What if we all did what was right?

Just imagine if people all did what is right. One of the big problems with the movie, recording, publishing and software industries is that people copy things without permission. When this happens, the creative people who produce the entertainment we enjoy do not receive payment for their work. To counteract this problem, restrictions are built into the digital media that is used for transmitting these products to paying customers. Imagine if a person could simply tell people the rules concerning his work and people would abide by those rules.

Think about it. A musician could offer his music freely on his website with the statement that anyone who wants it must pay him for it. Perhaps he could tell them that they may listen to any of his work once, but if they want to listen to it more than that then they will have to pay him. There would be no more thirty-second preview, but rather people could listen to the whole song before making a decision. Stock photo sites would not need to add a watermark to their pictures. If someone used the photo then they would simply pay for it.

Is that a world that you would like to see? Would you like to be able to examine intellectual property before you decide to buy? Would you like to examine a book online before making a purchase? We may never see that world, but we can move in that direction. Do you abide by the rules set by the content creators? If you do not then you are adding to the problem. Are you cheating people out of the money they deserve for their efforts? You cannot control what other people do, but you can control your own actions. If may be that you do not think that the content is worth the amount of money the owner is requesting. Perhaps it is not, but that does not give you the right to copy it without paying. If you don’t like the price then don’t use it. The choice is up to you, no one else.