May 2011
Featured in this insight: Media & publishing, IT & telecommunications, Police, crime & community safety
Survey reveals the truth about UK's repentant online pirates: Attitudes to online piracy and illegal downloads have grown increasingly hostile compared to the preceding year, according to Law firm Wiggin’s annual Digital Entertainment Survey.
Members of the public view those involved in online piracy as an anti-social minority and 62% approve the suspension of repeat offenders downloading phone apps, films, music, games, eBooks and other digital media.
It may then come as a surprise to hear that many copyright infringers, or pirates, agree with proposed enforcement measures, claiming that they would pay to continue using their favourite download or P2P sites if they were made legal.
Those who admitted to piracy think that illegal downloading is wrong and there is a need for enforcement, with 48% of regular pirates agreeing that the entertainment industry should be able to protect their products.
Of the 1,750 digitally active UK consumers polled by Wiggin, a mere 11% disagreed with the statement: "It is important to protect the creative industries from piracy", with around 25% to 30% of respondents remaining indifferent.
The survey also noticed a decline in the number of those involved in online piracy, with only 5% of net users downloading music from unlicensed sources on a regular basis.
View more of our sector specific insights: Media & publishing, IT & telecommunications, Police, crime & community safety
