You know, I never cease to be confused by the arguments that people produce that they have the divine right (now this is a manner of speech and does not involve any deity of your choice) to cut and paste or make available for download, or copy or otherwise pass on to others information that they have obtained in a digital form.  And just because they don’t agree with the price suppliers offer it at.

I think the latest pronouncement, that some 27% of children in the EU think it’s OK to make copies of information that they know are unlawful is OK, because they figure that downloading a virus is a significantly more serious risk than getting prosecuted by the authorities, should be a matter of the gravest industrial concern.

And the way the kids make their choice is what I call real risk analysis!

But it’s rather like so many modern habits – littering, not cleaning up after your dog, keying someone’s car because you had a bad day so why shouldn’t some random other person, daubing graffiti on buildings, trains, or anything, just because you can.

The argument actually is that if you can cause harm to other people (society included) and it is not practical to detect you or stop you, then that’s OK.  Of course these self-same people go ape-shit (pardon my language) if it’s done to them, which is kind of surreal because surely if it’s OK for them to do it to other people then surely it has to be OK for other people to do it to them.  Yes, I agree, I didn’t study politics, where it seems to be fine to bomb other people to force them to do what you want, but not fine if they bomb you.  You see what happens when you try to use logic?

But that’s not the point.

The point is that stuff that’s available on the Internet doesn’t have to be bought.  Now I realise that it rather wild thinking for some people.  But actually you can try to negotiate with the seller on price for anything, but push comes to shove if you don’t like their price you have to walk away.  For instance, go into McDonalds and see what deal you can do on a burger and fries.  Now if they point you to the sign board and tell you that’s the deal, you have two choices – do the deal or not.  But please do not winge about the price.  If you don’t like it walk away.  That’s your privilege.  If people did not buy, then manufacturers would soon change their price.

After all, we are an unusual business.  We charge one price, world over, for our products.  We aren’t like software, hardware or DVD businesses who charge one price in the USA, double in Europe and less in the Far East.  We figure that all the arguments about market pricing are total bs.  But that, of course, is a commercial opinion we are entitled to take.  However, we also take the view that our prices are reasonable (actually we know they are because our competitors always reduce their prices to match ours when they find out we are the opposition, and then they lose on functionality, but hey, that’s commerce) so we see no reason to make artificial differences.

And maybe that’s the problem for consumers of DRM.  Their answer to not liking a price is to pirate, because they are not willing to go without.  They fail to understand that not buying product is the most powerful message you can ever send to a manufacturer.  The food industry would soon take an interest in giving animals a decent life (and a decent death) if people refused to buy meat unless they could be certain the animals it came from had been looked after properly.  The fashion and film industries would soon come into line if there was one price across the world, for what they are selling.

But, bottom line if you don’t like the price then don’t buy.  Don’t figure that it’s your right to pay a different sum from what’s on offer.  (Try telling your IRS you figure you should only pay 50% of what they want and see what happens?) 

So what is it that confuses me? 

Well, when governments decide to distort pricing by taxation I think that’s bad, and when manufacturers decide to distort pricing by demanding regional surcharges that’s also bad.  Market distortions will always create an imbalance and act to create piracy, because piracy fills the vacuum that artificial markets create.
 

But if a fair price is in operation, that is equalized for all purchasers, then buying or not buying is down to how much you want the product.  And that is down to you.  So please do not bother me with whinges about how something is overpriced, and how you think it is your right to get it for less.  You don’t have to buy, it’s your privilege and choice, but it isn’t a right.

So look around to see what the best deal on offer is – you would be surprised how shopping around can do marvels on price.  But don’t think you can decide what the sale price has got to be and then figure it’s your right to rip off the manufacturer just because you’re pissed at the price that’s on offer.