You have probably never heard the term “Leistungsschutzrecht” before. And rightly so, because it is one of the most stupid concepts ever invented. It describes a new law currently discussed in Germany which will “protect” publisher from being robbed by Google. And although I’m referring to Germany in particular, such laws are debated all over Europe at the moment. This demonstrates once again that both the European economy and European politics is ruled by people that have absolutely no clue about the Internet, the social and economic changes it brings and that it affects our lives the same way the steam engine or letterpress did. Genie is out of the bottle, and it won’t go back.
Sorry, I got carried away, you notice that I have some strong thoughts about the Leistungschutzrecht. Back to the main topic of this article:
What is a Leistungsschutzrecht anyway?
Basically, publishers in Germany are complaining that Google is stealing their content. How can Google steal content from publishers you might ask? Do they sneak into their office at night and grab unpublished and highly valuable material from the desk? Well, the publisher mainly refer to Google News and state that by displaying short snippets of their articles (and in that course linking back to the publishers site one immediately wants to add), Google earns gazillions of Euros while the poor publishers don’t see a dime. And since Google won’t stop to do so, we need a new law that regulates this thing, and bring all Google managers behind bars. The law says that if you want to display (or cite) even a very small portion of a text that some other company published, you’ll have to pay. Well, first you have to ask for allowance, and then you’ll have to pay. The law initially did not mention Google or search engines at all. Politicians were constantly saying that this new law had nothing to do with Google in particular, and that it’s only aim is to get the publishers their fair share of the business. But silently everyone knew where this law originated from. Publishers are angry that they don’t know how to monetize their content, and instead of thinking about new business models they simply blame an external force – which is Google.
Next there was an outcry amongst bloggers in Germany. They feared that they cannot cite or link articles anymore without taking the risk of being sued. This would go against freedom of speech and opinions would be dictated again by a few key players in the publishing domain. Services like news-aggregators would become nearly illegal, or the companies offering these services would have to talk to and pay all publishers in Germany.
So the law was changed, and despite all that has been said before now the true background of it became obvious. In the new version, only search engines are mentioned. There you go!
Why is it nonsense?
Much has been written, many discussions took place, but publishers still insist they are constantly robbed by Google. The fact that they can easily stop Google from indexing their content (robots.txt, anyone?) and that publisher get a huge percentage of their traffic from Google (which they can then monetize) is ignored. I don’t want to repeat the discussion here, but one thing really strikes me: Whenever an industry is threatened by technologcial, societal or political changes, they cry for new laws to protect their cozy little world, ignoring completely that change is inevitable. Listen: It’s not the Internet that is threatening the publishers. The Internet is just a platform. It’s the change in consumers habits, needs and wishes that is changing. The consumers are the readers of the newspapers and magazines, the people that pay publishers directly and indirectly. And, surprise surprise, many of these customers do not care about a printed paper that is delivered right to their door every morning anymore. They do not want this product or service anymore. What they want is information that is accessible where and when they want. Not printed, but digital. I don’t want old newspapers to pile up in my kitchen until I have the nerve to throw them away. Customers want magazines that take full advantage of modern devices like the iPad or the Kindle, mix text with images and videos, and cross-link between articles. That’s what they want. And now the fun part begins: The publishers do not give a damn about what customers want. They want to protect their old and now broken business model, telling everyone that only printed journalism is good journalism. Since when is the medium that transports information decisive for the quality of the information? It’s just pure nonsense. And I’m telling you: A company that ignores what the customers want or care about is doomed to fail. It’s as simple as that.
A look back
Demanding new and more rigorous laws when technology and customer demands change is not new. When talking about changes that digitization brings, the reaction of the publishers is very similar to that of the music industry. A couple of years back, with the arrival of MP3, also here customer habits changed. Music was suddenly consumed in non-physical form, since it is easier to store, easier to transport, easier to categorize and thus easier to find. MP3s would’nt get scratched and, agreed, you could copy and share files more easily than physical disks. The music industry totally ignored the chage in consumer habit and whined about their content being shared illegally and for free. But what they did not see (or did see, but did not mention) is the fact that music was shared ever since. Hell, when I was young we traded tapes, copied records and compiled our own mix-tapes like anything else. So this was not the main problem of the music industry. The problem was that even those who wanted to buy MP3s legally could not find any suitable service for this. The music industry simply did not offer it. It was Steve Jobs that realized that there will always be two different parties buying and consuming music.
Those which much time and less money. The typical kid or student that loves music, but cannot afford to buy all the records she wants to listen to. This group will always trade music, be it on tape, CD or as MP3. Like we did in our childhood. And here the reasoning of the music industry is broke: If you would shut down all sharing platforms tomorrow, the music industry would not earn one dime more than today. The reason is that the funds of these kids is limited. They would simply not buy the music they can now download for free today. The reaction would be non-consumption. Music these days competes with all sorts of other products for these group, for example computer games. There is only a certain amount of money that they can spent.
The second group is the more interesting one. This group has less time, but more money. If you have a job and work 40-50 hours per week you know what I mean. You do not want to spend your evenings searching the internet for a free copy of a certain album, only to realize after the download has finished that the album is incomplete, has a poor quality, or, sometimes, you just have been Rickrolled. I for myself still consume a lot music, but I rather spent a couple of Euro and be sure that I get what I want quickly and seamless, than to waste my time looking for a free download.
And now guess who is making money with music downloads. Not the music industry, but Apple. The music industry actually hates Apple, since Apple is now able to dictate the prices and conditions under which music in the iTunes store is sold. So, the big question is: How could it happen that the very core of an industries business, selling music, was taken over by a company operating in a completely different domain. Short answer: The music industry denied the changes in customer needs and habits and wanted to stick with their previous business model. They tried to protect it by laws and lawsuits, but failed miserably. The other company sensed an opportunity in these changes, and answered with a new and innovative business model, tailored to customers needs. Guess who won.
History repeating?
Yes, I say that history is repeating. The mistakes of the music industry have been repeated by the movie industry, and now the publishers follow. I’m always blown away by the incapability of industries to learn from past mistakes. Probably the root cause is that humans fear change rather than embrace it, and have a tendency to stick with what has worked in the past. I might add that the music industry lobbied against the introduction of the MC decades back, with quite the same arguments. Tapes will kill the record sales and thus the music industry will vanish. Have they? No.
Wishes and predictions
OK, after ranting against several industries in this article, what do I predict – or wish? My first wish is that when this new law becomes effective, Google will simply delist all German publishers from their index. The thing is that the publisher gain a lot more from Google News than they lose. If Google does not deliver traffic anymore, page impressions and therefore ad impressions will decrease substantially, and publishers will not be able to monetize their online presence as they do now. Then I wish that a new breed of managers will arise in the publishing industry who are not afraid of change, understand the digital domain, seek new opportunities and come up with interesting new business models. But I think the latter really is just wishful thinking.
yandanxvurulmus.9CVzwUu74YNK
xyandanxvurulmus.qkBjkxCJAzCq
xbunedirloooo.DwQhpVVEpGAF
pachouli xyandanxvurulmus.SzbGrnUCjMTw
Greetings! Quick question that’s entirely off topic. Do you know how to make your site mobile friendly? My blog looks weird when browsing from my apple iphone. I’m trying to find a template or plugin that might be able to correct this problem. If you have any recommendations, please share. Appreciate it!
anal siteleri vurgunyedim.tYrQT0ge3pbR
porno izle yaralandinmieycan.8KA990W5nPdT
fuck citixx.8kDgrVJv0IZg
porn hyuqgzhqt.XkbOT1rcRSWP
escort siteleri ewrjghsdfaa.Umx9x6jUhEpC
anal siteleri wrtgdfgdfgdqq.5TM6gsuk9OJX
house porn pompadirha.rsdyV8QdB7BL
anal siteleri asillartaklitler.UO2oQCmi2Gen
porn hephupx.4ljusP4fEAsL
bahis siteleri child porn hepxhupx.uzcAEYIzmcLD
sektor benim zaten amin evladi juljulfbi.mOQdPeJ2s2aj
bahis porno bjluajszz.IuYOG9sDRIpH
craft porn bxjluajsxzz.ubKtWSfhSQ0Y
childrens sex 0qbxjluaxcxjsxzz.Q8iO1iegnNFz
india viagra online
qIyVOxNsCjroTptA
DzyKcmIEA
porn pokkerx.CqLJ1Etm3cxv
porno siteleri footballxx.r0s4B1CgNe6c
porno mobileidn.c62GCjZ2sh7N
bahis siteleri porn bingoxx.4yCxKZJuieHZ
fuck 250tldenemebonusuxx.Pba9WiPxDTPb
sexax eyeconartxx.R7EYVDGKsfuR
torsemide vs furosemide vs bumetanide
bahis siteleri porn vvsetohimalxxvc.vEjaXXbqra1o
metformin and lisinopril
zoloft generic
signs that flagyl is working for diverticulitis
escort siteleri tthighereduhryyy.zIV4sPet273
lasix infusion
gabapentin 300mg
glucophage bulantД±
zithromax z-pak generic
cephalexin side effects
is 300 mg of gabapentin a low dose
can you take advil with amoxicillin
Some really nice stuff on this site, I like it.
generic escitalopram reviews
pediatric bactrim dosing chart
ciprofloxacin vs amoxicillin for uti
cephalexin vs ciprofloxacin
ECBMIsZPOcjAew
cephalexin 500 mg capsule uses
bactrim while pregnant
QaCvtEHBkjdomLF
AluBtrGJwWQNXe
can i take amoxicillin while breastfeeding
is neurontin addictive
generic atorvastatin atorvastatin 80mg for sale buy lipitor sale
escitalopram 5 mg anxiety
xdeRXokFSljhq
FYGrRMcqyIn
Just desire to say your article is as astounding. The clarity in your post is just excellent and i can assume you are an expert on this subject. Fine with your permission let me to grab your RSS feed to keep up to date with forthcoming post. Thanks a million and please continue the rewarding work.
best time to take citalopram
depakote dr vs er
what are the side effects of cozaar 25 mg
ddavp nasal spray indications
4k full hd porn gghkyogg.xdorLdDlVpe
4k porn video downloads ggjennifegg.IxLLudExgcn
http://www.free hd porn videos ggjinnysflogg.bSqG4MgkQFH
purchase baycip for sale – oral augmentin buy augmentin 1000mg generic
cipro brand – amoxiclav ca clavulanate cheap
citalopram high euphoria
depakote for dementia
bernie cozaar
flagyl oral – cleocin 300mg pills buy azithromycin 500mg for sale
buy ciprofloxacin 500mg – doryx pills order erythromycin 250mg generic
lcWrvfbEmPau
niemann pick ezetimibe
valtrex 1000mg uk – buy generic nemasole order zovirax 400mg pills
stromectol tablets for humans for sale – buy aczone buy sumycin pill
diltiazem brand name
effexor 37.5 mg
metronidazole 200mg pills – buy amoxicillin pills zithromax 500mg generic
acillin drug ampicillin over the counter amoxil online order
contrave or phentermine
allopurinol coupon
aripiprazole 30 mg
amitriptyline and lexapro
buy generic lasix 40mg – lasix 40mg us buy capoten pill
how long does aspirin stay in your system
RwAKkhLmtD
eiRtIcSsmbK
what is celebrex
order glycomet pill – order lincocin 500mg generic lincomycin 500mg us
baclofen davis pdf
Nice read, I just passed this onto a colleague who was doing some research on that. And he just bought me lunch because I found it for him smile Thus let me rephrase that: Thank you for lunch!
bupropion 150mg
Magnificent items from you, man. I’ve be aware your stuff prior to and you’re just too wonderful. I really like what you have obtained right here, certainly like what you are stating and the way in which through which you assert it. You are making it enjoyable and you continue to take care of to stay it sensible. I can’t wait to read much more from you. This is actually a terrific site.
pill retrovir 300 mg – glucophage drug purchase allopurinol without prescription
fashionflag full hd 4k porn fashionflag.DhiPvQDBjTe
augmentin strep throat
goodhere Threesome porn vurucutewet.fU5jwgxxKNz
ladyandtherose Fake Taxi porn backlinkseox.eKVO5XRQMOP
clozaril 100mg without prescription – buy famotidine 20mg pepcid 40mg tablet
jenniferroy フェラチオポルノ japanesexxporns.cPRrJ2AfawM
landuse Lesbians porn lancdcuse.U0kxJ0qDpUW
falbobrospizzamadison Celebrity porn jkkıjxxx.tcTAocuIRHb
l59gce
going off celexa
buy quetiapine tablets – eskalith uk cheap eskalith generic
गर्भवती अश्लील qqyyooppxx.5RX1h5aBqFk
डीपी पोर्न के बा hjkvbasdfzxzz.EVuc14rDCTR
buy clomipramine 50mg pills – clomipramine generic generic sinequan
nrxAZebEcqmQhv
QwfDkaUr
buy hydroxyzine 10mg pills – buspin order online brand amitriptyline
रूसी अश्लील साहित्य txechdyzxca.VL9QElIYjOu
I was very pleased to find this web-site.I wanted to thanks for your time for this wonderful read!! I definitely enjoying every little bit of it and I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you blog post.
डीपी अश्लील hkyonet.ZTd8bc3nHjM
ਪਰਿਪੱਕ (40 ) ਪੋਰਨ madisonivysex.d2h3beSIpM9
buy augmentin for sale – cipro 1000mg over the counter ciprofloxacin without prescription
order amoxicillin online – trimox us buy ciprofloxacin 1000mg generic
semaglutide uk
ladesbet ਵਿੰਟੇਜ ਅਤੇ ਨੌਜਵਾਨ ਪੋਰਨ ladesinemi.YchXU0aZ9If
how long until abilify side effects go away
ladesbet 緊縛ポルノ ladestinemi.V1JghgeKBEe
acarbose pdf
remeron for ocd
robaxin for fibromyalgia
repaglinide therapeutic category
nexium vs protonix
clindamycin uk – order cefpodoxime 100mg pills order chloromycetin pill
zithromax without prescription – order generic ciplox 500mg ciprofloxacin 500 mg drug
price of stromectol – order levaquin 250mg pill buy cefaclor without prescription
how to buy ventolin – buy seroflo online cheap buy cheap theophylline
remeron wiki
wARyHnpzQOxDY
does robaxin help with opiate withdrawal
synthroid purity
sitagliptin bullous pemphigoid
Hi there very nice site!! Man .. Beautiful .. Wonderful .. I will bookmark your blog and take the feeds additionallyKI’m glad to search out a lot of useful information here in the submit, we need work out extra techniques on this regard, thank you for sharing. . . . . .
can i buy medrol online – astelin 10ml drug brand azelastine
purchase desloratadine pill – buy aristocort 10mg pills buy albuterol inhalator sale
synthroid carbohydrates
which online pharmacy is reliable
venlafaxine hot flashes
order micronase 5mg sale – cheap dapagliflozin 10 mg buy dapagliflozin 10mg sale
voltaren (diclofenac) gel
tizanidine contraindications
synthroid otc
gabapentin and zyprexa
wellbutrin cured my depression
buy metformin 500mg without prescription – generic metformin 500mg purchase acarbose pills