Making legitimate customers out of virtual villains

Users of the internet are far more likely to access content that is copyright protected the faster broadband connections get and the more they learn about the internet.

Exchanging files for free and access to download is easy to do, but content rights are often breached by this. For many users this is down without knowing and with others it is done even though they know it is wrong.

With an ever increasing amount of content being made available on the internet the current view that the internet should be free is a view that will soon become an increasingly popular one. Filesharing and downloading is now something that a huge number of people do and don’t think that they are doing anything illegal. Without prior permission from the copyright holder it is considered unlawful to copy any work that is copyrighted.

In 2007 more than 95 million films were illegally downloaded in the UK, which compares to the 158 000 that were legally downloaded, according to findings from The Industry Trust, the film industry’s UK trade body. Illegal downloading is believed by the music industry to be seriously affecting it.

Artistes, entertainment companies and writers all argue, legitimately, that they deserve to be compensated for the content that they create. Organised crime has often been closely linked to piracy on a large-scale. The recent media coverage that has surrounded events like the Pirate Bay case in which prison sentences were given out has, however, come amidst the voicing of arguments and this could altered the opinion of the public, setting them against the rights holders if this decision is considered to be unduly heavy.

The maintaining of public sympathy and hard line on illegal activity is something that the entertainment industry will find is difficult to keep a balance between.

Illegal downloader’s were found to be 10 times more likely to actually buy songs than those that don’t, according to a recent study. This raises the question of not only how the potential market they represent can be harnessed but also how the industry can avoid alienating these customers.

The idea of partnering with online providers with licensing deals being entered into is something that some companies are moving towards and the approach being taken by industry bodies are also shifting.