A Cats View: A Writers Right To Royalties?

I have just been reading the article “The writers, not the internet, will decide who wins their strike” by Seth Finkelstein, found here.

While reading the article, it got me thinking about all of the points raised, and whether they were valid or not.

The argument, put in simple terms, is that the writers want money for each of their ideas/shows that appear on the Internet, like they do with TV/DVD appearances of their ideas. While on the other hand the studios are not willing to pay writers for Internet appearances, as they see the Internet more as a promotion of the product, trying to entice people to view the show on TV, or buy a DVD.

Now a reason the studios would not pay, would be the fact that there is so much content currently available on the Internet that it would end up costing them more money than it would be worth.

Also studios may not post whole episodes, they might post 20 second teasers on-line, and they do not really want to pay someone for such a short clip.

They might also discredit the Internet as an actual source of viewing, as it is not the primary purpose, and its free to watch clips on youtube or daily motion.

The writers on the other hand, would want money for their work. They get money for their work when it is on TV or on a DVD, so why not the Internet too? If the content is being watched, then surely it does not matter what it is being viewed on.

Also if they are not paid upfront for the idea, in a one off first time payment, then they want to squeeze as much money out of the idea as they can.

With both sides having fairly valid points, and neither one backing down, it will be a long time before this is settled and done with.