Fred Von Lohmann interview

P2P.net have a nice interview with Fred Von Lohmann of the EFF. Extract:

p2pnet: Do you think someone who downloads a music or movie file is in effect negating a sale somewhere, some time?

von Lohmann: When tens of millions of Americans are downloading music, one of them will support virtually any proposition. Doubtless, some file-sharers are downloading as a substitute for purchasing. For others, the downloading is driving more purchases. Many policy-makers and economists think that the important question is which response is predominant. I think that's looking at the wrong thing. After all, if downloaders were given the opportunity to pay a reasonable, up-front, flat fee in exchange for the freedom to download whatever they like, that would create an altogether new way to monetize downloading...

p2pnet: Is it reasonable to mention both 'pirates' and file sharers in the same breath - or, put another way, are they components of the same problem, as the entertainment and software industries suggest?

von Lohmann: I think the use of the term "pirate" is inaccurate and unfortunate. "Piracy" has traditionally been used to refer to infringers who are selling counterfeit copies for personal gain. Lumping typical downloaders into the same group as for-profit pirates is a mistake - they are not the same people, are not driven by the same motives, and are a great deal more diverse in age, income, and circumstance.

Pirates are never your customers. Downloaders, on the other hand, are the core of music fandom - they are, like it or not, the core demographic that the music and movie industries will need to please in the future.