Three ways to fight online piracy
It is hard to put a figure on the amount of revenue that the media and entertainment industry loses to online piracy.
What is surprising is that one of the wealthiest countries is one of the biggest online pirates (Singapore online users 9th-worst Internet pirates in the world: Report; May 5).
The issue is complex, beginning with the fact that online piracy is constantly evolving, and simplistic narratives do not lead to effective solutions. Pirates are business-savvy and have established a model that openly threatens revenues for content producers and distributors.
The rise of pirated set-top boxes like Kodi is a case in point. A few years ago, piracy required navigating through complex instructions; today, it is user-friendly and accessible through simple apps and cheap devices.
Secondly, consumers are more demanding. They want full control of what they watch, when and how they watch it; simply labelling content as pirated will not stop them.
If users cannot find a show in their Netflix library or other paid service, chances are they will access it illegally because that is easier. Convenience is what the pirates exploit.
Content producers and distributors have three key allies in their fight against piracy: Technology, legal action and education, which must be utilised simultaneously. Laws protecting intellectual property can deter pirates from stealing and consumers from accessing illegal content.
With technologies such as forensic watermarking, it is also possible to track where the leak occurs in the supply chain. Complementing such technology with legal action can be an effective strategy for protecting producers’ creative and financial investments.
A recent global survey by Irdeto showed that 48 per cent of consumers across 30 countries were willing to stop watching or watch less illegal content after understanding the damage piracy causes the media industry. Simply put, educating consumers, rather than labelling their consumption habits, has the potential to reduce piracy.
