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Author Info
Bakos, Yannis
Brynjolfsson, Erik
Lichtman, Douglas

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Abstract

Once purchased, information goods are often shared within small social communities. Software and music, for example, can be easily shared among family or friends. In this paper, we ask whether such sharing will undermine seller profit. We reach several surprising conclusions. We find, for example, that under certain circumstances sharing will markedly increase profit even if sharing is inefficient in the sense that it is more expensive for consumers to distribute the good via sharing than it would be for the producer to simply produce additional units. Conversely, we find that sharing can markedly decrease profit even where sharing reduces net distribution costs. These results contrast with much of the prior literature on small-scale sharing, but are consistent with results obtained in related work on the topic of commodity bundling. Our findings highlight the relative importance of demand reshaping, as opposed to cost considerations, in determining the profitability effects of sharing. Copyright 1999 by the University of Chicago.

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Publisher Info
Article provided by University of Chicago Press in its journal Journal of Law & Economics.

Volume (Year): 42 (1999)
Issue (Month): 1 (April)
Pages: 117-55
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Handle: RePEc:ucp:jlawec:v:42:y:1999:i:1:p:117-55

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  1. Rafael Rob & Joel Waldfogel, 2004. "Piracy on the High C's: Music Downloading, Sales Displacement, and Social Welfare in a Sample of College Students," NBER Working Papers 10874, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  2. Rick Harbaugh & Rahul Khemka, . "Does Copyright Enforcement Encourage Piracy?," Claremont Colleges Working Papers 2000-14, Claremont Colleges. [Downloadable!]
  3. Oliver Gürtler, 2005. "On Strategic Enabling of Product Piracy in the Market for Video Games," Bonn Econ Discussion Papers bgse36_2005, University of Bonn, Germany. [Downloadable!]
  4. Håkan Holm, 2003. "Can economic theory explain piracy behavior?," Topics in Economic Analysis & Policy, Berkeley Electronic Press, vol. 3(1), pages 1082-1082. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Doh Shin Jeon & Domenico Menicucci, 2001. "Optimal Second-degree Price Discrimination and Arbitrage: On the Role of Asymetric Information among Buyers," Economics Working Papers 624, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, revised Jan 2005. [Downloadable!]
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  6. Carl Bergstrom & Ted Bergstrom, 2001. "Do University Site Licenses for Academic Journals Benefit the Scientific Community?," University of California at Santa Barbara, Economics Working Paper Series wp15-01, Department of Economics, UC Santa Barbara. [Downloadable!]
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  7. Paul A. David, 2005. "A TRAGEDY OF THE PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE ‘COMMONS’? Global Science, Intellectual Property and the Digital Technology Boomerang," Development and Comp Systems 0502010, EconWPA. [Downloadable!]
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  8. Sudip Bhattacharjee & Ram D. Gopal & Kaveepan Lertwachara & James R. Marsden & Rahul Telang, 2005. "The Effect of P2P File Sharing on Music Markets: A Survival Analysis of Albums on Ranking Charts," Working Papers 05-26, NET Institute, revised Oct 2005. [Downloadable!]
  9. Holm, Håkan, 2000. "The Computer Generation's Willingness to Pay for Originals when Pirates are Present – A CV study," Working Papers 2000:9, Lund University, Department of Economics, revised 01 Nov 2000. [Downloadable!]
  10. David Blackburn, 2002. "Complementarities and network externalities in casually copied goods," Estudios de Economia, University of Chile, Department of Economics, vol. 29(1 Year 20), pages 71-88, June. [Downloadable!]
  11. Martin Peitz & Patrick Waelbroeck, 2004. "An Economist's Guide to Digital Music," Discussion Papers 32, SFB/TR 15 Governance and the Efficiency of Economic Systems, Free University of Berlin, Humboldt University of Berlin, University of Bonn, University of Mannheim, University of Munich. [Downloadable!]
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  12. Pierre Regibeau & Katharine Rockett, 2004. "The Relationship Between Intellectual Property Law and Competition Law: An Economic Approach," Economics Discussion Papers 581, University of Essex, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  13. Carlos A Osorio, 2003. "A Contribution to the Understanding of Illegal Copying of Software," Levine's Working Paper Archive 618897000000000572, David K. Levine. [Downloadable!]
  14. Dirk Bergemann & Thomas Eisenbach & Joan Feigenbaum & Scott Shenker, 2005. "Flexibility as an Instrument in Digital Rights Management," Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers 1505, Cowles Foundation, Yale University. [Downloadable!]
  15. Rafael Rob & Joel Waldfogel, 2006. "Piracy on the Silver Screen," NBER Working Papers 12010, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  16. Paul A. David, 2000. "The Digital Technology Boomerang: New Intellectual Property Rights Threaten Global "Open Science"," Working Papers 00016, Stanford University, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
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  17. Paul A. David, 2005. "Can ‘Open Science’ be Protected from the Evolving Regime of IPR Protections?," Industrial Organization 0502010, EconWPA. [Downloadable!]
  18. Yooki Park & Suzanne Scotchmer, 2004. "Digital Rights Management and the Pricing of Digital Products," Working Papers 04-09, NET Institute, revised Oct 2004. [Downloadable!]
  19. Kai-Lung Hui & Ivan Png, 2003. "Piracy and the Legitimate Demand for Recorded Music," Contributions to Economic Analysis & Policy, Berkeley Electronic Press, vol. 2(1), pages 1160-1160. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  20. Suzanne Scotchmer, 2002. "Consumption Externalities, Rental Markets and Purchase Clubs," Discussion Papers 03-25, University of Copenhagen. Department of Economics, revised May 2003. [Downloadable!]
  21. Patrick Legros, 2005. "Art and the Internet: Blessing the Curse?," Levine's Bibliography 666156000000000502, UCLA Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
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  22. Martin Peitz & Patrick Waelbroeck, 2003. "Piracy of Digital Products: A Critical Review of the Economics Literature," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo Group Munich. [Downloadable!]
  23. Alan E. Woodfield, 2006. "Piracy Accommodation and the Optimal Timing of Royalty Payments," Working Papers in Economics 06/01, University of Canterbury, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
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