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Sony Pictures CEO Thinks the Net Wasn't Worth It
rossturk writes "Michael Lynton, CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment, said, 'I'm a guy who doesn't see anything good having come from the Internet, period.' Why? Because people 'feel entitled' to have what they want when they want it, and if they can't get it for free, 'they'll steal it.' It's become customary to expect a somewhat limited perspective on things from old-world entertainment companies, but his inability to acknowledge that the Internet has changed everything makes me think he's a very confused man. Is this when we all give up hope that companies like Sony Pictures can adapt? Will we look back on this as one of the defining moments when the industrialized entertainment industry lost touch for good?"
Sony doesn't need to adapt. The Sony CEO has correctly characterized those internet users who are firesharers of copyrighted media/who want everything for free. (Without the internet the piracy operation would be limited to physical media and smaller private networks.)
Plain and simple, the worthless userbase the CEO has properly characterized needs to understand this:
NOTHING IS FREE. GET OVER IT AND LEARN TO PAY FOR WHAT YOU OBTAIN, AND STOP REPRODUCING AND REDISTRIBUTING PAID MEDIA FOR FREE!!!
If you want music, you pay for it, whether downloaded or on media. Once you have the music it does not give you the RIGHT to share UNLIMITED copies over the internet for other freeloading users.
Movies, also see #1. Oh, but as soon as there is ANY sort of DRM many want to break it, of course, for UNAUTHORIZED reproduction and redistribution.
Copyrighted books, again see #1. Your single purchase for *YOU* NEVER allows you to reproduce and redistribute UNLIMITED copes over the internet for free.
If a member of the worthless userbase violates copyright law, then they deserve to pay the penalites and there simply no defense (e.g., but... but... they didn't *profit* from it) if they are actually guilty of the act they are charged with doing.
On the other hand, if it was some random slashbot explaining why he is "entitled" to pirate Windows, PC video games, and MP3s, it would be +5 Insightful.
And pry this here internet from my cold dead hands, you motherfucker, motherfucker
No the customer should not be the boss.
The boss should be the boss, the customer should be the customer, and the staff should be the staff. Each working towards their own ends and their own reasons but each with a reasonable accommodation for the others' goals and place in the organization.
yeah, who does sony pictures think they are? spending millions to produce a film and expecting people to pay to see it, so they can then make another film people might enjoy... bastards!
i have a feeling they could care less if you made some dopey little film in your mom's basement and then distributed it yourself.
always mosh clockwise
He's not completely right, but he sort of is; while there are some great services on the internet (such as news aggregators, video broadcasts sites like Hulu and many others) and other very useful sites, there's also a lot of useless shit on the internet. Twitter is blogging for lobotomized chimpanzees, such as Ashton Kutcher (and no I don't give a damn if I spelled it right); 90% of videos are worthless, in terms of artistry and entertainment; and there are tons of boring, useless sites and attack sites.
All of that said, he's still an idiot; but the Sony CEO "gets it" more than this asshat and we really shouldn't listen to the guy. Just because one guy at an organization says something, doesn't mean everyone agrees; a lot of people forget that corporations are just a group of human beings, and each human being within the organization may have a different opinion on the topic. Just because he has the employee badge, doesn't mean everyone at Sony thinks that.