Worldwide Anti-Piracy Efforts
Recently, Indonesia made a move to tackle the enormous piracy problem that plagues the country, the BBC reported. They passed a law that not only targets the sellers of pirated DVDs and music, but goes after the landlords of buildings and shopping malls where the products are sold. This drastic move is in response to the large variety of DVDs available on the streets of Indonesia at extremely low prices, some as low as $0.60. According to the article, the moves made by Indonesia are part of a global effort to reduce piracy, as it not only affects production costs within the entertainment industry, but also violates copyright laws. In Indonesia alone the music industry has lost over $450 million dollars and has the potential to lose even more.
Many local Indonesian bands, although happy that the law has been passed, have expressed concern over its enforcement. Piracy has such a longstanding history in the Indonesian market and encompasses a large number of incomes in the lower classes. Thus, problems that may arise through the enforcement of this law are unpredictable, the article suggests. In following through with this law, Indonesia is taking a step to further the global community’s efforts to reduce piracy, however it is to be seen how this will actually work out.
About two years ago, America also made a major push in dealing with video piracy when it went after the Internet piracy giant Megaupload Limited. The United States government took measures to shut down the high profile video sharing site. The founder, Kim Dotcom, was given a 72-page indictment that charged him with a variety of violations including money-laundering, bribery, and violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. See United States v. Dotcom, 1:12-CR-3, 2012 WL 4788433 (E.D. Va. Oct. 5, 2012). Although this was a huge step in combatting the piracy struggles in the United States, there is still a long way to go in ending the issue.
Today, a large number of people still use illegal streaming and download sites to watch television shows, movies, and listen to music. High volumes of Internet users are well aware of what websites are best for catching up on the latest television show for free; yet dealing with this problem is still difficult. Even with Megavideo gone, websites for torrents and streaming are easily accessible. Moreover, new websites continue to pop up every day, according to World TV PC.
Moreover, the demand for such websites has not declined, and we might not see a decline due to the high costs of the alternatives to piracy. As long as the public still makes use of the illegal websites, they will continue to emerge, reports the International Business Times.
Indonesia and the United States are not the only countries making huge efforts to curtail piracy, China and Vietnam are also looking into what measures they can take. The global intellectual property watchdogs recently put Indonesia, China, and Vietnam on a high priority list as these countries have some of the highest numbers of video pirates, explained the BBC. The next few years will likely bring about drastic changes in the law, which will have major effects on the market, including the potential for price increases in movies and music.
