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> We have entered a world where for pretty much the first time, the marginal cost of creating a copy of something is zero, for all intents and purposes. We don'
by chc 14y ago
> We have entered a world where for pretty much the first time, the marginal cost of creating a copy of something is zero, for all intents and purposes. We don't have any economic theories (or business models) that can deal with that yet.
I'm not sure that's true. It seems to me that SaaS is a business model that directly addresses the situation. Take a look at 37signals' apps, the current #1 video game League of Legends, GitHub, etc. None of them require DRM — they just don't give you anything you can meaningfully "steal." It's an extremely resilient business model, and I will bet you any sum of money you like that the industry will continue heading in the direction of services.
- Evbn 14y agoThe media analogy is to kill DVD/streaming and revert to movie theater only.
- chc 14y agoThat is indeed the most direct analogy from a logistical perspective, but I suspect the actual media analogy in terms of effect is just to put out "safer" content (e.g. Yet Another Blockbuster 3: Bust Blocks Harder), which also offers pirates less incentive to go through the trouble to copy it since it isn't very interesting — except when you're walking by a Redbox thinking "What should I do tonight?"