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Monday, November 14, 2011

Copyright Protection

This article is about music, but might be applicable to health care as well. Incumbents will lose if copyright protection is loosened. It is not clear, however, if quality has to suffer.

Was Napster the day the music died? | vox - Research-based policy analysis and commentary from leading economists:



While the traditional purveyors of recorded music – the major record labels – have suffered since Napster, good music has continued to make its way to market. Independent labels account for a growing share of successful music, measured both by critical acclaim and sales. While many producers of recorded music have been made worse off by changes in technology, there is no evidence that the volume of high-quality music, or consumers, have suffered. Many caveats are in order, however. Chiefly, it is not clear whether the results extend to other content industries where creation remains quite expensive. But the results are a reminder that an evaluation of copyright policy should be cognisant of its effects on both producers and consumers.

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