Copyright Math

[Robert Roaldi]

Fun 5-minute video http://www.ted.com/talks/rob_reid_the_8_billion_ipod.html.

[Rob C]

Fun 5-minute video http://www.ted.com/talks/rob_reid_the_8_billion_ipod.html.

Not very funny, and the comments that follow below it are even more revealing of how cavalier the general attitude towards anybody else's property rights. Some of the excuses dreamed up as to why this theft is okay reveal the most interesting aspects of the writers' nature, the mental loop-the-loops they are prepared to perform to cover their shame.

Rob C

[RSL]

You have to have shame if you're going to try to cover it, Rob. These guys have nothing to cover.

[Rob C]

You have to have shame if you're going to try to cover it, Rob. These guys have nothing to cover.

Good point!

Rob C

[louoates]

What a lame bit. I guess it was the best a poor performer could do with equally poor material. The few laughs from the audience obviously came from his parents.

[Rob C]

What a lame bit. I guess it was the best a poor performer could do with equally poor material. The few laughs from the audience obviously came from his parents.

You're absolutely right. Apart from disagreeing with his premise, the embarrassment of the performance was an added pain. When greeted with silence, he didn't have the sense to move rapidly on to the next section of his piece, but hung on grimly waiting, just like a politician on tv, for applause that never came.

Rob C

[jeremypayne]

Wow ... you guys are cranky.

Lighten up! 

[Rob C]

Wow ... you guys are cranky.

Lighten up! 

Oh, you mean like in cheer when/because the guy holds up the board instructing you so?

Rob C

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

Oh, you mean like in cheer when/because the guy holds up the board instructing you so?

Rob C

[kencameron]

Apart from disagreeing with his premise, the embarrassment of the performance was an added pain.
Rob C

A lame performance, certainly, I had a very hard time lasting the distance,  but as for what I took to be his premise,  I don't thing he is wrong to suggest that there is room for debate about how economic losses due to copyright violation should be assessed. I would treat figures coming from industry association lawyers in the same way as I would police figures for the "street value" of drug seizures - with polite scepticism. Of course, it would be absurd to claim that theft (or drug dealing) becomes ok if the amounts of money (or drugs) are smaller - maybe that was his premise, in which case I also disagree with it. But the argument about numbers is relevant in considering what kind and scale of response is required, and what is politically achievable. In both areas, exaggerated numbers tend to be used to justify "big stick" approaches that may not be effective and may risk unintended consequences.

Rant over. Back to photography...

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Standard fallacy of arguments like these starts with the following: number of pirated copies x price per copy = total amount of lost sales... the problem lies in the fact that not all of those who pirate something are in the position or willing to buy it. It is one thing to get a pirated copy of, say, Photoshop with just a few clicks of a mouse, and completely another to shell out (often non-existing) $600 for it. Most pirating happens in developing countries, where $600 bucks could probably feed a family for months. Not condoning piracy, just trying to point out the fallacy that results in those astronomical "lost sales" numbers.

[Rob C]

Yes, I agree, though not sure whether piracy is more prevalent in poor countries.

A more pressing problem, or perhaps temptation, is brought about by the very high prices of some products, such as the PS example quoted, when at the end of the day, the buyer might not even be getting a CD for his moolah, and face all sorts of complications even once he has paid for his product should he wish to change computers or whatever... Yes, I understand totally about development costs etc. etc. but the feeling persists that these companies are simply unscrewing the living ass off most of us with their pricing techniques.

I realise that pretty offices and fairy-tale work-spaces are desirable, but hey, let's stay real and keep the product accessible; you tech-heads can keep your home pretty instead for far less than it takes to do it at work!

Rob C


P.S. Great for doing your photo work at night:

http://youtu.be/FStRkTOP81s

[EduPerez]

A long time ago I found a web page from someone that advertised his infallible method to turn successful any internet-based business. There was a postal address, a link to the page where such method was explained, and a requirement to send a one million dollar check before clicking the link.

Behind the link (no, I did not send the money) there was the promised method: "to turn successful any internet-based business you must make your incomes larger than your expenses". The page also explained the number of times such link had been clicked, that he had never received any check, and the amount of money he had already lost due to piracy.

The whole national debt, of all of the countries of this world put together, could have been paid with the money he had lost; yet, surprisingly, no government ever took his business seriously, and he kept losing money due to piracy.

[Rob C]

A long time ago I found a web page from someone that advertised his infallible method to turn successful any internet-based business. There was a postal address, a link to the page where such method was explained, and a requirement to send a one million dollar check before clicking the link.

Behind the link (no, I did not send the money) there was the promised method: "to turn successful any internet-based business you must make your incomes larger than your expenses". The page also explained the number of times such link had been clicked, that he had never received any check, and the amount of money he had already lost due to piracy.

The whole national debt, of all of the countries of this world put together, could have been paid with the money he had lost; yet, surprisingly, no government ever took his business seriously, and he kept losing money due to piracy.

Eduardo, you have to have lived on a little island to truly understand the heritage of piracy. Or, wear an old bandana, just like I do! Es igual; cè sempre la stessa cosa.

Rob C

[RFPhotography]

Standard fallacy of arguments like these starts with the following: number of pirated copies x price per copy = total amount of lost sales... the problem lies in the fact that not all of those who pirate something are in the position or willing to buy it. It is one thing to get a pirated copy of, say, Photoshop with just a few clicks of a mouse, and completely another to shell out (often non-existing) $600 for it. Most pirating happens in developing countries, where $600 bucks could probably feed a family for months. Not condoning piracy, just trying to point out the fallacy that results in those astronomical "lost sales" numbers.

And I think that's what the presentation was pointing out.  The numbers thrown around by the MPAA or RIAA are grossly inflated.  This shouldn't come as a surprise.  Those industry groups are trying to protect their interests and perhaps secondarily the interests of their artist members (suggesting that the two aren't necessarily in concert with each other).  There's no question that piracy of content and software results in lost revenue.  The quantum of that loss is really what's at issue.

The argument that there's a substitution between types of consumption doesn't completely hold water either; however.  While concert revenues, for example, may be up and while those incremental revenues may compensate for reduced revenue from recorded material, the argument can't be made that 'since overall revenues are higher there is no loss from piracy'.  That's an equally fallacious position as the economic loss numbers.  If I had been making $20 and lost $10 due to piracy (true loss, not inflated) but found another revenue stream at $15 I'm now at $25 which is better than 20 but that new revenue stream may have developed anyway so my total revenue may have been $35.  The numbers can be cooked in any way to support any argument.