CompuServe Messages

Albert, OUP isn't trying to "protect" anything. They are running scared and they don't know what to do. (Analysis parallisis?) If they did, they would be taking a pro-active stand (aggressively marketing, "right" price, etc). Reminds me of the good old days in Taiwan (late '50's early '60's). The book pirates had a standing policy: get them a book to pirate, they would take it apart, use the pages as "camera ready art", pirate it, rebind your original and give you 10 free copies. You could buy the full set of Encyclopedia Briticannica (leather bound!) for only $25. The paper was only two shades thicker than toilet paper (and considerably less comfortable, the ink, you know). Think it was 26 volumes! Now imagine, if you will, if those guys are still in business (they are) and they decide to go into the CD-ROM business! Guess you read about the 'though police' (SPA) recently seizing fourteen 40' trailer loads of bogus MS-DOS complete with holograms (you can buy the holograms in China for 2 cents each – the whole works costs a bit more). If you were OUP, wouldn't you be concerned? Bringing the dictionary out on CD-ROM is better than "camera ready art". A CD-ROM is a perfect "pre-master" for production. Things are in their (OUP) favor, if only they can realize it. Taiwan could (probably still can) produce a 24 volume set of the encyclopedia and sell it profitably at $25 while everyone was absolutely uncompetitive. Taiwan, however, will cost just about the same to produce a CD-ROM (they lose the mega advantages in price of costs). If OUP priced it reasonably, the pirates would buy from them! When will they ever learn? Jan