Re: Responsibility, Copyright and New World Order

On Thu, 19 Aug 1999, Lynn Levine <lynnlevine[_at_]aol.com> wrote:
>
> On Wed, 18 Aug 1999, Albert Henderson <noblestation[_at_]compuserve.com> wrote:
> >
> > Please explain. Does Red Hat have a unique value? Or was
> > the IPO successful just because day traders will buy anything
> > internet-related?
>
> This is part of how Hoover's describes them. Sounds like they are
> just one of many who have discovered that you can make an investment
> that adds real value -- value that people recognize and are willing
> to pay for -- to something that may have started out free, whether
> it's software, facts, court decisions or whatever.
>
> "Red Hat markets a commercial version of Linux, the nearly 10
> million-user-strong computer operating system developed by hundreds
> of programmers collaborating on the Internet. A challenger to
> Microsoft Windows NT, Linux is popular among researchers for its
> speed and has garnered bundling deals with hardware giants including
> IBM and Hewlett-Packard. Though no one owns Linux (it's free on the
> Web), Red Hat sells a CD-ROM version, technical manuals, and support."

What protection does an investor have from a competitor, domestic or foreign, from copying the materials and selling them at a better price? Everyone knows that consumers are suckers for cheap knockoffs. In this case the knockoff could be 'authentic.'

Albert Henderson
Editor, PUBLISHING RESEARCH QUARTERLY
<70244.1532[_at_]compuserve.com> Received on Mon Aug 23 1999 - 12:12:12 GMT