Awkward Stock Photo Blog Hit With DMCA Claim

Murdoch's Daughter Recognizes That 'Piracy' Can Be Good

from the tell-your-dad... dept

Wed, Feb 3rd 2010 10:52pm — Mike Masnick

Even as Rupert Murdoch is calling aggregators and other sites "pirates" and claiming that fair use can be blocked, it seems his daughter has a more enlightened view. Copycense points us to a recent talk by Elisabeth Murdoch, who owns a TV production house, where she basically admits that blocking what people want to do is a bad idea:

"Fans remain the best salesmen of our content, even if that behavior is on the borderline of piracy. Danger of the new world is that we must concede that we'll lose some control."

Nice to hear. Now, if only her Dad would listen to her before he pisses off a bunch of his best content salesmen.

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

Filed Under: elisabeth murdoch, piracy, promotion, rupert murdoch, selling

16 Comments

If you liked this post, you may also be interested in...

Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread

Anonymous Coward, 3 Feb 2010 @ 11:56pm

Well, we know the money comes from dad, but the brains must come from mom:)
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Planespotter (profile), 4 Feb 2010 @ 1:40am

or she was adopted.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Rasmus, 4 Feb 2010 @ 2:01am

Re:
Actually she seems to have the same attitude Rupert used to have when he was the one representing the new generation. He started in the newspaper business by turning upside down old truth about how to run a profitable newspaper.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
PaulT (profile), 4 Feb 2010 @ 2:57am

Re: Re:
Yeah, it's the same trend we always see - e.g. Metallica. They were happy to have their music traded when they started out, but then freaked out after they'd acquired a few million bucks on the back of it.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Yeebok (profile), 4 Feb 2010 @ 4:01am

Re: Re: Re:
I'm just continuing the indent .. but yes a lot of bands do sell out once they get a bit of a following.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
AJ, 4 Feb 2010 @ 4:15am

Good for her...
Glad to see someone thinking about the future, instead of being stuck in the past. Does this constitute the "acceptance" stage of grief? Have we reached the "Lets give the customer what they want, and figure out how to make money from it" period in online media? If not, at least it's a step in the right direction...
[ link to this | view in thread ]
The Anti-Mike (profile), 4 Feb 2010 @ 4:46am

I wonder what her opinion would be when it's her own company's bottom line that is eroding due to piracy. I think she is probably just a little to insulated from reality. Having large sums of money around does that to people :)
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 4 Feb 2010 @ 5:06am

Re:
yeah she should probably move her movie production company to a planet that doesn't have an Internet that will teach them pirates
[ link to this | view in thread ]
compgeek (profile), 4 Feb 2010 @ 5:15am

Re:
well, maybe its better to make a bit less money at first to keep people coming back, instead of screwing them right away and not have them come back at all. why? because as long as people get your product you have a chance for a sale if dont piss everyone off. once people get pissed your chance for any sales become precisely zero
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 4 Feb 2010 @ 5:55am

Re: Re: Re:
Let's not forget MicroSoft, back when copying was a good thing
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Facts would be nice, 4 Feb 2010 @ 5:59am

Re:
"eroding due to piracy."

You say that as though it were fact.

homework assignment for the anti mike:
1. Is news corp bottom line eroding?
2. If so what is the cause?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
RD, 4 Feb 2010 @ 7:13am

TAM the amazing TAMHOLE
"I wonder what her opinion would be when it's her own company's bottom line that is eroding due to piracy."

Well, considering "piracy" has been with us since, oh, the beginning of recorded media, and these industries KEEP MAKING MORE MONEY EACH YEAR, I'd say the problem is VASTLY overblown. The Music Industry is GROWNING, Movies are making more money than ever, and TV shows are doing well, especially on DVD (which, by the way, the studios spent YEARS ignoring and not serving that market).

As I pointed out, "piracy" has been part and parcel in one form or another for DECADES. Where is the MASSIVE loss everyone keeps crying about? And no, "we could have made more" is NOT the same a "Loss."
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Hephaestus (profile), 4 Feb 2010 @ 7:17am

Rupert Murdoch scares me a bit ....
Rupert Murdoch "claiming that fair use can be blocked"

With the proposed line from ACTA reading (From a quote I was sent) "Copyrighted works may not be used in whole or in part with out the express consent of the copyright holder"

This makes me believe that Rupert Murdoch has seen ACTA or is in some way responsible for that addition. The old spy saying "I believe in coincidence, I dont trust it" comes to mind.

Big Ole GRIN ...
[ link to this | view in thread ]
RD, 4 Feb 2010 @ 7:49am

Wont pass constitutional muster
"With the proposed line from ACTA reading (From a quote I was sent) "Copyrighted works may not be used in whole or in part with out the express consent of the copyright holder"

This line is one of the most dangerous. It would stifle free speech, commentary/criticism, and you can throw ALL documentaries right out the window, as once a rights holder knows this, he will either use it as a hammer to prevent any discourse about his work, or demand so much money no one would ever be able to afford to make any. And if there isnt an exception for news reporting, that goes out the window as well. First time someone sues using this, it will become a constitutional issue and get struck down. If not, then bye-bye America, as your freedoms will have been completely sold down the river to corporate interests.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 4 Feb 2010 @ 8:10am

Re:
Yeah, good thing TV producers don't have to deal with piracy at all.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
olli kahn, 5 Feb 2010 @ 1:39pm

the little guy
What you read on page one of the news is far different from the reality of the situation. The headlines don’t tell you about the multiple “flops” they tell you about Avatar making a billion dollars. You don’t hear about the costume woman, grip guy, or construction guy, getting a pay cut or not getting work at all because Hollywood is producing fewer movies/tv shows each year. Of course content creators are scrambling to protect their work, THEY CREATED IT. I would love to come in to your office, grab your work, and then leave with it. You wouldn’t have a job very long would you? And once you were gone no one would be there to create the work you were doing and we are all losers. Content creators don’t want to horde content, they want you and me to pay a fair price for it because it’s their JOB. “you can throw all documentaries out the window!” –RD Stop being dramatic. Major actors and musicians will always get their big pay day. When you pirate stuff you are just hurting the little guy.
[ link to this | view in thread ]