Copyright, Regulation, and Consumer Choice
6 November 2009
A pair of recent articles show how conglomerates are obsessed with piracy, and yet, ironically, are blind to their own roles in creating the impetus for it.
The first, from techdirt, where Comcast’s COO blames consumers for piracy and hopes to educate them “to respect subscription revenue”.
The second, a more detailed and analytic account from Ars Technica, is about Paramount seemingly blaming everybody on the Internet for piracy.
A big part of the issue is that conglomerates are so big and have so many business units, that they cannot innovate without hurting one of their own companies. And so they go crying to the government and ask for more regulation. It’s really kind of sad. They are limiting their own innovation and revenue streams, while alienating their audience.
Their audience is what drives business, and simply wants more control over what content it buys and how & when it buys it. It’s time for a shake-up.