[LINK] Markoff: Five Giants in Technology Unite to Deter Fil e Sharing

[brendansweb at optusnet.com.au]

> Chirgwin, Richard <Richard.Chirgwin at informa.com.au> wrote:

> However, in (for eg) entertainment, there is no such spread. Money,
> volume,
> voting power and voice are all incredibly concentrated - in listening
> to
> "the market" governments listen merely to an oligarchy. In acting in
> the
> interests of "the market", it's that oligarchy which is served.

I think this is effect, not cause.  The entertainment market is different because it's 
not a free market. It's actually a heavily regulated market (eg monopoly protections 
preclude all sorts of competition). It exhibits such hallmarks of a highly regulated 
market as rent seeking (eg DMCA, TRIPS, broadcasting monopolies).  The power 
concentration has emerged because of extensive regulation and subsidies and 
once it emerges it creates a virtueless cycle (my coining - a virtuous cycle that is 
bad). 

Brendan