Patent ID: 7337148

Claim:
A method for conducting a business transaction over a network, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of: specifying, in a publicly-available description of a web service that is provided by a first party, that at least some communications to said web service are to include trading partner information; receiving, by said first party, a request for said web service; wherein said request was constructed, based on said description, to include particular trading partner information associated with business transactions between said first party and a second party; wherein said particular trading partner information includes identification of said second party as a trading partner of said first party; based on said particular trading partner information, determining whether said second party is an established trading partner of said first party; if it is determined that said second party is an established trading partner of said first party, then based on said particular trading partner information, retrieving information about one or more agreements that govern business transactions between said first party and said second party; and servicing said request for said web service according to one or more of said agreements.