"[2] Copyright owners tend to focus on the aspect they see of piracy, which is the lost revenue. They therefore think what drives users to do it is the desire to get something for free. But iTunes shows that people will pay for stuff online, if you make it easy. A significant component of piracy is simply that it offers a better user experience."
Man, is this ever true. I like to watch tennis a lot - which, being a niche sport, is often not on TV. The memphis finals were televised in some places, but not others. There was a web stream, but dig this - it was not available in the US because of broadcasting rights. And it was limited to PCs (not Mac's)!
So I'm thinking about anti-piracy efforts, including a lot of moralizing about how piracy is the equivalent of stealing (which, in some cases, it may well be). A network bought coverage, declined to air it in my area, but also banned a web feed that I would have gladly paid for, but with DRM that prevents it from working on my Mac.
But I shouldn't watch a rogue feed, because Piracy would be, you know, wrong. I should just be a passive viewer and decide to enjoy what the network decided I should be watching that day.
Keep in mind, I'm more than willing to pay. I'm trying to pay.
Their assumption, and it's true for most people, is that you're going to watch something. If they don't put tennis on, you'll watch whatever they do show, even if it's arena wrestling. So even by watching something niche that they wouldn't broadcast anyway, you're stealing.
This probably isn't true for tennis, but it probably is true for a lot of things. So you may have a pretty good reading on the mentality of the networks here.
I'm not sure they're quite that sophisticated, though. I think they're reasoning is more along the lines of "I own that, I decide how and when it will be viewed!" Kind of a total war mentality, where they're even willing to shoot themselves in the foot to defend copyright.
I don't know much about copyright law, but this behavior does seem to run counter to the spirit of the law, which is to encourage the creation and dissemination of content by granting a "temporary" monopoly for the creator. In theory, this would expand the amount of content available to the public. But what I constantly encounter is the use of copyright to restrict access to content by limiting what I can view, see, hear, or read - as well as attacking the technologies that promote the dissemination of content because they are used (extensively, I admit) for copyright violation.
It's all gone so wrong. Because congress has shown a willingness to grant extensions to copyrights that were set to expire, and the supreme court has decided that copyrights with repeated extensions don't qualify as copyrights in perpetuity, it's hard to believe that the monopoly is temporary. For all practical purposes, it's permanent - and the copyright cartel is more than willing to use them to shut down the tech factor.
I do agree with PG that there's no turning back the tide. The computer will defeat the TV. But the temporary delay can be a real pain in the ass.
That's just one more reason they're going to lose. That assumption no longer applies because I'm not going to watching something I'm going to watch or play or make something.
Everyone is afraid of getting hosed by not anticipating future rights. Everyone knows how actors lost out by agreeing to a much smaller percentage of DVD revenue than for films (because they underestimated the market and profit margins), and everyone is determined to not let that happen to them.
This kind of fear propagates faster than actual realistic fears because you sound wise by talking about the future. So lawyers can always "add value" by cautioning against some deal that might be disadvantageous in 20 years.
Man, is this ever true. I like to watch tennis a lot - which, being a niche sport, is often not on TV. The memphis finals were televised in some places, but not others. There was a web stream, but dig this - it was not available in the US because of broadcasting rights. And it was limited to PCs (not Mac's)!
So I'm thinking about anti-piracy efforts, including a lot of moralizing about how piracy is the equivalent of stealing (which, in some cases, it may well be). A network bought coverage, declined to air it in my area, but also banned a web feed that I would have gladly paid for, but with DRM that prevents it from working on my Mac.
But I shouldn't watch a rogue feed, because Piracy would be, you know, wrong. I should just be a passive viewer and decide to enjoy what the network decided I should be watching that day.
Keep in mind, I'm more than willing to pay. I'm trying to pay.