Copyright Sage Bill Patry On What Content Owners Should Do Now

paidcontent reporting:
Patry, who was copyright lawyer to the US House of Representative and authors a seminal textbook series, is also an obsessive book and music consumer. He boasts of blowing thousands of dollars a year on sheet music and recordings, and letting his 10-year old daughter buy whatever she likes in Diane’s Books in Greenwich, Connecticut. He is rooting for the content industry.
“I want them to be wildly profitable because I love their stuff.”
High discussions of copyright are all well and good but, for many creators and publishers, the more pressing issue is how to find a business model that will let them survive in the digital era. Patry’s new book, How To Fix Copyright, offers a mix of theory and practical ideas. We will have a proper review of the book this weekend but, for now, here are three concrete pieces of advice from Patry:
Focus On Access Not Copies
Control over the reproduction of books, music and movies was forever the cornerstone of the content industry’s business model. Today, though, the significance of copies is becoming meaningless in an era where an infinite number of digital reproductions can be made at nearly no cost. In practical terms, this means that content owners should focus on expanding access through technology like streaming rather than controlling copies.
This may not reassure content owners who confront others who share their products without permission. Patry thinks the response here once again turns on access:
“The answer to the contraband stuff is flooding the market with authorized versions.”
Pricing Matters As Much As Piracy
...Patry is aware that global piracy is a concern for the content industry but believes that the issue is “more a pricing problem than a moral problem.” He thinks that the industry is leaving money on the table by holding out for Western level pricing rather than making digital media available at prices that consumers in developing nations can afford.
Focus On The Product Not The Law
...Patry suggests it’s better to focus on providing consumers with new products in “formats, places and times” they they will embrace.
He also suggests that publishers concentrate on value-added features. They can do so for digital products but also for legacy products like hardcover books and music compilations. Patry explains he recently refused to buy a $30 DVD of Kung Fu Panda 2 because there is no added value to justify the cost. But he will happily shell out much more than for the beauty and tactile joy of an elegant edition.