The word “piracy” brings to mind different things for different people. Some may think of pirates as swashbuckling criminals that sail the “Seven Seas” or as aggressive Africans that attack cruise ships off the coast of Somalia. Nowadays, however, the word “pirate” brings to mind a different breed of people that don’t really compare to the Johnny Depp stereotypes.
The ability to download files from the Internet inevitably led to illegal file sharing, known as Internet piracy. Most think of Internet pirates as pasty, emaciated computer nerds in their teens and twenties, but the truth is that Internet piracy is becoming increasingly easier for even the casual, everyday Internet user. With piracy on the rise, some companies are battling diminishing sales, while other companies are flourishing in even the most piracy flooded markets. So what does it take to beat Internet piracy?
Internet piracy has become a growing issue over the past decade. As the Internet rises in popularity, so does its exploitation. Foreign websites (based in countries with little to no copyright laws) share copyrighted material with users through files known as “torrents.” Users can anonymously download any and all types of files from these sites, including movies, TV shows, music, games, and eBooks, to name but a few. The economic effects haven’t gone unnoticed in these industries either.
The music industry annually suffers major losses due to piracy, being that it is the most common type of piracy. The $35.4 billion global industry lost roughly $12.5 billion solely because of Internet piracy last year (35% in losses). A recent survey among PC gamers found that for every three people who legally purchase a game, one person pirates an illegal copy of it. That is to say, the estimated $9.5 billion industry (as of 2011) could have easily brought in $12 billion, had piracy not become such a prevalent problem. The movie industry, although less affected, still has problems due to piracy as well. An estimated $20 billion was lost due to piracy in 2009, out of the total global revenue of $102 billion. So can anything be done to bring these industries back to their former glory?
The answer is likely… No. The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), an act of legislation that gives the government the ability to ban websites that share copyrighted material, was heavily protested for its violation of constitutional rights and has been indefinitely halted in Congress. It seems, then, that media corporations must search for alternate solutions to piracy. While certain individuals in various industries have discovered creative solutions to piracy, nothing can quite reestablish the numbers these mammoth media industries once brought in. This may, however, be because many of these “creative solutions” have not been accepted or employed by the mainstream media.
For instance, Steam, a PC gaming client that offers games at dirt-cheap prices as long as users remain connected to the Internet while they play them, helps battle gaming piracy. Recently, comedian Louis C.K. released a digital download of his most recent standup special (“Louis C.K. Live at Beacon Theater”) on his website, with an open letter that told his fans they could pirate it if they really wanted to, but he asked them to purchase it afterwards if they were entertained. The download’s lack of DRM (digital rights management) means users can share the video on every medium imaginable, contrary to the heavily regulated iTunes movie files. This freedom coupled with a $5 price tag led to $1 million in sales after only one week, an unheard of number for any previous comedy special. In addition, more and more music artists are starting to offer their music on their websites for extremely cheap (or nonexistent) prices, in an attempt to counteract their loss of sales due to piracy by acknowledging piracy’s effects and being straightforward with their fans.
In this digital age, any media distributed via a physical disc is becoming obsolete. The availability of digital downloads, in addition to minimal cost, means media can be distributed by nearly anyone. So there in lies the answer to battling piracy. Piracy cannot be quelled by attempting to ban its sources (SOPA), but also cannot be ignored. It seems the only way digital media can combat piracy is by getting creative with distribution; piracy simply cannot be defeated by trying to bash it out of existence. Instead, media conglomerates must embrace it and evolve accordingly. Distributors of mainstream media need to take notes on innovators like Louis C.K. in order to save these dying industries and effectively battle their foremost opponent: piracy.
