Matt 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (38) comment rss

  • On the post: Book Publishers Starting To Delay eBook Releases — Taking Bad Ideas From Hollywood

    Matt ( profile ), 11 Dec, 2009 @ 07:24am

    Some good thoughts from Seth Godin on alternative business strategies with digital books.

    http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/12/the-magic-of-dynamic-pricing.html

  • On the post: Is There Any New Technology The Copyright Industry Hasn't Tried To Stop?

    Matt ( profile ), 14 Oct, 2009 @ 08:14am

    Re: Re:

    Would you prefer no patent or copyright system, but things only exposed to the public when they become actual products? You could sit on your PII Intel computer and connect via your 56k modem and enjoy the internet that way, because that would be all you would have. Many developments in communication and computer hardware have been based on looking at patents and other public annoucements, finding out it is possible, and moving forward. Waiting for the products to actually hit the market before starting that process would slow progress tremendously. We would have a huge market of closed PII computers, but the PIII would probably still be in development (secretly)


    I did not know that Intel only released the Pentium 3 due to IP protection. Could you please point to some references of this?

  • On the post: Why Fining People Can Actually Increase That Activity… An Economics Lesson

    Matt ( profile ), 06 Oct, 2009 @ 12:01pm

    Another example

    Dan Pink had a good TED talk on how assigning monetary value to results can reduce performance. A good example of how the marginal benefit in self empowering employees can be valued more than monetary compensation.

    http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pink_on_motivation.html

  • On the post: Reasons Why Copyright On Art And Music Could Be Deemed Unconstitutional

    Matt ( profile ), 31 Jul, 2009 @ 01:00pm

    Re: sui generis protection

    The article is about the writing of an intellectual property law professor. Why not join the conversation and further explain why the commerce clause supersedes this.

  • On the post: Should Wedding Party In Viral YouTube Video Get A Cut Of Music Sale Profits?

    Matt ( profile ), 31 Jul, 2009 @ 08:32am

    They are monetizing it

    The couple is using this to raise money for a foundation trying to end domestic abuse.

    http://www.jkweddingdance.com/

  • On the post: A Closer Look At The Marburgers' Plan To Save Newspapers Via Copyright Law

    Matt ( profile ), 23 Jul, 2009 @ 01:43pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Marburger analyses

    The flaw here is in Dave's business model. He has created an undifferentiated product that does warrant his high price premium.

    In my business there are always new companies coming along trying to create low cost knockoffs. We maintain our price premium because of our service, reputation, quality, etc.

  • On the post: Amazon Acquires Zappos; Zappos Pretends It's Not Really An Acquisition

    Matt ( profile ), 23 Jul, 2009 @ 12:12pm

    VC's work

    Reports are coming out that this is the work of the VC firm that funded most of the company. The CEO wanted to stay independent.

    http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2009/07/20/daily56.html

  • On the post: A Closer Look At The Marburgers' Plan To Save Newspapers Via Copyright Law

    Matt ( profile ), 22 Jul, 2009 @ 07:52pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Marburger analyses

    I am curious how you would apply relational rights from a practical standpoint. If you do not grant property rights or copyright to facts, how do you prove that a "parasitic aggregator" is "free riding" off specific content. As long as they provide only the facts, they should be in the clear.

    Am I misreading this?

  • On the post: The Zer01 Story: Lots Of Buzz, But Is It Actually Real…?

    Matt ( profile ), 22 Jul, 2009 @ 07:37pm

    Ben Kingsley approved?

    The picture of Ben Kingsley at http://www.mygvbiz.com/catcreekgroup/company.html with the phone reminded me of the Sopranos episode he was in. In the episode ( http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2006/04/ben_kingsley_on.html ) he is at a spa collecting a swag bag and having his photo taken to imply endorsement.

  • On the post: CwF + RtB = Techdirt

    Matt ( profile ), 22 Jul, 2009 @ 03:58pm

    Re: Re: Re: I can see into the future

    Yes, I understand the way rss works. Maybe create a private feed based on user profile?

  • On the post: A Closer Look At The Marburgers' Plan To Save Newspapers Via Copyright Law

    Matt ( profile ), 22 Jul, 2009 @ 03:56pm

    Re: Re: One more thing about the analyses

    Setting up a collection society as mentioned in #2 is dangerous on many levels.

    1. Who do we declare a news originator? Is this compulsory for anybody who publishes to the internet? Seems that this would favor the large publications.
    2. How do you verify the first source for a news story? Multiple sources could cover an event at the same time. How do you know which one "deserves" the license?
    3. Everyone is now a publisher. Would I need a license to link and comment about a story in my twitter feed? We have already seen this with ASCAP now asking mechanics to pay performance fees for having a radio on in the garage.

    Also groups like ASCAP have shown to have many issues of their own. Take a look at a few examples.

    http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20090109/1823043352.shtml
    http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20090302/0200473945.shtml
    http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20090709/0109185492.shtml

  • On the post: CwF + RtB = Techdirt

    Matt ( profile ), 20 Jul, 2009 @ 11:53am

    Re: I can see into the future

    Yes, a crystal ball rss feed would be great

  • On the post: CwF + RtB = Techdirt

    Matt ( profile ), 20 Jul, 2009 @ 11:44am

    Great Experiment

    This is a great experiment and I am looking forward to hearing about the results.

    You might need to be careful with the no techdirt for a year option. You may have just given a reason for the collection societies to spend the money they have been holding for all these years ;)

  • On the post: Yet Another Study Shows That Weaker Copyright Benefits Everyone

    Matt ( profile ), 17 Jun, 2009 @ 02:01pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Some honesty, please

    "The problem with the examples that have been given is that they are the exception, not the rule."

    Would you care to post some examples of the rule?

  • On the post: Once Again, Before Sending A DMCA Takedown, It Helps To Actually Own The Content

    Matt ( profile ), 14 Jun, 2009 @ 09:15pm

    Discovery Institute, meet the Streisand Effect

  • On the post: Ticketmaster Takes Another Stab At Shutting Down Scalpers With Paperless Tickets

    Matt ( profile ), 10 Jun, 2009 @ 02:46pm

    Can't wait to see the fee I get to pay for this added "convenience"

  • On the post: Dangerous Appeals Court Ruling Opens Up Google To Trademark Liability In AdWords

    Matt ( profile ), 06 Apr, 2009 @ 03:27pm

    Let's hope Google Fights this

    With this lawsuit going to the core of Google's business, let's hope Google fights this to the end. This is one case where it does not seem to be easier/cheaper to pay off the plaintiff.

  • On the post: Those Who Surf Facebook And YouTube At Work Are Often More Productive

    Matt ( profile ), 02 Apr, 2009 @ 01:33pm

    Yes, but it does not talk about how much time we spend here at Techdirt during the day ;)