Re: copyright under stress

On Tue, Jun 20, 2000, Tyler Ochoa <tochoa[_at_]law.whittier.edu> wrote:
>
> [...]
> Those of you who read my posts regularly know that I am a public domain
> advocate. But even public domain advocates should try to realize that
> many copyright owners are genuinely and justifiably afraid of a world
> in which copies are so easily made. We need to come up with good
> business models for the net that will allow authors and artists to be
> compensated in a reasonable way; to retain the benefits of copyright
> in subsidizing creativity, while placing reasonable limits on copyright
> to serve the public interest. Until that happens, copyright owners
> will continue to try to protect themselves the only way they know how:
> by restricting access to electronic copies.

How difficult is it to come up with good business models for the net that maintain a balance between the public and copyright holders?

In the past two decades, software manufacturers have fluctuated with their business models, from locking up high-priced programs (remember the parallel port dongles?), to low-priced, commodity programs, and even shareware and freeware. It appears to be the case that customers prefer low-priced, open software. Wise manufacturers therefore tend to use that business model to satisfy customer needs and wishes, and have apparently been more successful at maximizing income.

I don't know if this experience is useful in determining what business model will succeed when distributing other digital media over the Internet. But wise businesspeople ought to experiment (as Courtney Love and Michael Ovitz are doing) and not rely on encryption and locks -- manufacturers should keep their eye on what the customer needs, not so much on their own need to prevent piracy. After all, there is a cost involved in locking up works, too.

This is not so much an excuse for piracy as a plea to businesses to use some business sense instead of aiming a "silver bullet" at a problem which is not central to the business, and which at the same time happens to restrict the rights of customers and the public.

-- 
"Eric"  Eric Eldred  Eldritch Press
mailto:Eldred[_at_]EldritchPress.org
http://www.eldritchpress.org/EricEldred.vcf