Re: (Re: For Robert Craig) stop whining
Wait a minute. Illegal software doesn't cost the industry millions just as
copied music doesn't cost them millions. Why ? Because those who copy Visual
Studio illegal usually never will or can pay for it anyway. This is whole
problem with the Mp3 discussion as well. People listen and download so many
songs, its not fair to say the industry is 'loosing' all that money. People
would never have spent all that money on all that music, because they dont
have that kind of money. In the past, when they couldn't copy it, they were
spending a comparable amount of money on cdees.
The problem lies in the fact that digital products have very little marginal
cost, if you could even speak of marginal costs. All the cost, are the
constant when distributed through internet, napster, cd-roms: i.e. the
number of sales doesn't influence the amount of money the production of the
music (the writing, the recording, the marketing) or software (the writing,
testing, etc.) costs. When you consider that, the current marketform is
simply inappropiate.
Consider a situation where the amount of money we spent on music and
software remains constant. Yet we are free to copy everything. Our welfare
would increase enormously, our production costs would remain constant. If it
desired to move to such a situation. We as a society need to try to achieve
maximum welfare. (esspecially when we can do so, without having to increase
productivity).
But the solutions are difficult. For programming packages, some are even
given away for free to hobbist, and the companies pay the bill. The
companies (which usually will want to get the support as well, and don't
want to take the risk) will use legal version anyway. They don't mind to
support the hobbists, I suppose. Perhaps in the future they can be hired as
new employees.
In music this is a much more difficult situation. One could say that MTV and
radio stations, etc. already provide the 'free' platform of music, but in a
society that is getting more individualistical every day, the default
mediums that serve as these 'free' platforms are loosing in favor of
narrow-casting of the internet. And napster and Mp3 provide just that.
Commercial songs, that are already on the radio, etc. But when you want, and
precizely those that YOU want to hear.
I would say that labes should offer their whole collection for download
through a server (using ads ?) and a fixed monthly fee. They will get the
same amount of money they are getting now, but the welfare of their
customers is much improved and thus is their position on market even
stronger.
A simerlar thing could and should happen for software. A developpers network
which we supply with a monthly fee, which then uses that fee to get special
deals with software suppliers. So we can all download and use those
expensive programs. Like developpers networks, also a gaming network, a
movie network, etc. could be available.
In my humble opinion software and music piracy shouldn't be fought, but it
should be healed & integrated. Solutions should be found, but I guess in
today moralistic world, it easier to point, shoot and execute (f#$ck Bush,
arggg. just a typical dutch frase 
than to solve a problem.
Oh well, I hope any one understood anything of what I just said. Lets just
hope so.
Ralf N.
nieuwen at xs4all.nl
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