EU STUDY: TV CONTENT IS THE MOST FREQUENT TARGET OF DIGITAL PIRACY IN THE EU

The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) has published a new study entitled Online Copyright Infringement in the European Union. The research, a follow-up to the 2019 and 2021 studies, focused on the consumption of copyright infringing content in the 27 EU Member States, covering TV, music and film between 2017 and 2022. For the first time, the study also looked at publications and software for desktop and mobile devices.

Copyright infringement is a serious problem in today's digital age, which is rife with technology. The proliferation of the internet has greatly facilitated access to many copyright works and enabled the virtually uncontrolled distribution of copyrighted content through repositories and other platforms whose operators benefit from inadequate legislation. Moreover, illegal behaviour on the Internet has been strongly encouraged by the period of the covid pandemic and related lockdowns.

GROWING PROFIT LOST

The music, television and film entertainment industry is a highly dynamic environment. Companies operating in this sector have had to adapt. They have developed new business models to be able to attract new clients, retain existing customers and ensure their competitiveness in a rapidly evolving market. The production of copyright works is by no means a cheap affair and creators need to offset the high costs involved through profits. However, they are losing these because of piracy.

Moreover, providing access to copyrighted content often involves resource-intensive activities. Pirates can use sophisticated methods to avoid identification and resist or quickly recover from enforcement actions against their services.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

Dealing with the phenomenon of Internet piracy is not easy. Indeed, it has evolved alongside technology and is often one step ahead. It is crucial to understand how piracy occurs so that adequate measures can be taken to curb it. That is why the study Online Copyright Infringement in the European Union, carried out by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), was created.

Its main objective was to analyse the illegal online consumption of protected TV, music, film, software and publishing content in EU Member States and the UK over the period 2017-2022. The new research builds on a study published in 2021, which was based on data from 2017-2020, and unlike that previous study is broader. It includes software and publishing content, and a new section on piracy at live events has also been added.

More here: euipo.europa.eu