RE: A thought about H.R. 2281 - Anti circumvention

[Laurel Jamtgaard <laurelj@arl.org>]

[Any economists out there? See question for you to consider below.]

Laurel wrote:
>> Or the
>> library patron number 3 would be out of luck because the library only paid
>> for "two reads" of the book she wanted to look at.  Archiving would be
>> impossible (or extremely expensive).
>
Rick Anderson  <rick_anderson@uncg.edu> wrote:
> Philosophically, is that much different from the current situation, where
> library patron number 3 is out of luck because the library only paid for
> two copies of the new Tom Clancy novel and there's a ten-name waiting list
> on each copy?

Yes I do think it is different.  In the current model people on the
waiting list will evenutally get access to the book with no additional
charge.  (This is not to say that the author wasn't compensated for the
copy purchased by the library.)  In the 2281 world, the author will be
able to require compensation for every access.  How greedy do you think
authors/publishers will be?  Well of course it will depend on how much
competition is in the market and so I'd expect to see different results
accross different areas of library acquisition. 

If you are facing a market with high-concentration (few providers) I think
you are more likely to see higher prices and per-use fees.  Actually, if
there are any economists out there I'd be interested to hear your thoughts
on this. 

Laurel

   Laurel Jamtgaard
   Policy Analyst to:
     Association of Research Libraries 
     Special Libraries Association
       202.296.2296  FAX:202.872.0884   laurelj@arl.org