Re: [dvd-discuss] ClearChannel Plays It Safe

[Scott A Crosby <crosby(at)qwes.math.cmu.edu>]

On Fri, 21 Sep 2001, Bryan Taylor wrote:


> The MPAA makes a similar argument when they say that without CSS, they wouldn't
> have offered movies to the public for sale. Congress fashions Copyright law
> precisely to encourage authors to bring their works to market so that the
> public may benefit from them. If you flippantly dismiss this argument, you will

Ah, but look at the marginal rate of return and economics:

Say we have these choices:

Law A brings 1,000,000,000 works to market, and imposes relatively low
costs on society.

Law B, because it offers disproprotinate reward, imposes extremely high
costs on society... And it brings 1,000,100,000 works to market.

Which law is better?

Right now, *THEY* claim that without (say) century-long copyright law,
there would be zero works brought to market. They try to make the
laws appear like:

Law A brings zero works to market, cause we, who love law B giving us huge
profits from 30 year old artistic works whos creators died 10 years ago
say it will.

When the real judgement should be, would the hypothetical marginal number
of extra works per year (one million) generated by Law B be worth the
incredible costs to society of having Law B?

Remember:

We have an insatiable demand for entertainment. NOBODY expects that demand
to reduce.  THEY are a large source of this entertainment.. There is a
demand and a supply; *many* artistic works will be produced and enjoyed.

Does anyone seriously think they would have refused to bring DVDs to
market?  (Exactly like they have yet to bring VCR tapes to market). DVD's
are cheaper to produce, sell for more, thus have higher profit margins.

Had DVD's not come out, most likely VCD's would have filled that role.
People making their own VCD's for their computer, later some manufacturers
selling standalone VCD consoles, and eventually, the MPAA members,
realizing the market, the same with VCR's, would have switched to VCD's
due to their reduced prices and higher manufacturing costs.

A DVD-like thing was coming, whether they did it or not, wanted it or not.
Just like MP3.. And, just like the VCR, they'd exploit the great new
moneymaking opportunities it'd offer.


Scott