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Old 06-15-2007
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timj219 timj219 is offline
Secretary of State

 
Member Since: Jan 2006
Location: Binghamton, NY
Posts: 5,523

United_States     New_York

Re: Cost of Software and Death of Innovation

Quote:
Originally Posted by Speakeasy View Post
Perhaps other media industries should take note and instead of whining and complaining about piracy, they should figure out a way to make purchasing the product more enticing.

This is another thing I've thought about. If someone wasn't going to buy a CD in the first place, but then download it for shits and giggles, is anyone really losing a sale?

If someone can't afford a $900 program and is unable to buy it, so they pirate it, is anyone losing a sale?
Would you demand this of any other industry? Should gas stations stop expecting police to arrest people who drive off without paying for gas because exxon hasn't made their product more enticing? If I steal a car will I be absolved if I tell the judge I could never have afforded to buy that model anyway?

As for who is losing a sale, what about the competitor of that expensive software maker who produces a cheaper product that contains a smaller feature set and slightly more difficult interface? That competitor might expect to sell a copy of his software to lots of people who can't afford the expensive one. If everybody just steals a copy of the expensive one the competitor just lost his whole market.
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