[NEohioPAL] COPYRIGHT??-is it obsolete??

[Tony Glassman]

Another thing to keep in mind with online file sharing, however, is that not
all file-sharing is illegal. There are people who willingly put their own
material online for anyone to download, whether it be music, books or
videos. 
 
The large corporations that make the most profit from copyrighted material
were slow to react to developing technology; the internet is not so very
different from using a dual-cassette deck to copy a friend's tape, although
it can be done on a much larger scale through the internet. 
 
With the Recording Industry Association of America, using Lars Ulrich of
Metallica as their mouthpiece, their arguments that it was costing their
artists much hard-earned money was fallacious. Much of what is downloaded,
according to a number of studies across the globe, is not necessarily what
people would buy if it were a choice of buying it or not having it at all.
And for Metallica, especially, they make far more money in a single leg of a
concert tour than they would off the release of an album.
 
Many publishers are offering selected books online for free, to give readers
a taste for an author. It's much like what a drug dealer would do--the first
hit's for free, but then you have to pay for the next one, and the one after
that, and it's brilliant marketing.
 

  _____  

From: neohiopal-bounces at listserve.com
[mailto:neohiopal-bounces at listserve.com] On Behalf Of Richard B. Ingraham
Sent: Friday, June 20, 2008 10:33 AM
To: 'Ensemble Theatre'
Cc: neohiopal at listserve.com
Subject: Re: [NEohioPAL] COPYRIGHT??-is it obsolete??


 

-----Original Message-----
From: neohiopal-bounces at listserve.com
[mailto:neohiopal-bounces at listserve.com] On Behalf Of Ensemble Theatre
Sent: Friday, June 20, 2008 12:39 AM
To: northeast ohio arts community
Subject: [NEohioPAL] COPYRIGHT??-is it obsolete??


 
 
MOST of the folks who download whatever material there is available on the
Internet, have been led to believe that the Internet  is a giant candy
store, and they can have as many free samples as they like. Likewise,
everyone knows that everyone records performances. Eventually, all the
'sharing' software will become illegal for copyright material, and digital
security signatures will prevent ANY illegal copying without paying a
royalty or fee.  
 

Become illegal?
 
Ummm...  it already is illegal!   :-)
 
Napster anyone?   They got their pants sued off and had to completely change
their business model.
 
The reason the sharing goes on is because there is no laws preventing
someone from creating the software that makes it possible.  I assume that is
what you meant would eventually become illegal.  The problem with that
though is that the same technology used to make illegal copies is the same
that would allow you to share or make legal copies of stuff that is either
in the public domain or is simply not copyrighted material or copyrighted
material that actually belongs to you or you have a license to use.  A
perfect example for my work would be sound effect libraries that I have
purchased a royalty free license for and I am free to use them as much as I
like in compliance with that license.
 
Of course the one rule about any soft of copy protection is that it can all
be broken.  As soon as "they" (they being all the various entities that
fight all the various forms of illegal coping) create something to stop one
type of coping....  another will pop up.
 
This is why I've always thought companies like Cakewalk Software (who create
professional audio software) had the best plan of attack.  They never have
really spent a whole lot of time and energy trying to fight the illegal
coping of their software.  Their registration method is extremely simple
compared to just about everyone else.  Instead they spend their time making
their product better.  :-)
 
If you want to download updates to their software or need technical support,
it's really easy for them to know if you are a legit user and that is what
you loose out on by not paying for what you're using.
 
Many small indie record labels (and some mainstream bands as well) really
understand how to make money in our modern world.  Heck the Grateful Dead
(or whatever they call themselves now) have been allowing taping of their
concerts for years and only made a small handful of studio albums.  I bet
they are doing just fine financially.  :-)    Who knew they would be ahead
of their times!  :-)
 
I'm not saying that's the only way to fight piracy, by only giving public
concerts and forgetting about studio albums.  But there is a lot of ways to
embrace the trends rather than fighting them.  Look how popular iTunes is.
 
Maybe the rights holders for plays and musicals should be trying to embrace
the way the rest of the world works rather than fighting as the record
industry has for years.  I have no idea what that model would be, but I
would wager that there are some really smart folks out there that could
think of something.  Just "clamping down" on the "hand that feeds you" just
makes you look like a jerk.  :-)
 
In full disclosure...  I work for a software company part time that creates
lighting and sound products for the entertainment industry.  Guess what we
spend a lot of time dealing with for technical support?  Yep...  our copy
protection..   :-)
 
Richard B. Ingraham
RBI Computers and Audio
http://www.rbicompaudio.20m.com/


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