I agree that it doesn't make economic sense now to hold various types of material, but then I guess laser printers and cartridges used to be pretty expensive to

I agree that it doesn't make economic sense now to hold various types of material, but then I guess laser printers and cartridges used to be pretty expensive too. I'm thinking long-term here. > What reason would designers/manufacturers have to do that when they know they won't be able to make a living when their products get pirated? The same reasons people still write software and make music, even though they know their products get pirated - you can still make money from it. I agree though, it will be a completely disruptive innovation from the point of view of designers and manufacturers.