2008-10-27

If the MPAA Did Handbags

Continuing the theme I seem to have picked up lately, in linking to random articles I find interesting, was this one I saw via Techdirt. It's from the "Pure Purse Passion" site BagBunch.com, and it's an article that claims to, in its own words, "[show] the bad ethics, hypocrisy and stupidity of the companies behind our TV Shows, our documentaries, our movies, and our music." In short, what would happen if the handbag industry created an "HIAA" and adopted the same practices as the MPAA and RIAA? clicky

Granted, the analogy isn't perfect (and they admit as much in their opening statements). For starters, music these days as a digital good can be copied infinitely, with zero degradation, for essentially zero cost; whereas a handbag as a physical good would still require materials and labor.

Despite the flaws, I think it's a worthwhile article. By applying the *AAs' "logic" to a physical (and non-technical) context, perhaps it'll help make more people more aware of what is going on, instead of just being iTunes sheep who unknowingly lock themselves into whatever draconian DRM rules Apple throws at them.

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