Piracy, warez and You.

[CozBoogie]

What we have here is a discussion between hard goods and services versus soft goods and services. Most of us would never try to stiff the plumber that just spent an hour snaking out our filthy clogged pipes. The plumber is providing a hard service. It’s tangible. You can see it. You can see the results. You can interact with the plumber, etc.

Compare that against soft services and goods such as video files, audio files, and software that you get online. Most of us do not recognize these are as being tangible goods or services. Indeed, most of us just see the latest U2 song that we find online as a file worthy of being downloaded. It is lacking as a tangible good. It is essentially not real to us except when we play it on our computer, iPod, etc.

Ironically, we wouldn’t go into a music store and steal the U2 compact disc. So what is the difference then between buying the cd at a brick and mortar music store versus finding it via LimeWire, etc.? The difference is the perception of what it represents. The difference is the perception of what the medium is.

I freely admit that I have downloaded a boatload of songs off the internet. Now would I go to a music store and steal all of those cd’s? No. So what’s the difference? Again the difference is perception. I don’t see it as “stealing” when I download songs. To me it’s just a file. It’s not a tangible good. I have no association with it being real.

I think software obviously falls into to that non-tangible category. It’s something that just goes on our phone/computer. Would we go to BestBuy and steal the latest version of PhotoShop? No. But if we can get a free upgrade or get the program essentially for free online why wouldn’t we do it?

I’m not saying that we should “steal” from or “stiff” developers. What I am saying is that selling soft goods and services is fraught with its own limitations, etc. It’s the chance you take.

Again…it’s all linked, I believe, to perception.

late,
Coz