Re: SFWA Folds its ePiracy Committee - For Now

In article <190n94h1ufqu6.1tlly81kgsxp8.dlg@xxxxxxxxxx>,
warlocke@xxxxxxxxxxxx says...

Charging trade paperback prices, or in some instances /hardbound/
prices, for e-books is an example of "value pricing", which is a
euphemism for trying to invert the market. Rule No. 1 of modern
economics is that /the customer sets the value/ -- if the price is equal
to or lower than the value the customer places on the item the
transaction takes place, otherwise not. "Value pricing" is an attempt by
the seller to decree a value and charge accordingly. Invariably the
customers vote with their wallets unless compelled somehow, and if
compelled the situation builds resentment that eventually will destroy
the system -- it's why there is no "Digital Equipment Corporation" any
more, for instance.

DRM is an attempt by sellers (publishers) to decree value and charge
accordingly. The generally counterproductive, and increasingly
hysterical, attempts to impose and enforce it simply generate further
resentment and therefore further attempts to avoid or destroy it. This
whole incident is simply an example of that. You can paddle upstream so
long as the river is wide and deep, but the rapids are much more
difficult to negotiate.

Hows do they compel customers to buy the product, as you seem to be
implying they do? If customers are not compelled to purchase the
goods, Rule No. 1 would still seem to apply.

There seems to be a plank omitted from your argument, something to the
effect that potential customers will pirate e-books if they don't like
the price for which they are on offer, and that there's nothing
copyright holders can do about it.

If that's what you're really saying, why not say it outright? Of
course, it does make it rather more difficult to blame everything on
the stupidity of publishers.

- Gerry Quinn



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