Darth_Logice opened this issue on Mar 26, 2000 ยท 26 posts
ScottK posted Mon, 27 March 2000 at 2:27 PM
I really can't believe this... Zygote spent months developing a model. They put it up for sale and say, essentially, "Buy the model and sell the images you make with it and we don't care." $60.00 is a STEAL. Try buying a music CD, re-interpret the work and re-record it yourself, then see what happens when you try to sell your recording. There will be a flock of lawyers on you VERY quickly. You would need to pay thousands in licensing fees to do this, if you could do it at all. Has anyone here ever dealt with licensing?? You're not buying the model. You're buying the right to use it and profit from it, without having to pay royalties to the creator. As a filmmaker, getting rights to use images and music is a time-consuming and expensive part of my business. These rights, once paid for (much more than $60, I assure you) are only one-time rights. Zygote is giving perpetual rights for only $60. I know, many Posers are not going to make money with the images they make. But, look at it from Zygote's point of view... If they sold this model for $20, and required separate licensing for for-profit use, they would lose out BIG TIME. There would be rampant copyright violations, and there would be little Zygote could do to stop it. By charging $60, everyone gets perpetual rights to sell images made with the model, and Zygote needs not worry about chasing down violations of their copyright. People who think $60 is too much really don't have a clue how the professional marketplace works. Nor have they tried to make a living with their artwork. If someone wants to buy and use something I make, for profit, without paying royalties... they're going to pay bigger up front. This goes for rendered artwork, photographs, original music, film footage... whatever. And, to those complaining that Poser is expensive... wow... buy some software with REAL capabilities and you're really in for a shock. Poser has 1/10 the capabilities of ElectricImage, and is therefore about 1/10 the price. It's a simple economic issue: If Millie is worth $60 to you, then buy her. If she's not, don't. Where's the problem? Now that I've ranted... I'm not planning to purchase Millie, simply because I have no need for her. I do, however, defend Zygote's right to charge what the market will bear. If too many people feel that she's too expensive for what she offers, and they vote with their wallets, the price will come down. Don't plan on it, though. -sk