Content is a pure public good

By Michael Fraase

Tuesday, 23 October 2001 08:55PM CST

Section: Publishing

Dan Kohn is a Silicon Valley venture capitalist, but don’t let that stop you from reading his excellent essay, “Content is a pure public good.”

His point is that digitally distributed content is what economists call a nonexcludable (no one can stop its flow), non-rival (we can all use it without anyone else having to give it up) good. Digital content, then, is what economists call a pure public good, like National Public Radio or a lighthouse. As a result, the current economic model used by all content distributors is dying a painful death.

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