Ah - but that is because you sell your locks. All you get when you buy a CD, is a free piece of plastic and a license to do something with it. It's a poor analogy, I know, but let's say you invented a new lock design, and then to keep control of it, and stop your competitors using it, you patented it. Then you fitted them into nice doors that you rented to your customers to use on their houses. maybe you even negotiated special insurance rates because it was so secure? Would you allow your domestic customers to unscrew the locks and fit them to their business premises? It wouldn't hurt would it, you still get the income. It might hit the sales of your business rented doors with the clever locks, though - the more lucrative side of the business?
That's the thing. Something tangible like a lock can be a physical thing. There is only one.
Only this week on TV there's been a huge outcry in the music business. A TV presenter was talking about a new CD, that was difficult to get, and asked if the guest had one - they said no. Not to worry she said, I'll do a copy for you. That's exactly the problem. It's not seen as something serious. The ironic thing was that the artist, who's CD it was, was in the studio - she didn't realise what she did.
On the funeral front. It's a sad occasion for the family and friends. To the undertakers, vicars, organist, furnace workers, florists and printers, funerals are their business. If the councils are enforcers of the law in many areas, they really cannot turn a blind eye to copyright infringement, even if they want to. The new system they are all putting in makes the thing work. It can handle all the hymns, the music, and even organ music if the local organist can't play it! Oddly, in the copyright world, religious music is very strong. The newer types of churches consume music in quantity. There is a very strong and totally unheard of in radio play, strand of music being created - and all copyright controlled. Indeed - in these modern churches, they are using complicated video and audio layout systems - using special licensed layout software.
The world of copyright is extremely complicated - what we're talking about is very much on the edge. If you want to get really confused, try licensing still or moving images. Many of us own and run web sites. You can get image checking plug ins for many browsers and loads of websites have 'stolen' images, 'stolen' music clips and 'stolen' bits of video. It doesn't make it right, but the fines are creeping up, and of course there are now business models that are built around searching these things out and hitting them!
For fun, after this topic started, I looked in the local High Street for the PRS stickers and did find quite a few. Only one PPL sticker. One day, their people will hit the town. Imagine the uproar when the businesses who tried - and paid PRS discover they also owe PPL. Explaining they are not paying twice for the same thing won't be easy.
