Jumping a red light and downloading movies or series from Torrent and myriad other websites are both illegal and punishable under the law. But how many of us think twice before clicking on that tab to download copyrighted content?
Over a decade ago, pirated PC games were all the rage, and Delhi’s infamous Palika Bazaar did a good business selling them. A set of CDs cost between Rs 500 and Rs 30, depending on who you are – a confused newcomer or a repeat visitor who struck a chord with shopkeepers.
Today, in the digital age, piracy is rampant as consumers seek to dodge the fees demanded by premium streaming sites or watch the latest cricket match or the big screen outing for free.
So what exactly is digital piracy? The term refers to the illegal copying or distribution of any copyrighted material via the Internet. Primarily, it negatively impacts the revenue of creative industries – like film, TV, publishing, music and games.
According to DataProt, global annual revenue losses due to digital piracy range between $40 billion and $97 billion for global film industries.
According to a joint report released by Akamai and MUSO, India ranked third among consumers of pirated content in 2021. Between January 2021 and September 2021, India recorded 6.5 billion visits to websites piracy, after the United States at 13.5 billion and Russia at 7.2 billion.
It may seem like a victimless crime, but the criminals who operate these hijacker websites can sometimes be part of dangerous organized crime groups that use your money to commit far more serious crimes.
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