Opinion

Robin Hood complex

People aren’t just looking for a free ride. They’re living in the modern world and expecting business models to keep up with them.

David Crafti, president of Pirate Party Australia, on illegal downloads. But is that ultimately true?

news.com.au has published the results of its survey on piracy and downloading habits, where respondents said they’d be willing to pay for TV programs, films, and music, if they were offered a cheap and legal service.

AFACT director Neil Gane is not so sure, claiming big companies can’t develop flexible business models because they can’t compete with free, illegal services.

Truly a Catch-22 situation; people say they download illegally because studios and broadcasters don’t offer a better alternative, while studios and broadcasters say they can’t develop said better alternatives until people stop downloading illegally.

Gane has two very valid points: are people just saying they’d pay if they were give the option? how can the entertainment industry fight this ‘Robin Hood’ complex where audiences feel they’re stealing from the filthy rich?

Perhaps technology and media companies have put out so many devices and so much disposable product that they have raised a generation that does not believe the content they consume is worth anything. Now, that’s a problem that’s bigger than any bit torrent service.

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