Copyright infringement Micro-payments has a Solution
From the Lawyers Weekly reports that with the arrival and succeeding increasing popularity of the Internet, micro-infringements of copyright, especially when they pertain to artistic works like music and film, have been rampant. However, this activity in fact inspired micro-payments, a revenue model that, while in stark contrast to those formerly in place, actually stands to support a revival for copyright and a new business model for copyright holders.
Two myths of copyright law are that:
-piracy is rampant to the point of killing the business of all content creators; and
-there is an inexorable trend for all content to be free and no one will pay for anything online.
Lawyers Weekly stated that the music industry is fond of telling us that revenue in the music industry is down quite dramatically. But, so too are the costs of distribution: $9.99 for an album on iTunes is likely the gross margin equivalent for the content creation industry standard of $20 for a CD at HMV.
With no tangible media (the CD) online, there are no costs for packaging, shipping, stocking, shrinkage or returns, and no capital is tied up in inventory. Accordingly, while a 50 percent reduction in revenues would be dramatic for the music industry, it is not clear that it will be fatal to the recording industry.
The truth is that for the consumer, downloading songs is a better distribution model for acquiring music legitimately than purchasing tangible media like CDs at a store. The consumer experiences more choice, more flexibility in purchasing and can purchase anywhere at any time.
Yet the music industry was shockingly late to offer consumers a legitimate, user-friendly way to buy online, and it is possible that without the prodding of Apple, the industry would have resisted much longer. iTunes was finally launched in 2003 and before iTunes, there really was no legitimate way for most consumers to buy music online.
In the brief time since its launch, iTunes has now become the leading music vendor ahead of all conventional outlets, and it shows no signs of slowing dramatically. According to Apple’s 2008 Annual Report, its revenue grew 34 percent in 2008.
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