Expert's Edge

Copying is Good

In this age of Napster, book technologists and digital rights providers often suggest (incorrectly) that the electronic publishing industry requires more sophisticated copy protection and that consumers be taught that copying is illegal.

Did I mention that this idea is wrong? Copying is not illegal. Unauthorized copying is illegal And though it may surprise some, authorized copying of digital goods can be an e-publisher's best friend. My company, Digital Goods (formerly SoftLock.com), has a mission to foster an e-publishing ecology in which rights-protected digital content sells, and sells again. In order to do that best, book publishers should not focus on preventing copying, they should encourage redistribution.

Rights-protected digital goods can be (and should be) copyright-protected, so that while for-pay content may be formatted in such a way that it is not easily pirated, freely browseable preview content can remain accessible and inviting to its recipient. We call this viral-marketing approach "pass-along," while others call it superdistribution. It works, and it proves that the sale and marketing of digital goods is fundamentally (and wonderfully) different from that of conventional print products.

The mechanics of the pass-along

At Digital Goods, we've been promoting and perfecting pass-along technology since we patented our system in 1992, and we've learned a lot about making it work. Here's what we've discovered:

1. Usability really matters, but it's hard to do right.

If a redistributed document merely informs the recipient that "valuable content is locked within," the recipient will rarely bother to download a plug-in and evaluate the offer, let alone buy it. However, if the content is in PDF format, and previewable by anyone with Acrobat Reader an evaluation can be made with or without a security plug-in. The plug-in can be seamlessly installed during the purchase process, after the consumer has decided to buy the content.