Cory Doctorow: "I've bought the CD, it belongs to me, I'm free to sell it on, throw it out, or give it away. The RIAA has no legitimate interest in the aftermarket for my lawfully acquired property."via [Jake's Radio 'Blog]
The record companies are a trip. They can't figure out a new revenue model so they're going to keep pulling the levers on the old model until they completely break it. I didn't realize it until yesterday (when a friend showed me) but there are sites now that have CD covers (i.e. exact replicas) that you can print (same for the donut insert on the CD itself) so if you copy a CD you have a completely identical copy of the CD. So now you can get the entire CD and all of the things that make it look like the original, apparently free of charge (and certainly without royalty to the copyright holders). Wow!
The reason I mention this is not that I would do this (I wouldn't only because I don't have the time or inclination right now). But if the record companies would make old titles (which cost considerations make it difficult to keep in inventory at record stores) available online, then I would certainly pay one or two bucks to download those titles. And if the record companies had the album covers and jewel case information for download I would go there. I would rather have the music from a reputable source (and I think so would most other people). That availability would perhaps drive out the weak competition (which is now strong because it's the only game in town). Even if the competition didn't go away, at least the record companies would make money. Hell they might even make more under the new model. But, as Cory points out, these Content King's never embrace technology. And, invariably, technology winds up putting more money in their pocket than if it hadn't been introduced.
Like I said, these guys are completely Pavlovian. And if the old dog can't learn a new trick, then make way for the new dog...
9:17:07 AM
Trademark Blog has new name & files this report...
The use of sports teams' logos on merchandise is another perceived David v. Goliath trademark issue, pitting the greedy team owners against the small businessman who merely wants to provide the fan with the opportunity to express his/her allegiance to his/her favorite team, with logo merchandise at popular prices.
Arsenal, not quite in the same league (fame-wise, not soccer-wise) as ManUtd, sued some guy who hung out near the stadium selling scarves which said ARSENAL on them. He made it clear that these were unauthorized. via [Famous Brands At Discount Prices]
I didn't copy the whole post, so if you are interested in this go read the rest of it at Martin Schwimmer's site, which is a great resource for Trademark law -- even for European law, which is what this post is about.
9:02:27 AM
