Quote:
Originally Posted by acidzebra
Again, I don't think you can keep up this "discrete units of culture" thought. Electronic media is endlessly reproducible at zero additional cost. Usage count is what, um, counts - not unique copies, as they won't exist any longer. Or at least not exclusively.
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Yes, the production and per-unit cost equations have changed forever, thanks to digital media. But this does not address the essential fact that people who produce those creative works, whatever the per-unit cost, deserve to be compensated for their work, just like any other worker. Discussion about production differences and unit costs merely obscures the real point of this discussion.
Do you believe that creative people have no right to make money from their work? Do you believe that you, as a consumer, have no responsibility to compensate an artist, not even a dime, for a work you obtain? Do you, as a consumer, believe that you and you alone should have the final say on what someone else deserves to make from their work?
And if you do believe these things... how do you expect artists to make a living, and thereby afford the time it takes to create the works you crave? And knowing they cannot profit from their efforts, why should an artist even bother to create works someone else will simply steal?
These are the issues concerning piracy... not per-unit costs, copyright details, or DRM.
Being fair to the creators must be addressed, not obscured by cost debates and endless semantics.