Legal, Economic and Cultural Aspects of File Sharing

Communications & Strategies, Vol. 77, p. 35-54, 2010

20 Pages Posted: 18 May 2010

See all articles by N.A.N.M. van Eijk

N.A.N.M. van Eijk

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Joost Poort

University of Amsterdam - Institute for Information Law (IViR)

Paul Rutten

Leiden University

Abstract

This contribution seeks to identify the short and long-term economic and cultural effects of file sharing on music, films and games, while taking into account the legal context and policy developments. The short-term implications examined concern direct costs and benefits to society, whereas the long-term impact concerns changes in the industry's business models as well as in cultural diversity and the accessibility of content. It observes that the proliferation of digital distribution networks combined with the availability of digital technology among consumers has broken the entertainment industries' control over the access to their products. Only part of the decline in music sales can be attributed to file sharing. Despite the losses for the music industry, the increased accessibillity of culture renders the overall welfare effects of file sharing robustly positive. As a consequence the entertainment industries, particularly the music industry, have to explore new models to sustain their business.

Keywords: filesharing, downloading/uploading, entertainment industry, cultural analysis

JEL Classification: L82, O34, Z1

Suggested Citation

van Eijk, N.A.N.M. and Poort, Joost and Rutten, Paul, Legal, Economic and Cultural Aspects of File Sharing. Communications & Strategies, Vol. 77, p. 35-54, 2010, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1609847

N.A.N.M. Van Eijk (Contact Author)

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Joost Poort

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

Rokin 84
Amsterdam, 1012 KX
Netherlands

Paul Rutten

Leiden University ( email )

Postbus 9500
Leiden, Zuid Holland 2300 RA
Netherlands

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