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Article
Why Do People Pay for Information Goods? A Study of the Online Porn Industry
Proceedings of the 12th Americas Conference on Information Systems (2006, Acapulco, Mexico)
  • E. X. Y. Ang
  • J. W. Y. Kwan
  • J. Teo
  • Cecil Eng Huang Chua, Missouri University of Science and Technology
Abstract

Information goods are costly to produce. However, replicating an information good is practically costless. As a result, many information good industries have severe problems with piracy. The pornography industry is an information good industry that thrives despite piracy. This research-in-progress examines why consumers are willing to pay for pornography despite the availability of free pornography. We attempt to obtain both free and paid pornography and compare and contrast the outcomes. Our preliminary results suggest that free pornography has hidden costs, while paid pornography is low cost. Specific costs to free pornography include long wait times (depending on the approach, up to 7.5 hours with no result), and the risk of virus infection. In contrast, access to large libraries of high-quality paid pornography can be obtained for as little as US$14.95 a month. Our results suggest that lawsuits will not help information goods producers, because consumers of pirated goods value money over time.

Meeting Name
12th Americas Conference on Information Systems, AMCIS 2006 (2006: Aug. 4-6, Acapulco, Mexico)
Department(s)
Business and Information Technology
Keywords and Phrases
  • Information goods,
  • Piracy,
  • Pornography
International Standard Book Number (ISBN)
978-160423626-2
Document Type
Article - Conference proceedings
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2006 Association for Information Systems (AIS), All rights reserved.
Publication Date
8-1-2006
Publication Date
01 Aug 2006
Disciplines
Citation Information
E. X. Y. Ang, J. W. Y. Kwan, J. Teo and Cecil Eng Huang Chua. "Why Do People Pay for Information Goods? A Study of the Online Porn Industry" Proceedings of the 12th Americas Conference on Information Systems (2006, Acapulco, Mexico) Vol. 1 (2006) p. 69 - 73
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/cecil-chua/36/