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Hollywood Still Obsessed With Copy Protection
from the hello?--it-doesn't-work dept
Okay. Maybe we should start from the beginning again, because clearly many folks in Hollywood are missing the point. First, copy protection does not work. All it does is anger your customers. Angry customers are not happy customers and are more likely to look for alternatives to your product. Meanwhile, since the copy protection itself doesn't work, the real pirates will continue to steal your music and movies and produce counterfeits. All you've done is waste a lot of your own money on lawyers and technology while angering your customers. How is that a reasonable business model? That said, Hollywood is still doing everything it can to offer up all sorts of copy protection, and here are two stories that discuss this in more detail. The first is an article about how the music industry says this year is the last year that most CDs will be available without copy protection. Of course, the industry said that last year, too, and it didn't happen. It seems that some of this message may have gotten through, as Hollywood insiders have realized that adding copy protection may drive away the few customers who are still around. On the video side, Viacom is now threatening to stop broadcasting in HDTV unless the government mandates that the broadcast flag be used in all HDTV equipment. Knowing the way Congress tends to act, they'll probably cave. Again, this will do nothing to stop real piracy - but will make lives more annoying for legitimate users, while removing many of the rights they thought they already had.
Reader Comments
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Enhanced CDs
I agree. The whole debate over copy protected CDs is moot. But I can say that enhanced CDs HAVE improved my experience as a consumer, and I would definitely buy more CDs (and DVDs) that feature extra info, pictures, access to websites, etc.
It comes down to this: If you offer some valuable extra to the customer at a fair price they are going to buy it. The problem with the vast majority of CDs today is that the product (the music) is too sub-standard to justify the price. This cost vs. value disparity forces consumers to use the Internet (and file sharing networks) in order to better research their purchases.
As for DVDs, I can agree with reducing the price so that people will buy instead of rent. However, I've never been one to purchase a lot of movies (VHS or otherwise), so it's unlikely that a lower price would cause me to purchase more DVDs.
Moral: Know thy customer, and give them what they want.
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Re: Enhanced CDs
Yep, the one thing I miss from my single downloaded movie*, is the lack of the special features.
*the movie is Wargames and I just wanted the list of games from it, our rental store doesn't even carry wargames :(
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Feel free to mess with HDTV
As with cd's I'll just stop using the product. RIAA and MPAA just dont get it. I dont spend my money for junk. When you have a product I want, In the format I want, That works on the O/S I want, I'll buy it, until then, I'll keep my money.
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Democrats versus Republicans
The only good news on the copy protection front is that the Rebuplican majority will be cool to any proposals from Hollywood.
I always find it funny that Democrats, who are supposed to take the side of the common man, always take the Hollywood corporate side.
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Re: Democrats versus Republicans
i never thought of that until now, but your right, most of those kind of bills are introduced by democrats (from the state of Disney).
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Re: Democrats versus Republicans
The record companies need to recite one mantra over and over until it finally sticks:
"If they can hear it, they can copy it."
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Re: Democrats versus Republicans
Check Opensecrets for Holling's contributions and contributions of the entertainment industry as a whole for why.
However, this simply means that Hollywood has to figure out how to bribe the GOP... even if it means that future content is more acceptable to the Religious Right. (which will cut their revenue flow, but they can always blame this on INTERNET PIRACY)
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Re: Democrats versus Republicans
It will be a cold day in Hell (probably about the time that all you can eat MP3 download services come available) before Hollywood will give in any significant sums to the GOP.
-Gene
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Copy right.
Copy rights were never intended to be the same as property rights. Ideas were exclusive to the inventer for only a short while before the idea was set free to the public. However, now, it seems all people expect complete rights that can be passed on to there children on books and songs they've written. Ideas are beginning to feel like property. I am an artist and musician, I don't know what I would do if people were grabbing up my stuff to use while I made no money, but I believe after my limited term with it I would be able to release it.
The separation of property and idea is harder to see for most people these days.
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