Music piracy declined by around 32 per cent across the 28 EU members states between January 2017 and September 2018, it has been revealed.
The finding forms part of a major new study published by the European Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).
According to the report, overall access to pirated media content declined by 15 per cent, with the fall most pronounced in the music industry.
Film and TV piracy, meanwhile, fell by 19 per cent and eight per cent respectively.
Likewise, the number of young adults aged 15 to 24 who accessed pirated digital content over the 12-month period fell sharply from 60 to 49 per cent.
Despite much of the sector making positive progress in stamping out piracy, disadvantaged countries, such as Latvia and Lithuania, reported piracy rates almost three times higher than other member states. It suggests that the greatest contributor to piracy is level of income per capita and extent of inequality. A higher “acceptance of digital piracy” is also associated with a higher level of consumption of pirated content, the report adds.
Commenting on the study, the EUIPO said: “The good news in this report is that digital piracy is declining.
“However, piracy remains a significant problem, more so in some member states than in others. The average internet user in the EU accessed pirated content 9.7 times per month in 2018, ranging from almost 26 times per month in Latvia and Lithuania to less than four times per month in Finland.
“Income per capita and the extent of inequality seem to have the greatest impact on consumption of pirated content: high per capita income and low degree of income inequality are associated with lower levels of illicit consumption.”
To access the report, please click here.
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