Content Collision Course?

According to a survey of Internet users conducted by the Consumer Electronics Association, consumers want their online content for free.
The “Digital Download” survey shows that 92 percent of the 1,812 adult respondents opposed paying taxes for Internet access, 75 percent oppose an Internet sales tax and 61 percent oppose laws that halt use of file sharing software such as Napster.
Half of Internet users oppose fees for downloading content online, and up to 77 percent oppose fees for downloading information, pictures, audio files and games.
“This survey underscores that we are on a collision course between intellectual property owners who want consumers to pay by the bit for access and consumers who want free access, but will pay for better or more complete content,” says Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of CEA.
The survey also found that, while most Internet users want their content free, this content spurs them into future purchases of similar items, which may allay the content industry’s fear of losing sales to the Internet. For example, in the case of online music, 33 percent say they will buy more music if they can sample it online.
“Almost every technology innovation from the VCR to the CD has enriched the same copyright owners that initially attacked it. Consumers want free and public access to content online, and those same consumers are more likely to purchase similar content once they experience it online,” Shapiro says.