Quote:
Originally Posted by DMcCunney
I haven't seen any of the non-free Baen offerings pirated, but then, I haven't looked. They probably are, since everything else is, and it's easier because Baen doesn't apply DRM.
But I don't think Baen is concerned.
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I believe this is true. Non-free Baen books are indeed available in pirate ebook collections & torrents, and Baen has been, AFAIK, profoundly unconcerned about this.
Baen has some awareness how many of its would-be paying customers are scouring the torrent sites looking for freebies instead of paying the occasional $6 for a choice book or $15/month for a bundle. And aware how many poverty-stricken college students are going to read books (and listen to music) they can get for free, and ten years from now, will have jobs that let them pay for their entertainment.
Baen's statement: "Online piracy — while it is definitely illegal and immoral — is, as a practical problem, nothing more than (at most) a nuisance. We're talking brats stealing chewing gum, here, not the Barbary Pirates."
Should movie theatres lock their back doors to keep kids from sneaking in without paying? Sure. Should they post armed guards at those doors to prevent a kid's friend from buying a ticket and letting four of his friends in for free? Of course not.
Baen has an idea how much money they're actually losing to "pirates:" less than they'd lose by treating their customers all as potential thieves. Baen is also aware that, for the time being, ebook freebies increase paper sales. Eventually, that'll probably change & they may have to rethink their policies--but they've been working for a decade, and that's plenty long enough for any business plan that deals with cutting-edge technology.