http://www.techdirt.com/ Easily digestible tech news.... http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/08324323118/trade-group-representing-many-large-companies-claims-that-exceptions-blind-would-cast-aside-copyright.shtml#c101 Mon, 20 May 2013 08:15:42 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/08324323118/trade-group-representing-many-large-companies-claims-that-exceptions-blind-would-cast-aside-copyright.shtml#c101 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/08324323118/trade-group-representing-many-large-companies-claims-that-exceptions-blind-would-cast-aside-copyright.shtml#c81 Mon, 20 May 2013 08:14:48 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/08324323118/trade-group-representing-many-large-companies-claims-that-exceptions-blind-would-cast-aside-copyright.shtml#c81
I'm not an accountant, I don't know much about tax law. However I see reports of companies and the rich elite paying a lower % of tax than me or my small business. This annoys me and doesn't seem fair. I want something done. However I don't know enough about tax law to propose the correct changes.

Do you now see how it is possible to be opposed a state of affairs without having a clear solution for how to fix it?]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130508/10233423003/bug-allows-same-sex-marriage-nintendo-game-nintendo-releases-patch-to-fix-it.shtml#c3773 Mon, 20 May 2013 08:13:48 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130508/10233423003/bug-allows-same-sex-marriage-nintendo-game-nintendo-releases-patch-to-fix-it.shtml#c3773
Ensuring people of the same sex can kiss in public or get married is more important than ending the war on drugs.

How many people have been killed because they were gay? For all time.

How many people killed in the last ten years due to the war on drugs?

Priorities. What the hell is that? Shhhh! (Insert sport) game is about to start.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130518/17573523139/funniestmost-insightful-comments-week-techdirt.shtml#c230 Mon, 20 May 2013 08:11:37 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130518/17573523139/funniestmost-insightful-comments-week-techdirt.shtml#c230 long time.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/08324323118/trade-group-representing-many-large-companies-claims-that-exceptions-blind-would-cast-aside-copyright.shtml#c68 Mon, 20 May 2013 08:10:28 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/08324323118/trade-group-representing-many-large-companies-claims-that-exceptions-blind-would-cast-aside-copyright.shtml#c68
Don't be a filthy sight pirate. That would be breaking the DRM on your body, and that's far, far worse than raping someone, murdering them, and raping the corpse. out_of_the_blue agrees with this statement.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/09430123119/eu-commission-sued-refusing-to-reveal-trade-agreement-documents-they-shared-with-lobbyists.shtml#c224 Mon, 20 May 2013 08:08:31 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/09430123119/eu-commission-sued-refusing-to-reveal-trade-agreement-documents-they-shared-with-lobbyists.shtml#c224 We can hope...Indeed we can, but the anticapatory curtailing of in- and ex-haling is not recommended...]]> http://www.techdirt.com/blog/casestudies/articles/20130508/06065623001/new-hope-how-going-free-to-play-brought-redemption-to-star-wars-mmo.shtml#c362 Mon, 20 May 2013 08:04:58 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/blog/casestudies/articles/20130508/06065623001/new-hope-how-going-free-to-play-brought-redemption-to-star-wars-mmo.shtml#c362
"However, as it often the case in the free to play models, the people paying are only paying because the pay model is better than the free model."

Exactly. This is the crux of the argument. Whether it's EA's fiasco with Sim City, studios taking content off Netflix, regional and format windowing or even outright blocks, the moves of these companies has tended to be to make the paid version WORSE than the free version provided by pirates.

That's what people have been saying here all along. Make the paid version better than the pirated version (which is almost always possible), and people will pay. Make it worse, and people are less likely to pay. You'll never get anywhere with trying to force people to pay for an inferior product, but offer them a freebie then an upgrade? Not everyone will pay, but there's never been a time when 100% of entertainment consumers have paid for it - at least not directly.

"If they could get entirely for free what they have to pay for today, most if not all of them would just go free."

Do you have a citation, or is that just an assumption? I can certainly give examples of people paying for products that they can otherwise get for free, and many products have survived for many years without demanding an upfront payment from its audience. You just have to adjust for market realities - and artificial restrictions are no longer viable as a way to convince people to pay up.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/blog/casestudies/articles/20130508/06065623001/new-hope-how-going-free-to-play-brought-redemption-to-star-wars-mmo.shtml#c357 Mon, 20 May 2013 08:03:46 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/blog/casestudies/articles/20130508/06065623001/new-hope-how-going-free-to-play-brought-redemption-to-star-wars-mmo.shtml#c357
Exactly. Dedicated users will pay, but you need a large user base to make it appealing to dedicated users.

If the free version is satisfactory to most people then the free version is the actual product. This is a perfectly valid way to offer something for free, and is a proven model used all over the internet, from Techdirt to Vimeo to Dropbox to games.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/09430123119/eu-commission-sued-refusing-to-reveal-trade-agreement-documents-they-shared-with-lobbyists.shtml#c205 Mon, 20 May 2013 08:02:49 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/09430123119/eu-commission-sued-refusing-to-reveal-trade-agreement-documents-they-shared-with-lobbyists.shtml#c205
All I forsee is the US government playing ignorant (again) and pretending the documents the EU has to release about trade agreements don't exist and aren't public knowledge.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/08324323118/trade-group-representing-many-large-companies-claims-that-exceptions-blind-would-cast-aside-copyright.shtml#c67 Mon, 20 May 2013 08:02:13 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/08324323118/trade-group-representing-many-large-companies-claims-that-exceptions-blind-would-cast-aside-copyright.shtml#c67

Take a loopy tour of Techdirt.com! You always end up same place!
http://techdirt.com/
If Mike supports copyright, why are the pirates here? They take him same as I do: PRO-PIRACY!
04:02:02[f- 5-2]]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/08324323118/trade-group-representing-many-large-companies-claims-that-exceptions-blind-would-cast-aside-copyright.shtml#c51 Mon, 20 May 2013 07:57:32 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/08324323118/trade-group-representing-many-large-companies-claims-that-exceptions-blind-would-cast-aside-copyright.shtml#c51 http://www.techdirt.com/blog/casestudies/articles/20130508/06065623001/new-hope-how-going-free-to-play-brought-redemption-to-star-wars-mmo.shtml#c352 Mon, 20 May 2013 07:49:42 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/blog/casestudies/articles/20130508/06065623001/new-hope-how-going-free-to-play-brought-redemption-to-star-wars-mmo.shtml#c352
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonevangelho/2012/10/12/league-of-legends-bigger-than-wow-more-daily-players-than-call-of-duty/]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/06185923116/rice-university-professor-skynets-gonna-take-ur-jerbs.shtml#c916 Mon, 20 May 2013 07:47:58 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/06185923116/rice-university-professor-skynets-gonna-take-ur-jerbs.shtml#c916
http://botaday.com/node/1381

"There will be protests against gay-marrying robots."

http://botaday.com/node/969]]> http://www.techdirt.com/blog/casestudies/articles/20130508/06065623001/new-hope-how-going-free-to-play-brought-redemption-to-star-wars-mmo.shtml#c341 Mon, 20 May 2013 07:47:55 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/blog/casestudies/articles/20130508/06065623001/new-hope-how-going-free-to-play-brought-redemption-to-star-wars-mmo.shtml#c341
Plenty of products are 'free' and do quite well - because they are selling or buying something else (such as your attention).]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/22104223137/sophisticatedjanedoe-fightcopyrighttrolls-favorite-techdirt-posts-week.shtml#c1134 Mon, 20 May 2013 07:47:30 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/22104223137/sophisticatedjanedoe-fightcopyrighttrolls-favorite-techdirt-posts-week.shtml#c1134
Horse with no name would rather bicker about petty things, and attack someone's credibility like a college burnout then actually discuss things.

It makes him/her feel better about his terrible lot in life.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/blog/casestudies/articles/20130508/06065623001/new-hope-how-going-free-to-play-brought-redemption-to-star-wars-mmo.shtml#c323 Mon, 20 May 2013 07:47:11 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/blog/casestudies/articles/20130508/06065623001/new-hope-how-going-free-to-play-brought-redemption-to-star-wars-mmo.shtml#c323 "monthly average revenue for the game has more than doubled since we introduced the free-to-play option"

nuff said?

"This is an established franchise with tons of fans (of all ages, some with actual cash!) over more than 3 decades, and STILL can't get over 30 percent paying, 70 percent freeloaders!

guess not. Sigh.

Ootb -
Would you rather allow people to try parts of the game, play old content, and improve the gameplay for paying customers while reaching a larger audience or have a game where less people play and have a worse exerpeince (MMOs require players!)?

If you can improve the game by allowing people to play for free, that helps you even if they aren't paying. It allows the player/fan base to grow. Suddenly you have only 30% of people paying, but you also have 5-10 times more customers! Do the math, profits double. Yet people who can't wrap their heads around giving a product away to advertise and improve the experience don't give themselves the opportunity to allow their product (and thus profit) to reach it's potential. Then they b^tch and moan about da piratez (zomg!).]]> http://www.techdirt.com/blog/casestudies/articles/20130508/06065623001/new-hope-how-going-free-to-play-brought-redemption-to-star-wars-mmo.shtml#c307 Mon, 20 May 2013 07:46:16 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/blog/casestudies/articles/20130508/06065623001/new-hope-how-going-free-to-play-brought-redemption-to-star-wars-mmo.shtml#c307
Yes they were, indirectly at least, in the sense that the DRM wouldn't have made it so much of an issue if the game had been far cheaper. If the game client had been free, or priced at $20, the complaints would have been reduced. People weren't just pissed about the online requirement - they were pissed that they had so many problems after paying full price for it.

"In fact, SWTOR still has "online-only" requirements"

Of course it does, it's an MMORPG (guess what the O stands for). No Sim City game has ever had an enforced online or multiplay component in the past, while that's in the very nature of an MMO. Hence the different standards applied.

"All I am saying is that F2P makes sense in situations, but what going F2P changed in this case would not apply to fix what was wrong with Sim City."

No, what was wrong with Sim City would have been fixed by allowing people who wished to play it offline to do so after they've paid $60 for the game. Requiring any online mode for that game other than perhaps activation and patching was doomed from the start.

Using the freemium model would have helped remove many of the complaints, but what was wrong with the game is the point where they decided to crowbar online and multiplayer where people didn't want it, in a series that never needed it. Whereas an MMO needs online and multiplayer, it has no business being anything but an option in a game series that's fundamentally a solo experience.

So, it comes down to the design phase. Are you selling a boxed game for $60, or are you selling something that requires a subscription? If you want the $60 up front, you'd damn well better not lock up half the game behind a paywall (day one DLC), or force me to play my single player game online. If you want a subscription model, cheaper game clients will encourage adoption and you'll make more money in the long term (though people will expect content for that subscription).]]> http://www.techdirt.com/blog/casestudies/articles/20130508/06065623001/new-hope-how-going-free-to-play-brought-redemption-to-star-wars-mmo.shtml#c289 Mon, 20 May 2013 07:45:52 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/blog/casestudies/articles/20130508/06065623001/new-hope-how-going-free-to-play-brought-redemption-to-star-wars-mmo.shtml#c289 http://www.techdirt.com/blog/casestudies/articles/20130508/06065623001/new-hope-how-going-free-to-play-brought-redemption-to-star-wars-mmo.shtml#c271 Mon, 20 May 2013 07:45:08 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/blog/casestudies/articles/20130508/06065623001/new-hope-how-going-free-to-play-brought-redemption-to-star-wars-mmo.shtml#c271 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/09430123119/eu-commission-sued-refusing-to-reveal-trade-agreement-documents-they-shared-with-lobbyists.shtml#c183 Mon, 20 May 2013 07:43:53 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/09430123119/eu-commission-sued-refusing-to-reveal-trade-agreement-documents-they-shared-with-lobbyists.shtml#c183