Knocking on Heaven's Door - User Preferences on Digital Cultural Distribution

Internet Policy Review, 8(2), 2019 DOI: 10.14763/2019.2.1404

28 Pages Posted: 15 Jul 2015 Last revised: 28 Sep 2019

See all articles by Joan-Josep Vallbé

Joan-Josep Vallbé

Department of Political Science, University of Barcelona

Balázs Bodó

University of Amsterdam - Institute for Information Law (IViR)

João Pedro Quintais

University of Amsterdam - Institute for Information Law (IViR)

Christian Handke

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) - Faculty of History and Arts

Date Written: July 14, 2015

Abstract

This paper explores the social, demographic and attitudinal basis of consumer support of a Copyright Compensation System (CCS), which, for a small monthly fee would legalise currently infringing online social practices such as private copying from illegal sources and online sharing of copyrighted works. We do this by first identifying how different online and offline, legal and illegal, free and paying content acquisition channels are used in the media market using a cluster-based classification of respondents. Second, we assess the effect of cultural consumption on the support for a shift from the status quo towards alternative, CCS-based forms of digital cultural content distribution. Finally, we link these two analyses to identify the factors that drive the dynamics of change in digital cultural consumption habits. Our study shows significant support to a CCS compared to the status quo by both occasional and frequent buyers of cultural goods, despite the widespread adoption of legal free and paying online services by consumers. The nature of these preferences are also explored with the inclusion of consumer preference intensities regarding certain CCS attributes. Our results have relevant policy implications, for they outline CCS as a reform option. In particular, they point evidence-based copyright reform away from its current direction in the EU of stronger enforcement measures, additional exclusive rights, and increased liability and duties of care for online platforms. This work shows that CCS may be an apt policy tool to hinder piracy and potentially increase right holder revenues, while respecting fundamental rights and promoting technological development.

Keywords: online content service providers, cultural consumption, copyright compensation system, digital consumption, user satisfaction

JEL Classification: Z1

Suggested Citation

Vallbé, Joan-Josep and Bodó, Balázs and Quintais, João Pedro and Handke, Christian, Knocking on Heaven's Door - User Preferences on Digital Cultural Distribution (July 14, 2015). Internet Policy Review, 8(2), 2019 DOI: 10.14763/2019.2.1404, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2630519 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2630519

Joan-Josep Vallbé

Department of Political Science, University of Barcelona ( email )

Diagonal 684
Faculty of Law
Barcelona, Barcelona 08015
Spain

Balázs Bodó (Contact Author)

University of Amsterdam - Institute for Information Law (IViR) ( email )

Rokin 84
Amsterdam, 1012 KX
Netherlands

João Pedro Quintais

University of Amsterdam - Institute for Information Law (IViR) ( email )

Rokin 84
Amsterdam, 1012 KX
Netherlands

HOME PAGE: http://https://www.ivir.nl/nl/medewerker/quintais/

Christian Handke

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) - Faculty of History and Arts ( email )

P.O. Box 1738
Rotterdam NL-3000 DR
Netherlands

HOME PAGE: http://www.eshcc.eur.nl/handke/

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