Quote:
Originally Posted by nekokami
Well, but the thing is, Steve, many of us do feel that DRM is more of a hindrance to legitimate customers than it is to pirates, and that the hoped for advantages are grossly outweighed by the disadvantages.
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I've never said that the present DRM systems are efficient or effective. At the same time, that doesn't mean a workable DRM system can't be devised, as other industries (example, cable TV) have already demonstrated. And on the subject, downloading a show from the web is not "defeating DRM," because the program is generally pulled from the internet after it has been aired on TV, when it is no longer considered exclusive content. If everyone was willing to wait for syndication to see a new show, we wouldn't even have cable TV.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nekokami
I don't think if someone posts that they think DRM is disadvantageous, or even that they think that authors should be paid a flat rate per book rather than a royalty, that it is necessarily a personal attack on you.
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Not necessarily, no. When stated in a sarcastic reply that is little more than "Oh yeah? Says you!" without making a constructive point...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lemurion
The only thing that really works is getting people to want to pay for things rather than pirate them; and the first step toward that is making them feel that the creator is not the enemy...
One of the basic fundamentals of human socialization is that it's okay to cheat the enemy. This is why it's so important to make people want to pay, because it will reduce (nothing can eliminate it) piracy and render DRM irrelevant.
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It's a valid point. Unfortunately, we also have a situation where people believe that an electronic file downloaded from the internet should cost NO money... which means anyone who charges even a dime for a file becomes "the enemy."
This is why I contend that the status of electronic files needs to be established, i.e.: Are they "product," are they "data," are they "value-less copies," etc. We must establish that before we can establish whether or not they should have a "value," and therefore whether people should be willing to pay for them.
Answering that question may also lead us to other methods of establishing payment for electronic files besides consumer payments... methods that will render DRM systems moot.