@russell and @luckybit
Great discussion, just re-skimmed and think you guys should keep going on this. You’re combined experience and ability to come up with new ideas could create something very impressive here.
I think there are going to be technical things to sort out, but don’t think you need worry about that. Not even “getting it into the core”. The alternative is an app which signs and manages the content, micropayments, and provides all the distribution features within SAFE. If anything does need to be in the core it can be added later.
The core should be as simple as possible, so unless essential I don’t think putting these things in the core is sensible or would stop people ripping content and distributing it for free. I don’t think that is really a problem either. Let them. Paulo Coehlo profits by sanctioning it, others will lose, overall the gains will be maximised and we all share in the collective creativity. We will need to keep ripping content below a damage threshold, but not by control. Smarter measures please, and micropayments is one.
Also, I don’t think we can or should try to stop people breaching copyright by uploading to the network. How could we possible do that? Who would do that? There is no Google here, just a bunch of people sharing their computer resources together.
Different Approaches Are Possible
Back in the days of audio tape it was just assumed that people would tape a lot of content instead of paying for it, and a blank tape levvy was used to compensate for this, arguably at dubiously high level. Never perfect but good enough. Personally I think the levvy was overdone. I don’t think I would have bought any more music if I had not been able to tape it. I still spent what I wanted to spend, but got access to more music because I was able to swap tapes with people. I probably got more into music and spent more on it than I would have otherwise. Some will spend more, others less. No-one really knows the impact of these things, but I’m always skeptical of the figures put out by vested interests.
So what to do?
Friction can help make this work. Make it easy, spread the cost, give enthusiasts opportunity, reward everyone (be inclusive). What can we do if people rip content and distribute it outside SAFE? Well, make it easier and better to do it in the SAFE app and incurr the micropayment for viewing, share in the micropayments from viewers who got access through your sharing.
If people rip content from the app and push it via SAFE they lose the opportunity to share in the micropayment they get for promoting it.
That’s just to illustrate the thinking I like, not intended as a solution. Back to you guys for that!