If the music and movie industry won"t lower the price of CDs and DVDs, there"s only one thing to do: punters should stop buying them.
Just ask the Malaysian government. This week, Deputy Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk S Subramaniam told buyers to quit spending - temporarily, at least - to force the industry to reduce prices.
Subramaniam"s statement, reported by the New Straits Times, apparently followed requests by Kuala Lumpur that "industry players" reduce "CD and VCD" prices - a demand rejected by the music and video business.
Ironically, the government made the request in order to help the industry: it offered the move as a solution to escalating music and movie piracy.