This is indeed the 'correct' (or at least more correct) interpretation of what 'property' means in the digital context.
On the other hand, I can't help but wonder whether Hollywood and BigContent is trying to have it both ways. A big part of the problem is that BigContent tried very hard in the 90s and early 2000s to get it into the consumer's mind that intellectual property is analogous to physical or personal property. Remember those ads, like "Don't copy that floppy", or "You wouldn't download a car"? They deliberately (for obvious reasons) tried to make the same analogy.
And now, here they are, finally after more than a decade spent kicking and screaming and suing everyone in sight, are trying to adapt to the business models consumers have been waiting for - and now they come back and claim that "oh, we didn't really mean that this is like personal property at all - we're just giving you a limited license and we can take it away at any time!"
There's a certain degree of cognitive dissonance at work here, and if I was an "average" consumer I'd probably be a little bid confused and a little bit unhappy about the severely limited rights I've been given after all I've been hearing and what I've been used to.
The eBook industry is a good example - the oligopoly of publishers has managed to set the prices for eBooks at virtually the same prices as physical books, and in some cases even more expensive than physical books. Yet, the rights I have with my eBook are far less than with a physical book (recall the Kindle issues and the woman who had her access revoked).
Is this BigContent's new business model? Charge more for less rights? If so, I think the outrage is understandable (if not legally or philosophically well formed).
Comments
This is indeed the 'correct' (or at least more correct) interpretation of what 'property' means in the digital context.
On the other hand, I can't help but wonder whether Hollywood and BigContent is trying to have it both ways. A big part of the problem is that BigContent tried very hard in the 90s and early 2000s to get it into the consumer's mind that intellectual property is analogous to physical or personal property. Remember those ads, like "Don't copy that floppy", or "You wouldn't download a car"? They deliberately (for obvious reasons) tried to make the same analogy.
And now, here they are, finally after more than a decade spent kicking and screaming and suing everyone in sight, are trying to adapt to the business models consumers have been waiting for - and now they come back and claim that "oh, we didn't really mean that this is like personal property at all - we're just giving you a limited license and we can take it away at any time!"
There's a certain degree of cognitive dissonance at work here, and if I was an "average" consumer I'd probably be a little bid confused and a little bit unhappy about the severely limited rights I've been given after all I've been hearing and what I've been used to.
The eBook industry is a good example - the oligopoly of publishers has managed to set the prices for eBooks at virtually the same prices as physical books, and in some cases even more expensive than physical books. Yet, the rights I have with my eBook are far less than with a physical book (recall the Kindle issues and the woman who had her access revoked).
Is this BigContent's new business model? Charge more for less rights? If so, I think the outrage is understandable (if not legally or philosophically well formed).