Kevin Werbach neatly describes the impedance mismatch between Hollywood and Nerdlandia:
Herein lies the conflict between Hollywood and the technology industry in a nutshell. One sees content as the critical resource, and data networks as simply another mechanism to deliver it. The other sees connectivity as the essential factor, with movies being one of many resources that can travel along those connections. Hollywood sees a moral dimension in protecting its property and the creative works of its artists, as well as a nobility in bringing entertainment to the masses. The tech industry things bits are bits, and the only moral value that really matters is freedom.
For the [News Corp. President] Peter Chernins of the world, content is a calling, while distribution is just a business. The relevant players should sit across a table and hash out the numbers, because broadband has "vast potential" as a way to connect audiences with content. Porn and piracy, in his view, sully the medium. The tech community views things differently. From its perspective, networking is a calling, while commercial activity riding on the network is just business. We should find ways to make those businesses viable, but never at the cost of damaging the "vast potential" of broadband to tie people together innovative, disruptive ways.
