“…hey, this was cyberspace and information just wanted to be free. That was a fetching argument, especially for schnorrers eager to get their hands on proprietary content without ever paying a red cent. Of course, it was quite all rubbish. The Internet may have been a promising, if not revolutionary, vehicle for commerce and communications–but it hardly repealed fundamental laws of economics. In the real world, there are bills to pay. If banner advertising isn’t enough to make payroll, the only other option is to charge money, just like in the physical world…”
“…I’m happy to report that the once-prevailing lunacy is thoroughly discredited and people are returning to their senses. Sure, the era of free stuff on the Internet was grand fun while it lasted; it also was a four-alarm disaster–something that many entrepreneurs, silly enough to have gone along for that ride, can testify to…”
“…Oh, and one more: Content was neither born free, nor was it meant to be that way. Amen, brother.”
Click here to read Charles Cooper’s full commentary over at ZDNet.
