# Information Rules

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1999 book by Carl Shapiro and Hal Varian

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Information Rules A Strategic Guide to the Network Economy Author Carl Shapiro and Hal Varian Language English Subject Network economy Genre Non-fiction Publisher Harvard Business School Press Publication date 1999 Publication place United States Media type Print ISBN 978-0875848631

***Information Rules*** is a 1999 book by [Carl Shapiro](/source/Carl_Shapiro) and [Hal Varian](/source/Hal_Varian) applying traditional economic theories to modern [information-based technologies](/source/Information_technology).[1] The book examines commercial strategies appropriate to companies that deal in information, given the high "first copy" and low "subsequent copy" costs of information commodities, such as [music CDs](/source/Compact_Disc) or original texts.

## Content

The book examines competing [standards](/source/De_facto_standard), and how a company might influence widespread consumer acceptance of one over another, such as [VHS](/source/VHS) versus [Betamax](/source/Betamax), or [HD DVD](/source/HD_DVD) versus [Blu-ray](/source/Blu-ray_Disc). The book mentions possible business strategies of such publishers as [Encyclopædia Britannica](/source/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica) who have to confront how to stay viable as technology changes the value and availability of information.

## See also

- *[Knowledge and Decisions](/source/Knowledge_and_Decisions)* (book)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Shapiro; Shapiro, Carl; Carl, Shapiro; Varian, Hal R. (1998). *Information Rules: A Strategic Guide to the Network Economy*. Harvard Business Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [087584863X](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/087584863X).

## External links

- [Book excerpt](https://books.google.com/books?id=aE_J4Iv_PVEC) in [Google Books](/source/Google_Books)

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