Company of the provisions of Section 5 or 6.
 
8)  NOTICE.  All notices and other communications required under this Agreement
    shall be deemed to have been duly given and made if in writing and if served
    either by personal delivery to the party for whom intended ( which shall
    include delivery by Federal Express or similar service) or three (3)
    business days after being deposited, postage prepaid, certified or
    registered mail, return receipt requested, in the United States mail bearing
    the address shown in this Agreement for, or such other address as may be
    designated in writing hereafter by, such party:
 
          If to Employee:          [Name and Address of
                                        Employee]

          If to the Company:       RoweCom Inc.
                                   725 Concord Avenue
                                   Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
                                   USA
 
9)  REFORMATION & SEVERABILITY.  Whenever possible, each provision of this
    Agreement shall be interpreted in such manner as to be effective and valid
    under applicable law, but if any provision of this Agreement is finally
    determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to be unenforceable or
    invalid under applicable law, such provisions shall be effective only to the
    extent of this enforceability or validity, without affecting the
    enforceability or validity of the remainder of this Agreement, and such
    court shall have jurisdiction to reform this Agreement to the maximum extent
    permitted by law. In the event that any such provision of this Agreement
    cannot be reformed, such provision shall be deemed severed from this
    Agreement, but every other provision of this Agreement shall remain in full
    force and effect.

10) Binding Effect & Waiver.  The terms and provisions of this Agreement shall
    be binding on and inure to the benefit of Employee, his heirs, executors,
    administrators, and other legal representatives and shall be binding on and
    inure to the benefit of the Company, its affiliates, successors or assigns.
    The failure of the Company at any

                                                                               4
<PAGE>
 
    time or from time to time to require performance of any of Employee's
    obligations under this Agreement shall in no manner affect the Company's
    right to enforce any provision of this Agreement at a subsequent time, and
    the waiver of any rights arising out of any subsequent or prior breach.

11) ENTIRE AGREEMENT.  This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement and
    understanding between Employee and the Company with respect to the subject
    matter hereof, and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings
    relating to the subject matter hereof.

12) AMENDMENT.  No amendment, modification, or waiver of any provision of this
    Agreement, or consent to any departure by Employee therefrom, shall be
    effective unless the same shall be in writing and signed by the parties
    hereto.

13) ASSIGNMENT.  This Agreement is for personal services to be performed by
    Employee and may not be assigned or transferred by Employee, or the
    obligations of Employee performed by any other party. All of the rights and
    obligations of the Company under this Agreement are fully assignable and
    transferable by the Company.

14) COUNTERPARTS.  This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, each of which
    shall be deemed an original but all of which together shall constitute one
    and the same instrument.

15) HEADINGS.  The various headings of this Agreement are inserted for
    convenience only and shall not affect the meaning of interpretation of this
    Agreement or provisions hereof.

16) Governing Law.  This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in
    accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.


EMPLOYEE:


___________________________________
    Employee Signature and Date


COMPANY:

Rowe.com Inc., a Delaware Corporation

Witnessed by:

Signature:_________________________________  Title:_____________________________

Print Name:________________________________

                                                                               5