Back in the 80s and early 90s, it was common practice for someone to go to their local record store and ask for a cassette with a playlist of their choice. There is no question that this cassette was pirated. At the same time, of course, record stores also sold hundreds of original vinyl records, and as for the problem of piracy, the process of prosecuting it was simpler.
With the advent of the CD, the phenomenon of piracy experienced a huge explosion mainly due to the ease of copying the new medium. Today, in the era of fast Internet and Peer-to-Peer, piracy does not even have a tangible object. The illegal music album, film or software circulates as simple files between users' computers who are often located entire continents away.
Piracy therefore exists as a global phenomenon, but let's see what the current situation is in Greece: "Things here are completely out of control," says Ms. Margarita Matsa, CEO of MINOS-EMI, adding that "there are too many illegal online stores right now that sell digital music at lower prices, without of course having received the legal license from the rights holders and paying the corresponding royalties. For example, a song that costs 0.99 euros on iTunes will be sold for 0.30 by someone else, because of course it is all stolen goods, and they don't even pay taxes. These must be closed down immediately because they steal from both consumers and the state.".
However, the largest share of pirated data is that which is available for free. The process is relatively simple. All someone needs to do is create a website and rent a server (which may be in a foreign country with different legislation) where users' files will be "exchanged" and made available for download by interested parties, the well-known torrents. There is no direct profit there, apart perhaps from some subscriptions and advertisements hosted on the site. Ms. Matsa believes that in this case there is a serious lack of legislation: "The state must legally oblige Internet service providers (ISPs) through a short process and in an effective manner to block users' access to this type of website. For now, the only option is legal action through a complaint or other civil proceedings, but at the pace of justice, it can take years for a page to be closed."
The global dimension
Mrs. Irini Souganidou, head of Feelgood Entertainment, is on the same wavelength, and she also points out the factor of personal responsibility: "The bad thing is that in Greece piracy has in a way been legalized in the consciousness of society. People need to understand that downloading a film is theft. The only way for films to continue to be made is for there to be some commercial exploitation so that the (many) contributors who create them are rewarded first of all.".
It should be noted that it is difficult to speak of a single dimension of the issue: due to legislative and economic factors, the situation differs from country to country. What constitutes a general reality and assumption is that today the exchange of content via the Internet is at least difficult to control, as evidenced by the continued operation of many well-known pirate websites. Despite legal measures, even in the USA (with the infrastructure of an entire FBI) no one can speak of even a major limitation of the phenomenon, let alone its elimination. The (really) fast Internet, which now exists throughout the developed world, has also brought live broadcast of programs (so-called streaming) to be added to the manifestations of piracy.
The data shows that in recent years there has been a significant decrease in the movement of Greek cinemas. However, attributing the event solely to piracy seems somewhat frivolous. The observation that cinema, as cheap entertainment, has historically flourished during times of crisis does not apply in this case, since - to put it simply - free is more attractive than "cheap". Of course, the public must also realize that the people whose work it enjoys depend to a large extent on its own subscription, but it is also a fact that the fierce economic hardship acts as a deterrent. Whether we agree or not with the causes, the prospect of solutions is not utopian. Beyond any legislative regulations, there are other more indirect methods that are already being implemented abroad, and to a certain extent here as well.
The creation and development - for example - of services such as iTunes (cheap and flexible acquisition of digital music) or Spotify (cheap or even free, conditional streaming of music) are in this direction. In the field of cinema and television, the on-demand services that Greek providers also offer, as well as the more sophisticated Netflix model, are also ways to convince someone to pay a reasonable price for high-quality entertainment offered.
Legal assistance
• In 2014, an anti-piracy law was implemented in Italy, requiring providers to block access to pirated sites. Illegal data traffic has dropped significantly since then, while movie ticket sales have increased.
• In 2012, an attempt was made to pass a package of anti-piracy laws in the US House, the infamous SOPA-PIPA. It was withdrawn after reactions from both the public and internet giants (such as Google), who spoke of restricting free speech and innovation.
Source: kathimerini.gr
