Movie Piracy Costs Australian Economy $1.3 Billion According To AFACT

 title=AFACT, the Galactic Empire of corporations fighting to protect the rights of poor copyright owners against piracy across the known universe, has claimed that the Australian economy is suffering to the tune of $1.3 billion a year because people download movies on the internets. Fortunately, they put that money right back in by paying lawyers to sue companies like iiNet…

The study was conducted by IPSOS and Oxford Economics on behalf of AFACT, and found that movie piracy over a 12 month period killed the equivalent of 6,100 full time jobs thanks to 92 million pirated movies being viewed or obtained.

The study interviewed 3,500 adults in July and August last year, questioning their piracy habits. Some 45% admitted to having watched some pirated material, although AFACT naturally assumes this number to be higher. The study also doesn’t include every pirated screening to equate to a lost sale – they asked people in the survey whether or not they had actually gone on to see the movie after watching a pirated version and the 32% that said yes weren’t included as lost revenue.

I’m always sceptical about statistics, especially when statistics are commissioned to prove or disprove an argument for a company with a vested interest. But even if these numbers are true, will they persuade any pirates out there to change their ways? Is hurting the economy enough incentive to push people to iTunes for movie rentals? I doubt it…

[AFACT (PDF)]


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