Executives grapple with Grokster ruling

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Whoa redux

---The French were being starved to death. Not deprived of
sh*tty music. Also the fileswappers are in the wrong. They are
stealing luxary items not cake to survive. Big Difference. By the
way we eat too well in this country.---

Which is why the whole "revolution" thing is a bad analogy. It's
not as big a deal as starving, it won't take as drastic a response.
All it takes is consumers being a little less satisfied and
spending their money elsewhere to kill off an industry.

---And DRM is not going to interfere in your ability to swap the
free content. But it is there to lock copyright content if desired.
Once the copyright on something has expired, by law they must
un-DRM it. Oh, you didn't think I was going to say that.---

But DRM is going to interfere in my ability to do what I want to
do with the content. Will I still be able to play the songs on my
computer, in my car, on my stereo? Will I still be able to rip them
to my iPod? Can I still sample and remix them in my home
studio (for my own personal use, of course)?

As far as un-DRMing things, that's a huge can of worms you've
opened. Who, pray tell, will be in charge of this. Something like
95% of the works currently under copyright (not yet in the public
domain) are orphaned works. They are not being published or
sold for profit. Who will pay to un-DRM these orphaned works,
particularly when we don't even know who holds the copyright
on a huge percentage of them?

We've often talked about carrots and sticks, so here's a proposal
for you. If I'm willing to accept a higher level of DRM, do you
think the content providers would in trade give me a reduction
on the period of copyright? Say, something reasonable, cut it
down to 25 years renewable for another 25 years? If I'm going
to accept a reduction in the quality and functionality of the
products that I'm supposed to be buying, what is in it for me,
the consumer?

---So you take a little longer to mature than the average bear.
So tell me is this book an e-book or paper construction. Pirates
are to be feared but not to be paralyzed over. I prefer a 870
pump shotgun and the plank as a solution.---

It's not a question of maturity, it's one of perspective. I'm a
content producer, but I don't expect any perfect DRM system to
miraculously appear. I know I'll have to deal with the reality that
exists, and I know that I want to give my customers the value
they deserve and keep them happy. That's more important to
me than the trivial losses I might see from piracy, as I want long
term customers who are loyal to my brand.

And no, it's not an e-book. That market is a total mess, and
there just isn't the demand necessary to support doing the book
in that format. We've also seen from our books that we've done
electronically or as password protected websites, that our
customers want ink on paper products, as these are vastly more
functional and easier to use than the current electronic forms.
No one wants to go to the computer, find the website, log in to
the website, find the chapter they need, and then print it out.
They'd rather just grab the book off the shelf. Don't
underestimate the value of convenience.

Posted by: tic swayback   Posted on: 06/29/05 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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