Linked by Thom Holwerda on Mon 14th Mar 2011 23:22 UTC
"A major new report from a consortium of academic researchers concludes that media piracy can't be stopped through 'three strikes' Internet disconnections, Web censorship, more police powers, higher statutory damages, or tougher criminal penalties. That's because the piracy of movies, music, video games, and software is 'better described as a global pricing problem'. And the only way to solve it is by changing the price."
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Member since:2005-08-18
Member since:2005-07-06
At least they realized it before the media companies who still hasn't figured it out.
But I think the point the original poster was getting at is the fact that this is hardly shocking news for those living in the real world - when Adobe is charging NZ$1000+ for their software is it any surprise that they're so wildly pirated? It is interesting though with AppStore it has operated as a downward pressure on software vendors to reduce their prices. People aren't going to pay a huge amount for something when they can readily compare it to other products in the virtual store - I can only hope that maybe in the future there will be downward pressure on movies and music - and some actors might have to cope with the fact that they aren't going to be paid $120million to appear in a film.
Member since:2009-12-25
Member since:
2006-08-17
In Russia, for instance, researchers noted that legal versions of the film The Dark Knight went for $15. That price, akin to what a US buyer would pay, might sound reasonable until you realize that Russians make less money in a year than US workers. As a percentage of their wages, that $15 price is actually equivalent to a US consumer dropping $75 on the film. Pirate versions can be had for one-third the price.
So, how many brain dead Phd´s did it take them to figure out that the lack of an international price policy was the main reason behind piracy ???
I mean ... really ... was it _that_ hard to figure out that _nobody_ in the third world (or in any place on earth) would spent 20% of his/hers monthly income on a DVD movie/game/software/content when he/she can get the same thing for a mere 1% or less ???