Rethink Your Business Models if Piracy is a Concern

Certain products and items are easily copied in this day and age. Instead of whining about how so and so stole my intellectual property, let's look at the list of the serially offended to see where the problem really lies.

 Movies
Television
Music

 All of the above are parts of a studio system where a few major production companies, through copyright abuse and various other IP laws, exist solely because they are protected by law. Is it really sensible that someone ought to be paid, perpetually or almost perpetually, for something that requires a team of lawyers to ensure their income stream? They should absolutely be paid for their investment in the artist, i.e. marketing and studio time, but can't they do that by just taking a percentage of the artist's earnings instead?

 I apologize to the actor or artist that they may actually have to do some work post-writing through acting or performing live. I know this screws up the dynamic of being able to write a good song or create a good show, and then watch as the replays earn you money. For 99.9% of the other industries out there, we don't get paid for the work we already did. If I built a car today, I have to build another one tomorrow in order to get paid. I don't have to pay Honda every time I use their car. Nor does Honda get any revenue from when I sell my car or give other people a ride in it. Jay-Z, though, wants a cut every time I play "Big Pimpin'".

The right way to do this is for the musician to show up to a venue and charge money to hear them live. Do not expect someone to pay you for something I can copy with two mouse-clicks. In the real world, I have to actually piece together a house. If I want another house, I have to piece that one together too. There was a considerable amount of real work done to recreate that house. For a house blueprint, on a computer, I simply Ctrl+C then Ctrl+V to make a copy. See how labor went into one effort, but not the other.

 What would a system without any type of piracy laws look like. For starters, large studio systems would not exist. Musicians would have to actually do concerts and sell merchandise to generate serious money. I believe several friends of mine who perform professionally would acknowledge that the bulk of their revenue comes from merchandise and live performances. Software companies already go to great lengths to protect their products. There are several licensing companies who exist solely to prevent unauthorized (unpaid) use. This system prevents 99% of the market from pirating their copies.

 I apologize if this means that we as individuals are going to have to be more market savvy on what people are willing to pay versus taking the easy road of DMCA take-downs and other threats. However, if you are always producing something tangible, a live concert experience, new features, etc. you will always have buyers if the price is right. Don't get swept up in Intellectual Property protectionism. It is very easy to lay back and let the lawyers do the work. Do you really want to your income dependent on subpoenas? A system reliant upon laws to support their business activities is a business which should never have existed.