No RIAA[1]/RIAS[2]/RIPS[3]-type organization for Comic books!

For those of you who are unaware of what the RIAA, RIAS, and RIPS are here a brief explanation in the endnotes below (I have to keep it brief as I had a really long day today, which included the most exercise I’ve done in months, and therefore I am completely knackered!)

Now, there has been a lot of news reports about these organisations’ activities (especial the RIAA) because of all the high-profile legal suits carried out by them. However, it is also apparent that they haven’t really made a dent in the file-sharing culture that pervades our day. This is largely because file-sharing has become to readily accessible, allowing people to share and receive music and video files from the comfort of their own homes. But another significant factor is that the odds are always still in favour of those who choose to download or share such copyrighted materials.

It used to be said that since copyright infringement was a civil matter, it would be impossible and impractical for copyright owners to catch and sue everyone who downloads illegal copies of copyright material. As such, people were safe. Now, with copyright infringement attracting criminal liability in may countries (including Singapore), the situation has not really changed too much. The fact is still that, with millions of people the world around using the Internet, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to catch everyone who engages in such activities (although I’m sure that we’ll see the number of prosecutions rising).

What really concerns me however, being closely associated with Christian Comic Book publisher Wen’s World, is that I have recently discovered that bit-torrenting (or file-sharing) does not only target the music and video industries – it has even hit the comic book industry! Of course no figures are available and so we are, at present, unable to determine how deep the practise is.

The most troubling issue is that, unlike the music and film industries, the comic book industry certainly does not have anywhere close to the same financial clout as them. This translates to: no TV or print advertisements and less alternative sources to regain lost revenue. There isn’t even an equivalent organization to the RIAA to champion their cause or a RIPS-like royalty collection or licencing body.

In additional disadvantage is that, unlike music CDs and movie DVDs, there are no technological measures available to prevent the making of illegal copies of comic books. No DRM-equivalent features are possible (unless there could be a feature in the paper that prevents scanning or copying of any sort, but this would inevitably mean higher production costs and therefore higher retail prices, which will pose yet another problem for the industry). As such, all the equipment that is required to be a comic book pirate is a scanner and an Internet connection!

All these mean that: if the comic book isn’t making sufficient money, then titles will be cancelled (and of course people lose their jobs).

This, I believe, actually puts the comic book industry in a catch22 situation. I believe, although I have not actually done the research to verify this belief, that the comic book industry has been experiencing a dip in its popularity for many years. This may be the result of a variety of factors. This could include the lower attention span of children today and the wider availability of more entertaining options such as animated movies and cartoons.

These animated movies and cartoons have also evolved since I was a kid. They have embraced new technologies and different artistic styles – all presumably in a bid to attract the young of today. Perhaps, this is something that the comic book industry needs to take notes and follow suit. As production costs continue to rise, one method of lower the cost of the comics would be to do eComics. I’ve read somewhere that Marvel Comics have been offering downloadable eComics on their website for many years and now sell their eComics through a 3rd party. But I think the technology has to be developed further as these eComics are merely in pdf format and have no security features whatsoever (nothing to prevent me from sharing it around).

Endnotes:
[1] RIAA stands for the Recording Industry Association of America. It is a trade group comprising a large number of private corporate entities such as record labels and music distributors. Basically, its role is to monitor and enforce their member’s Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs). They are of course most notable for commencing legal suits against companies such as Napster and other P2P sites, and even against individuals. It is also responsible for all the advertisements we see on television as well as during the trailers before movies – about how piracy is stealing (we’ve all seen them right?). [The MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) is the equivalent of the RIAA, but for motion picture films. Its role is also the equivalent of the RIAA for films. ]

[2] The RIAS is simply the Singapore equivalent. It stands for the Recording Industry Association of Singapore.

[3] The RIPS on the other hand is a royalty collection or collective licensing body. Such bodies are empowered to exercise the rights of the record companies with respect to a few matters, namely: (1) Public performances of karaoke and/or music videos; (2) Reproduction of karaoke and/or music videos on karaoke-on-demand (KOD) computerised systems; (3) Reproduction of sound recordings into a computerised or other storage system; (4) MP3/MP4 Licence. If a person (private individual or corporate) wants to do any of the acts listed above, he would have to obtain a licence from the IPR owner and pay the appropriate royalties. Essentially, the RIPS quotes, collects the royalties, and distributes them to the IPR owners (minus an administrative fee).