MPAA Confesses: Pirates Go To The Movies

Taken from IMDB: The head of the Motion Picture Association of America, an organization that some Internet users have accused of using legal strongarm tactics to prevent them from downloading recent movies from the Web, has acknowledged that the downloaders go to movie theaters in far greater numbers than others. Speaking to the National Press Club in Washington on Monday, Glickman suggested that his organization is attempting to come up with a business model that will accommodate Internet users. “There’s no question in my mind that the studios hear their customers loud and clear on this point,” he said. “There are technology and policy issues to work through. But we’ll get there, advancing both the theatrical experience and the anytime, anywhere enjoyment of movies that consumers clearly want today and that technology is making possible. I think we’ll soon see some progress that will really open up how exciting this future could be for all of us.”

This is something I’ve been saying for a while now.  The majority of people that download movies, games and music are usually one of their biggest fans.  Movie execs and the MPAA are just now realizing this it seems.  You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar.  They’ve tried to counter piracy in the past by selling movies on the Internet, but you have to use some gimmicky media player that they’ve made and nearly everything is protected by DRM.  Thus, people don’t really feel like they own the film.

If they offer movies to be downloaded, at a fair rate, with no stupid requirements like having to use such and such company’s media player or having to acquire a license for the media every time it goes to play, then the purchasing and downloading of movies over the web will increase dramatically.  And, really, how would that be any different from people going to the store and buying the DVD?  If they’re worried about people sharing it on the net, people can already just as easily do that.  They go to the store, buy the DVD, rip it onto their computer and upload it right onto the web.  Stuff like that is going to happen regardless.  Unfortunately, you can’t control the free market 100%, it’s an impossibility and instead of trying to fight it, movie bosses should be offering better deals, tempting choices and easy availability.  Hopefully, this acknowledgement is a sign that things will improve.