|
If the day comes that legit copies are uniformly high quality and pirate copies are typically poor quality, I think that the publishers will be in good shape.
However, I can imagine that people will feel burned by poor quality legit copies, and will turn to the darknet, feeling like they have nothing to lose. That is to say, if the eBook might be poor quality whether it costs money or is free, I can see a lot of people trying the free version first.
That makes me fear for the publishers' future, because I suspect that when a person becomes accustomed to using the darknet, he will stay that way.
(I have never read specifically about the music industry's experience with this issue. But as I understand it, ten years ago Napster was used mostly by kids in high school and college, not 30-year-olds. But I suspect that those people, now in their 30s, continue to use the darknet for their music because they became accustomed to doing so back then.)
My conclusion is that it is imperative for the publishers to ensure that their eBooks are high quality. The ball is in their court.
|