Quote:
Originally Posted by Harmon
I think that some people don't see a distinction between a potential sale and real sale that is prevented from occurring. They assume that every potential sale will turn into a real sale.
So they think that every time a file is copied, a real sale that otherwise would have been made has now been prevented.
It is the royalties or licensing fee or sale price for this prevented sale that is regarded as having been "stolen."
The question is, when is the assumption correct, and when not? It seems to me that copying for personal use always involves a question of time shifting or device shifting.
In that context, my own view is that I've already paid for the file, so nothing is "stolen." I think some people believe that you are required to buy the file again if you use it on a different device or outside the time parameters set by the "license" at the time of purchase.
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I'm somewhat with you. Not everyone who pirates is a potential sale. How many people would have bought it at any price? 2dboy, makers of World of Goo, did a sale where people could literally pay any price they wanted. They found out that while many people did buy, they still had people pirating. Price was basically removed from the equation, and some people felt that any price was too much.
Also, some who pirate can later become potential sales. I'll admit I've pirated music, often finding odd ball bands that others recommended and I couldn't get through ordinary channels. Once I find I like the band, I then track them down and buy their music. I got a big stack of CDs I've bought that way. If I had limited myself to normal commercial means (such as radio), I'd have not known about the band, other than a mention, and not bought their music. I've not done this with ebooks, because its easier to get a hold of stuff, and there is so much available for free, but the concept does hold. Person pirate, person likes pirated work, person buys.