Why do you pirate?
Copyright infringement, known better as “piracy,” exists not because people are inherently bad, but because business models are wrong.
This is according to entrepreneur, investor, and former head of Google SA, Stafford Masie, who was speaking at the 2012 Product of the Year awards.
“I believe people are inherently good not evil,” Masie said. “If you give people something fairly priced with the necessary flexibility and a means to gain access to it wherever they are… I think you’ll destroy piracy.”
Masie went on to say that he thinks people want to pay for things, and that this is evidenced by the success of iTunes and the increase in music sales it caused.
People who would have otherwise pirated their music from services such as Napster and BitTorrent instead opted to use iTunes because it was convenient, on terms they could accept, and easier on their conscience, Masie said.
“If you look at piracy – if you take a look at what people are doing – it’s actually a great business model to get your product out there and upsell a premium version,” Masie said.
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