There are numerous reasons why pirates pirate: a craving for free stuff; anger over price tags; and the pedestrian fact that the content is just there. A new study adds "lack of information" and "my ISP made me do it" to the list.
Sycamore Research & Marketing, on behalf of Australian anti-piracy group the Intellectual Property Awareness Foundation (IPFA), asked consumers (.PDF) a simple question: why do you pirate? The answers revealed a group which unanimously shifted the responsibility of their actions to Internet Service Providers.
"72 percent of people surveyed told us they would stop illegal file-sharing activity if they received a notice from their ISP," said Gail Grant, CEO of IPAF.
According to the research, respondents also said they believed ISPs were somehow provoking their criminal behavior - "actively encouraging them to share and download illegal content."
However, ISPs have yet to actually offer customers anything resembling a "Pirate Package" ("Phone, Internet, TV and all the stolen movies you can watch for one low monthly price!"). Similarly, search engines don't boast a "Pirate it now!" button for those trolling the web for free flicks.
Facetiousness aside, Grant argued that education, not litigation is the best method to cut down on piracy.
"Clearly the solution to a better understanding of the issue will be further education," said Grant. "ISPs can educate consumers by providing educational and informative notices regarding what's acceptable online."
The IPAF study is ostensibly a jumping off point for its own ad campaign aimed at educating viewers that they're not just skirting the law when they illegally download movies and TV shows. According to Grant, it works.
"In 2010 IPAF launched the 'Accidental Pirate' campaign that focused on defining piracy and educating the public on the actions that constitute Movie and TV theft at the everyday and every person level," said Grant. "The recent research found that 44 percent of people who saw that campaign said it changed their view of the issue."
Grant said peppering such a serious topic with jokes will resonate with viewers. The IPAF will roll out a new "Accidental Pirate" campaign this month, banking on "unique humor" to better inform consumers about their online choices. Considering the "unique humor" included in ICE's dramatization of piracy on a busy city sidewalk, the bar is set fairly low.
The IPAF study follows a controversial new "Copyright Alert System" introduced in the U.S. this summer. A collaboration between big media organizations such as the MPAA and equally large telecom companies including Comcast and AT&T, the measure sends up to six emails to customers who illegally accessed online content. Failing that educative approach, the ISPs could enforce stricter "mitigation measures" on offending customers - slower download speeds, for example.
ISPs in Europe came under fire as well. In July, a UK judge ordered British ISP BT to block Newzbin2 from its customers. The usenet index site was previously shutdown in 2010 before it relaunched under new leadership.
The IPAF's "Accidental Pirate" campaign, which asserts that one in three Australians unintentionally steal content, can be previewed here.
Do you believe ISPs are responsible for piracy? Let us know in the comment section.
