This post is about piracy – Post # 11 – Week 11

I’m on a roll tonight. I just finished post # 10, and now that I’m feeling better, it’s time to go back to what this blog is really about: analyzing literary works that are concerned with communication technology and culture.

We’re back to Matt Mason and The Pirate’s Dilemma, chapter two in particular. I’m sure you all have a copy by now. If not, they released it online for free, so go ahead and get it so you can be smart and stuff. In all seriousness, the book is pretty solid, despite being a few years old. For y’all who ain’t down with the kids’ slang, solid = good. Anyways, lets get on with it. I’ll begin with a picture. 

I like this image a lot. It’s not in The Pirate’s Dilemma, but I think Mason would like the picture too. This “handy little guide” is a comprehensive explanation for the piracy newbie, but it falls a bit short when you try to explain patent piracy. With patent piracy, once someone copies your patent, you really don’t have any power anymore. I’m not sure that I really agree with patenting to begin with. I understand that the creator wants some recognition for inventing whatever the patent is for, but it seems wrong to allow inventors to hold a monopoly over the use of what they made.

For example, Mason references the medicine situation I touched upon in my last post. Western companies that own patents for medicines sell their goods to developing countries at Western prices. The majority of people can’t afford the medicine at the prices it is offered at, but there is no cheaper alternative. The cheaper alternative can’t be made because the major company won’t let others copy its precious, patented formula. So thousands die, unless pirates come to the rescue. Patent pirates just don’t care about what the company thinks is important (i.e. their profits), so they risk everything by making copies of the big brand medicine and sell it for an affordable price. And you thought piracy was a bad thing.

What does this mean? Well it certainly shows how committed the health industry is to protecting health. Drug companies clearly don’t make drugs just to help people. They make drugs for the paycheck, and the whole “betterment of humanity” thing is just a side effect that helps them sleep at night. After being revealed, certain drug companies dropped their prices by 80% when selling medicines to developing nations. By doing so, they made their product more competitive. When there are cheaper alternatives, people will buy those. So the big companies dropped their prices. The fact that they shed 80% of the price tag is one thing, but the intentions are another entirely. Drug companies were made to look bad, and they lost money. So to fix it, they drop their prices in an attempt to fit in. Not only do they appear to have realized their wrongs, but they can start making money again. They can’t lose!