I stumbled across a great article on twitter (thanks to @copyrightlaw) about how 3 media execs are trying to start an RIAA/Itunes for news. The writer Mike Masnick hits the nail directly on the head as far as I am concerned:
The news is important, but people want to be able to share the news, spread the news and discuss the news — and you can’t do that when it’s behind a paywall. The very act of putting up a paywall diminishes the value of the cont
This seems to be a concept the RIAA and more recently the AP keep missing. Intellectual Property derives its value from being shared. It is the basis for all U.S. IP law; creators are granted limited duration monopolies in exchange for sharing the information with the public. The whole point is
To promote the Progress of Science and useful Art
In this social media age, the value of information is directly tied to your ability to instantly share it and your opinion about it.
