infornography
A classic pattern in technology economics where layers of the stack attempt to become monopolies.
Joel Spolsky in 2002 identified a major pattern in technology business & economics: the pattern of "commoditizing your complement".
Where companies seek to secure a choke-point or quasi-monopoly in products composed of many necessary & sufficient layers by dominating one layer while fostering so much competition in another layer above or below its layer that no competing monopolist can emerge.
Smart Companies
Prices are driven down to marginal costs elsewhere in the stack, total price drops & increases demand, and the majority of the consumer surplus of the final product can be diverted to the quasi-monopolist.
"No matter how valuable the original may be, it can be more valuable to make it free if it increases profits elsewhere."