The way things are going, PR professionals in the future are not going to need to be affiliated to their local professional body or possess good writing skills. Oh no, to practice PR 21st century style you’ll have to have a law degree.
Over the past few months we are seeing a rapid increase in the aggression of organizations seeking to enforce what they believe are their rights. Where good communications practice teaches us to engage our audience, these organizations believe in litigating with them.
In the business world, SCO continues to avoid the path of sensible conciliatory talks and instead is planning on not only suing large IT vendors like IBM, but smaller Linux vendors and now the crowning glory, they are suing end-users.
It’s a while since I read it, but I don’t remember Geoffrey Moore writing about the “Litigation Strategy” in Inside the Tornado. (I know, I know, I am SO 1990’s)
How SCO think they can outlast IBM in a legal process is beyond me. But from a PR perspective this approach is harming not helping their profile – in my opinion.
Then in the consumer world we have the Recording Industry Association of America or the RIAA.
It would be unfair to suggest the RIAA has their head in the sand, it’s more like concrete.
CD sales are falling so it’s the Internet’s fault. That’s their thinking. They’re spending millions lobbying Federal government and now they’re turning their nasty focus on their customers. There’s good PR for you.
So let’s look at the music business. CD sales are falling. Did they ever think that it’s because CDs are so expensive? CDs are moving out of discretionary spending. I only buy half the CDs I used to because I am unwilling to pay that much money for CDs. The Univeral Music Group has made some steps in fixing this problem, but let’s not forget just how little CD’s cost to manufacture.
In most industry’s you look at your costs if sales are falling, you don’t go suing your customers.
Ah the Internet. The music business has singularly refused to look at innovative ways for selling music online. There’s too much vested interest. Apple’s iTune’s has been a massive success showing that people are willing to legally buy music online – if only they could.
The Internet has been mainstream since the mid nineties and only now are authorized music services being made available online. That sounds like the RIAA’s problem to me. But no my friend that is your problem, and that is why a twelve year old girl in New York is being sued by the might of the music industry.
When did communication, innovation and good business practice get railroaded by litigation? I’m not sure but I know in the end there will be no winners.
By the way, in case anyone from the RIAA reads this, all my music is legit. But that doesn’t mean I agree with your overpriced and under-innovated products.
“Out of all people, why did they pick me?”
Brianna LaHara, a 12-year-old New York City girl who is being sued by the RIAA (New York Post Story)
Update: James Horton posts along similar lines today.
Murphy's Law 