Quote:
Originally Posted by ardeegee
I'll give you the benefit of the doubt of English not being your first language leading to you not knowing what "artificial scarcity" is. Give the Wikipedia entry a look:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_scarcity
ALL digital media has the potential of being copied to every person on the planet (who has a computer or other capable playback device) with a marginal cost per copy of essentially zero. The creators of the content try to restrict that happening by the means of encryption, threats of prosecution, and "social engineering" like this classic cluelessly lame video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up863eQKGUI
and this less well know but equally cluelessly lame sequel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUCyvw4w_yk
Computer media is the perfect example of artificial scarcity.
So? A fundamental shift came to human society when we went from hunter-gatherers to farmers. Another one came when we developed large-scale, assembly-line industrialization. Entire ways of looking at the world changed. We adapted, and moved on. We are in the midst of another fundamental shift in society. And no number of sabots thrown into the machinery will stop it. And generations from now, the only ones morning the buggy-whip makers will be elderly former buggy-whip makers. |
I have heard the term, what I mean is that it is a misnomer created by some people to justify certain behaviors. Yes, society has always changed. Cars have replaced horse buggies and new road and safety rules were created to apply to those new technologies. I am fully embracing the new age, I used computers since 1983 and started using smart phones with the old Treo 270. But just like it is not right to take that Ferrari parked at the side of the road with the key in it (even when nobody is watching and you are 100% sure you won't get caught) it is not right to take somebody else's ideas just because you can -- same as you don't take his or her physical possessions.
And you completely misunderstood my point. What YOU are suggesting is stifling creativity and innovation. A very important part of the driving force for any new creation has always been the prospect of some material gain. You are exactly suggesting that only the buggy whip makers survive because nobody wants to make new products. So why bother making cars, let everybody just keep using the old horse buggies. Think about it, if a new book in ebook form is not protected, why should a design for a revolutionary new car engine? You can copy the the design files just as well, shouldn't they be free? These days, ideas are the most valuable things in society.
Western society has to move forward and live off new ideas, and the only way to do it is to protect those ideas, not a free for all where everybody loses -- including you and me. You just don't realize the real price you were paying for those freebies if everyone did the same.
I have mentioned it before, there is a brave new way for a digital world where everything is given away free by the copyright holders. You might call it Google's vision, every second page of every ebook is an ad. Or a link to some Google service. And the music on your mp3 stops every 20 secs for an ad. That could very well become the brave new world you are helping to bring about. Seems like a nightmare to me, I would rather pay for it. There is no free lunch, as they say.