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IPAF’s ‘truth behind excuses’ hopes to curb piracy

The Intellectual Property Awareness Foundation (IPAF) today announced a new campaign off the back of research that showed 72% of consumers say they would stop illegal downloading if they received a notification from their ISP. The research also revealed consumers perceive the “ISPs as actively encouraging them to share and download illegal content.

However, approximately the same number believe they’re downloading has little impact on the industry.

“Seventy-four percent of total population think they don’t contribute to the problem,” says Grant. “People were still saying, ‘I’m not part of it’. [They] use a lot of excuses, ‘I’m not hurting anyone,’ I’m a little fish’.”

The new campaign, ‘The Truth Behind the Excuses’ follows on from last year’s campaign, ‘the Accidental Pirate’ to educate users. The campaign uses Dan Wyllie once again as a number of different characters.

Gail Grant, CEO of IPAF told Encore, “We found that 72% of people thought that movie and TV theft is stealing. In our research, 44% who saw the campaign said it changed their view on piracy. Education is really the key to a better understanding of the whole issue. When 73 percent see it as theft, education is going to make the difference and give understanding of the issue, to not lay blame.

“We found that there were excuses but also blame that people put on a lot of places. They blame the movie industry, which we know is not necessarily true. They blame the law. They blame the society for acceptance but most of all, and this is the first time we’ve seen it come out at this level, they’ve blamed the ISP. They found the ISPs as enablers of piracy.”

“What we’re suggesting is that ISPs can education their users with notices. It’s happening in other territories. Consumers are busy people and they want to understand what is right and wrong. Consumers are looking for that input from the ISPs and from the industry as a whole. That’s why IPAF are here – we are an industry body that talk to the consumer.”

“From both 09 and 11, 72% of respondents said they would stop if they were told they were in breach of their conditions and 74% would stop if they were suspended. People are looking to ISPs for guidance.”

Nevertheless, said Grant, “when it comes to movie and TV theft, the amazing thing is the product is there for the taking. No other commercial sphere do we accept this as there to take. The jobs the movie and TV industry creates is really important. That’s why we had this campaign, to encourage education, for them to see what the action is.”

Announced last month, the film and TV industry inject 6.1b into the economy every year, more than the aviation industry, yet findings from an AFACT (Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft) report from January 2011 found that 6,100 full time equivalent jobs were forgone across the entire economy over 2010. Allowing for effects on other industries approximately $1.37m in gross output (sales) lost across the entire Australian economy.

IPAF is a board partnership of television and film organisations in Australia, they commissioned the research conducted by Sycamore Research & Marketing.

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