Ice-Water, Digital Distribution, and Social Costs

Justin,

In your opening section you indicate that there were two objections to free distribution that were raised in class: (1) incentive for creation and; (2) control by authors. The way I read your essay you then primarily set forth some disadvantages of controlled distribution, as well as benefits of free distribution, to society as a whole. I was not satisfied, however, that you addressed the incentive or control issues other than to close by indicating that solutions to those issues may be easily reached if barriers to distribution and education related thereto were removed.

I would suggest that your essay is fine and addresses some valid problems and costs associated with restricted distribution and that part can stand on its own. However, if so, I would alter the opening section so that you do not imply that you are going to address issues of incentive and control; or, alternatively I believe it would be a stronger essay if you do want to address those issues to more fully develop why they are not necessary or how substitutes for restricted distribution to provide for such incentive and control could be accomplished. If your thesis is that incentive and control would be reduced in a free distribution model but the benefits derived from such model would outweigh those costs I would like to see that drawn out a little more clearly as well.

-- BrettJohnson - 22 Nov 2009