The way to combat lock in as a consumer is to negotiate a good deal for yourself before you sign up and get locked in - according to Varian and Shapiro, whose book he cites.
I agree with one exception, DRM that is designed to keep a company's trade secrets secret. Encountered a few startups building DRM for that purpose and I have to say that I don't find it offensive.
Data leakage is a serious problem for many companies and DRMing its key data is a good solution.
Although it is technologically impossible to create a bullet proof DRM and DRM as a whole is a rotten concept, at least these things can be "fool" proof and prevent accidental leakage.
Does lock-in include FUD? Does FUD include providing the best service?
I worked for a company which was insanely profitable but it had almost no lock-in. However, the boss took it as a personal affront if you didn't have success with the product that he designed. Therefore, it was widely regarded that you'd have most success if you bought from that company.
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[ 5.7 ms ] story [ 82.4 ms ] threadData leakage is a serious problem for many companies and DRMing its key data is a good solution.
Although it is technologically impossible to create a bullet proof DRM and DRM as a whole is a rotten concept, at least these things can be "fool" proof and prevent accidental leakage.
How much lock-in does your start-up have?
I worked for a company which was insanely profitable but it had almost no lock-in. However, the boss took it as a personal affront if you didn't have success with the product that he designed. Therefore, it was widely regarded that you'd have most success if you bought from that company.