Who is it harming?
Movie and TV theft is not a victimless crime. When movies and television programs are stolen, those affected include local cinemas, family run DVD stores, writers, actors and other artists who contribute to the movies we love, and the carpenters, make-up artists, grips and other production crew members who depend on a healthy industry for their jobs and their families’ income.
A joint study by IPSOS and Oxford Economics, on behalf of the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft, indicated that in the 12 months up to July 2010 over $1.37 billion in revenue was lost to the Australian economy as a result of movie theft.
The IPSOS research tells us that movie theft has a destructive impact not just on the film industry, but the economic damage also reverberates through our entire community, threatening all types of jobs and businesses. The film community is no different than any other sector of the economy that relies on skill, investment and hard work. The losses are significant and the report highlights the need for urgency in addressing this problem.
The key findings of the survey found that:
- Allowing for effects on other industries, $1.37 billion in revenue was lost across the entire Australian economy
- 6,100 jobs were forgone across the entire economy
- Tax losses to movie theft amounted to $193 million
- Direct consumer spending losses to the movie industry, i.e cinema owners, local distributors, producers and retailers, amounted to $575 million (equivalent to more than three times the combined revenues of AFL clubs Collingwood, Hawthorn, Carlton and Geelong.)
- A third of the Australian adult population has participated in some form of movie theft ( downloading, streaming, buying counterfeit, borrowing unauthorised, burning)
- 92 million illegal movies were estimated to have been viewed or obtained within this period.
The IPSOS study arrived at the figures by conducting a telephone survey of 3,500 adults aged 18 and over between July - August 2010.
Please click on the report below to access the full report
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ORGANISED CRIME
Movie and TV thieves stifle creativity, damage our economy and disrupt the social fabric. The content theft business returns stellar profits. Criminal syndicates focus on content theft to generate massive profit, bankrolling other criminal activity.
There is abundant evidence that intellectual property crime has become a preferred fundraising activity for criminal organisations that also number among their pastimes drug trafficking, handling stolen goods and identity theft.
The Australian Crime Commission (ACC) 2009 Organised Crime Report identified IP Crime as a significant crime type within Australia.
“IP crime is growing internationally and includes the illicit production, distribution and sale of products without the legal authority of the owner of the intellectual property rights,” The ACC said.
“Offences include a range of counterfeiting and content theft crimes such as trademark counterfeiting and illegally downloading music and movies.”
The ACC stressed that the high profit and minor penalties associated with IP crime make it an attractive area for organised crime groups.
“The opportunities for IP crime have been greatly enhanced by advances in communications technology and computer software”. The ACC reported.
Please click on the report below to access the full report
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Visit the Crime Commission Website
Watch video: Film Piracy, Organized Crime, and Terrorism.
