The $8 billion iPod

[KeyMaster45]

I ran multiple searches and came up empty. I apologize in advance if this has already been posted.

A new TED talk was posted today having to do with the subject of "copyright math".


Now for those who're inevitably going to skip the video, due lack of time or other reasons, the talk basically points out the absurdity of how the media industry measures it's financial losses and how the math is just outright wrong. So yes, the topic at hand here is exactly how much of a threat do illegal downloads really pose, and do you agree/disagree with what is put forth in the video as evidence.

 

[omega 616]

I dunno what the topic is but damn that was quite entertaining!

The second he said quantitative and I thought "Oh fuck! I am not going to get this!" but it's easy to understand.

I wonder how these numbers where made up by these big corporations, there surely must be a way they come up with it 'cos otherwise it seems a little like the game "higher or lower"!

"200 billion is lost due to copyright infringement!"
"No, I don't think we can get away with that much, how about 10K?"
"Nah, not shocking enough ... 8 billion?"
"....Yeah, ok ... 8 billion it is!"

 

[CODE-D]

You cant count loss of money that you never had.
If someone downloaded it, they either werent going to buy it anyway, couldnt, or were but at a later time.

 

[Lucem712]

Aww, I was hoping this was going to be an iPod bedazzled with diamonds and the tears of orphans. [Disappointing much]

 

[Brandon237]

Oh that was beautiful, had I been in the audience there I would have embarrassed myself with my laughter >.<

It makes you wonder doesn't it, and I like that he could get the message across with Layman's terms as opposed to the full economic shpeel that makes me leave with a "whut" expression on my face.

 

[Strain42]

I thought this topic was gonna be that somebody auctioned off Steve Jobs' personal iPod or something...

 

[Brandon237]

Aww, I was hoping this was going to be an iPod bedazzled with diamonds and the tears of orphans. [Disappointing much]

Don't forget that the cover was meant to be made from the baby-fur of an almost extinct species of seal and the neutron-denegerate matter paint-coat to give it that nice black gloss. But at least we can know that the 14 copyright-holder made remixes of Vanilla Ice Baby on said iPod were worth enough to buy Mars. Small mercies

 

[Tipsy Giant]

The information age will be based on freedom of information, not restricting it - Lawrence Lessig

That's paraphrased badly, but the point is there.
I'm sorry but the internet has changed everything when it comes to distribution, changing you business model is a necessity, not blaming a better system for making information sharing easier

 

[ElPatron]

Or you know would have bought it if the option to download it was not available.

Or they wouldn't....

Why do people believe that someone who pirates does it because "it's free"?

If that was the case, the music industry would have $0 revenue every year.

 

[MASTACHIEFPWN]

If there is a near-infinate supply, that supply is worth nothing.

Even so, I think a lot of people who pirate (About half) would buy it if there weren't a piracy option.

 

[Phlakes]

You cant count loss of money that you never had.
If someone downloaded it, they either werent going to buy it anyway, couldnt, or were but at a later time.

Or they downloaded it because they knew they could get away with it, but under normal circumstances would've bought it.

 

[A BigCup of Tea]

I dunno what the topic is but damn that was quite entertaining!

The second he said quantitative and I thought "Oh fuck! I am not going to get this!" but it's easy to understand.

I wonder how these numbers where made up by these big corporations, there surely must be a way they come up with it 'cos otherwise it seems a little like the game "higher or lower"!

"200 billion is lost due to copyright infringement!"
"No, I don't think we can get away with that much, how about 10K?"
"Nah, not shocking enough ... 8 billion?"
"....Yeah, ok ... 8 billion it is!"

Thanks that last bit made me chuckle and i really need a laugh at the moment (due to another escapist member, but we won't get into that)

 

[Heronblade]

You cant count loss of money that you never had.
If someone downloaded it, they either werent going to buy it anyway, couldnt, or were but at a later time.

You really have that much faith in people's honesty?

-Few people care about the profit margins of some company they aren't involved in
-Most people at least desire to get the things they want for less
-Simply by downloading it the people in question proved that they care little for obeying the law when they can get away with it.

What pray tell, about the situation makes you think that the people in question all have honorable intent?

 

[NightHawk21]

I have a 1TB external harddrive. I should fill that with music and see if I can't buy the planet. Or maybe I'll give it to china and buy america.

Also offtopic, but if you type China without a capital c it doesn't mark it as incorrect, but do it to America and boom you get the red line, weird.

Edit: Damn might be a little short it only holds 46.5 billion dollars worth of content.

 

[Waaghpowa]

I just wish they would grow up and adapt to the change already, maybe they should realize that people aren't pirating music because they don't want to pay for it, but rather that they don't want to pay an arm and a leg for music.

A song on iTunes can cost like anywhere from 1-2 dollars each, with the average length being maybe 3 minutes.

A brand new blu-ray movie will cost a maximum of 30 dollars, with the average move being maybe 90 minutes long.

Doing the basic math, per the minute you're paying either the same price as you would for a brand new movie or as much as double the price. Now that seems like a ripoff to me, with the movies you get a picture too, not just sound, and let's not forget the budget it took to make it. Music is produced at a fraction of the price a movie is.

I used to be big on piracy, I used to download games all the time, then Steam came along, I don't pirate anymore. Suddenly I'm finding games for actually reasonable prices and I'm more than willing to pay for them even though I could get it for free.

The corporations simply need to come to terms with the fact that we're in control now, not them. We've always been outraged at the prices we've seen, but we would never walk into a record store and shoplift whatever we want. The legal ramifications would be to severe plus it would be a dick move to the guy who owns the store, he doesn't set the prices. These days we can get what we want for free if we don't like the prices, they aren't calling the shots anymore and they need to understand that. If they want more revenue they're going to have to cut us some better deals.

This is what it all boils down to, business models. It's always been a fact that the business who refuses to adapt get's phased out, and they're not adapting enough. Launching online services isn't adapting when they're still falling back on outdated business models.

A kid and his friends are playing street hockey as they have for ages, then he goes on vacation for a week and finds that everybody is now playing basketball instead, so he joins in. Only thing is, he doesn't understand the rules, everything's different, so he starts whining and trying to make basketball more like hockey instead. His friends then hit him in the head with a basketball then repeatedly slam his face into the concrete until he's in a permanent vegetative state.

I agree with all this and I raise you The Holy words of Gabe Newell. They just need to offer better services, it's as easy as that.

 

[KeyMaster45]

Also offtopic, but if you type China without a capital c it doesn't mark it as incorrect, but do it to America and boom you get the red line, weird.

It's because the word "china" is used in the english language to describe both a type of dinnerware and the country China. (ex: "Break out the fine china; the boss is coming over for dinner.")

 

[NightHawk21]

Also offtopic, but if you type China without a capital c it doesn't mark it as incorrect, but do it to America and boom you get the red line, weird.

It's because the word "china" is used in the english language to describe both a type of dinnerware and the country China. (ex: "Break out the fine china; the boss is coming over for dinner.")

Oh right forgot about the that. Damn. Good catch.

 

[ElPatron]

There are a lot of people out there who actually would have bought it if they could not get it for free, just like there are a lot of people who would not buy it even if they could not download it for free. More often then not these are actually the exact same person it just depends on what they are downloading at the time.

[citation needed]

I am willing to pay 80? to import a music DVD if I consider the content worth of that much money.

I would not pay 0? for MW3. Heck, you would have to pay me 60? to convince me to pirate it.

Many things are just not worth paying for to some people. I know a guy who would have never bought an iPad yet he uses one because he won it on some contest.

Wait, let's talk about iPads and their worth.

By releasing an iPad knockoff (but let's not assume counterfeit, legit tablet only) which is better and cheaper than the iPad, you are effectively stealing Apple's profits because you have giving people the experience of owning Apple hardware without them getting any money.

Plus! You are attracting costumers who would have never paid for the iPad because they find it was worthless for the price paid.

The only difference is that building a tablet requires assembly lines and probably some shady reverse engineering (monetary investment), while cracking a game only involves reverse engineering (almost no investment required).

Photoshop. If it was only available trough legit means, nobody would buy it but professionals and students.

 

[capper42]

Sometimes I wish piracy didn't exist, just so I'd appreciate music more.

 

[ElPatron]

Do you realise that nothing you said there is relevant in any way at all?

Depends.

Is the Kindle Fire an illegal item because it steals money Apple would have never see?

No. Therefore not all illegal downloads count as lost profit.

First, you have seed boxes and failed downloads that must be retried.

Second, the issues with trackers getting accounted for multiple times.

The number of estimated downloads does not equal the number of actual pirates, and the number of pirates does not equal the number of lost sales.

Therefore, just admit that the video was pretty funny and the people who come up with that "math" ARE JUST PUSHING THEIR OWN BIASED AGENDA.