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sirbruce · 04-06-2009, 01:28 PM

Sure, but the Flint/Baen position has the same flaws as many other positions that have been discussed here:

1. It doesn't claim that copyright infringement by copying and sharing ebooks is moral. Just the opposite; it's still wrong, just not a big enough deal to engage in something like DRM. So if you're anti-DRM, you might support the Baen position, but if you're a pirate, there's nothing in the Baen position that should make you feel justified. Just happy that you won't have to deal with DRM.

2. It admits that this position is only tenable since ebook piracy is not a larger problem yet, and has no answers for what to do when ebooks become more popular and ebook piracy becomes a far larger problem financially. It's like the music industry considering the problem of music piracy in 1990, without any clue what the Internet was about to become.

3. Baen's free library giveaway focuses primarily on giving away first books of series. It's not surprising in this case that the resulting impact is more positive than negative; these are older books that aren't selling a lot anyway, and it's stimulating interest in a new series that translates into many new sales. But if offering for free was ALWAYS a positive, since it would prompt a lot of people to buy anyway, why do we not see any COMPLETE series being offered for free? Or offer every book in two forms: free, and a pay version? If customers are so eager to "do the right thing" and will pay for what they like, then this should be no problem for Baen, right? But you won't see them do that.

I'm not criticizing the Baen approach. Not at all; it's quite progressive. But while it does it's best to work in spite of ebook piracy, it's hardly a blueprint for supporting or even accepting the practice.

04-06-2009, 01:28 PM	#694
sirbruce Provocateur Posts: 1,859 Karma: 505847 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Columbus, OH Device: Kindle Touch, Kindle 2, Kindle DX, iPhone 3GS	Sure, but the Flint/Baen position has the same flaws as many other positions that have been discussed here: 1. It doesn't claim that copyright infringement by copying and sharing ebooks is moral. Just the opposite; it's still wrong, just not a big enough deal to engage in something like DRM. So if you're anti-DRM, you might support the Baen position, but if you're a pirate, there's nothing in the Baen position that should make you feel justified. Just happy that you won't have to deal with DRM. 2. It admits that this position is only tenable since ebook piracy is not a larger problem yet, and has no answers for what to do when ebooks become more popular and ebook piracy becomes a far larger problem financially. It's like the music industry considering the problem of music piracy in 1990, without any clue what the Internet was about to become. 3. Baen's free library giveaway focuses primarily on giving away first books of series. It's not surprising in this case that the resulting impact is more positive than negative; these are older books that aren't selling a lot anyway, and it's stimulating interest in a new series that translates into many new sales. But if offering for free was ALWAYS a positive, since it would prompt a lot of people to buy anyway, why do we not see any COMPLETE series being offered for free? Or offer every book in two forms: free, and a pay version? If customers are so eager to "do the right thing" and will pay for what they like, then this should be no problem for Baen, right? But you won't see them do that. I'm not criticizing the Baen approach. Not at all; it's quite progressive. But while it does it's best to work in spite of ebook piracy, it's hardly a blueprint for supporting or even accepting the practice.