Q: My twentysomething son admires the “hack-tivist” computer geeks who break into proprietary databases, "liberate" copyrighted content (scholarly articles, music, videos and the like, which the databases sell for small fees), and send it out to the world for free. He seems to think that all intellectual property should be free, and copyrights and patents stifle creativity. What do you think?
As you might imagine, I think these hackers, idealistic though they sometimes sound, are misguided lawbreakers. I'm a journalist, and I believe that my fellow writers and other creative people, such as composers, scholars, artists, inventors and performers, should get paid for their talent in a variety of ways, especially by the consumers of their work.
To me, copyrights and royalties don't stifle artistic creativity, but stimulate and reward it. There is a valid debate, however, over whether in the high-tech world, too many overly broad patents are being granted today, stunting innovation and exacerbating litigation; I’ll save that dilemma for another column.
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
I'm a publisher as well as a journalist, so I believe that selling content to users for a fee is both an owner's right and a good way for society to lessen the risk of advertiser influence on content. I favor user charges (in varying, modest amounts) for all content delivered online, whether in the form of subscriptions, books on Kindles and Nooks, iTunes for $1, photographs, or single newspaper or magazine articles.
The everything-free advocates think that user fees, besides being antidemocratic, are unnecessary because Web sites can generate enough revenue from advertising—selling access to visitors’ eyeballs—to support the site and pay some kind of royalty to originators of the content. That might be the case on some high-traffic sites, but most Web sites aren't earning enough advertising revenue to pay writers what they used to earn in the pre-Internet days. And many other creative workers are suffering from massive revenue losses from pirated movies and music. It's both an ethical and financial issue.
Have a money-and-ethics question you’d like answered in this column? Write to editor in chief Knight Kiplinger at ethics@kiplinger.com.
-
Thanksgiving 2024: How Grocery Taxes Impact Your Holiday Food BudgetFood Prices Some families are navigating high food prices influencing what’s on the table this Thanksgiving.
-
9 Year-End Money Moves to Make NowBoost your retirement savings, lower your taxes and get the most out of your health insurance.
-
Airbnb Host Tells What It's LikeBusiness Costs & Regulation This Denver pharmacist began booking her ski condo a few months after the pandemic hit.
-
Tough Times for a Family BusinessBusiness Costs & Regulation His dry-cleaning operation was rocked by the pandemic, but he is staying optimistic.
-
IRS Gives Truckers a Tax Break in Response to the Colonial Pipeline ShutdownTax Breaks The tax penalty for using dyed diesel fuel for highway use is temporarily suspended.
-
Reliving a Harlem RenaissanceBusiness Costs & Regulation After a tough winter, two sisters look forward to reviving their restaurant’s business.
-
Add a VPN to Surf the Internet SafelyTechnology To help you fight identity theft, consider adding a VPN.
-
Stephanie Creary: Making the Case for Diversity on Corporate BoardsBusiness Costs & Regulation Adding underrepresented voices can improve a company’s bottom line.
-
How We Lose When We Overlook Black TalentBusiness Executives Comments from Wells Fargo CEO Charles Scharf (pictured) reflect a culture that tramples on clients’ trust and limits opportunities for people of color.
-
Retirees, Create An Emergency Fund for Rental PropertyBusiness Costs & Regulation Build a cushion to protect your income from an unforeseen crisis.
