Online piracy could result in huge job losses

The results of a recent study backed by the TUC and European unions has suggested that tens of thousands of jobs in the creative industry could be lost over the coming years as a results of online piracy.

There has been a great deal of controversy over alleged online piracy and illegal downloading recently, with the entertainment industry up in arms over the amount of money that it is losing because of this practice. There have been heated debates and arguments between the entertainment industry and groups such as Internet Service Providers, and measures outlined in the Digital Economy Bill are being brought in to try and tackle online piracy.

A study was recently carried out, and was backed by the TUC and European unions. The results of the study suggested that over the next few years tens of thousands of British jobs in the creative industry could be lost if illegal downloading and online piracy amongst broadband users continues. The number across the whole of Europe is much higher.

According to the study results around a quarter of a million jobs in industries such as music, television, and software could be lost over the next five years in the UK if online piracy continues at its current rate. Across the whole of Europe the job losses could come close to one and a quarter million, with online piracy causing huge drops in revenue for companies involved in the entertainment industry.

Geoff Taylor from the BPI stated: “we’re approaching a tipping point where investment in our talent will dry up due to mass illegal downloading. That won’t just be a problem for the music industry, or even the entertainment sector as a whole. It will do serious damage to the UK economy and destroy huge numbers of jobs.”

Source – Guardian