Topic 5 – Intellectual properties made free: Good or bad
It’s undeniable how free , easy accessed online material can be so beneficial to user and even non-user of it. For example, if first-aid instructions (for multiple types of injury) were published, not only the reader, but also those who do not know about it are positively affected. Unfortunately most people pay attention only on the effects to consumers and society, forgetting how free material can influence the content producers. I feel the need to bring up this matter today, to give people a more overall perspective on this private property issue.
Making free online materials is a harmful action toward content producer, is a common sense thinking, because the dis advantages are so easily spotted out. If an individual or a group of people spend time and effort to create and build up something, they should have something in return. By making their product become easily and freely accessed, producers “seemingly” give away the opportunity to make money. On the other hand, they do not.
Short term benefits and costs usually blind people from seeing the long term effect of a decision. Sure, the company can no long earn income from those material they made free, in contrast, more people can access to the material means more people are willing to look at information include those of the company itself, which in turn automatically advertise the company, make it becomes well-known than ever. Beside, the company itself can become an advertiser, making money from allowing other companies to put up their advertisement; in this case, free information which can be reached by everyone perfects the process.
These are very broad and non-particular examples of pros and cons of making online material free, however, there are a few indications have been noticed. The action of letting people access to the information without paying is extremely harmful, at it’s best providing insignificant positive outcome. Benefits to producers actually come from the planning, organisation and performance of related projects, which, depends on the efficiency of the content producers themselves.
