A new survey by the Business Software Alliance makes grim reading for those engaged in the fight against piracy and counterfeit goods. The survey found that almost half of young adults in the UK owned pirated goods of some description, and that the younger the customer the more likely they were to own counterfeit material. Needless to say the most frequent pirated goods in individuals' possessions were CDs, DVDs and computer software.
Perhaps more worrying was the revelation that younger consumers did not seem to worry about copyright violation when buying pirated material, frequently being able to justify the purchase to themselves. A spokesman for BSA told reporters: "What was particularly shocking was that the younger generation were actively into and accepting of piracy." Young consumers frequently go the piracy route, the report suggests, because they are influenced by the marketing of entertainment and lifestyle products, but do not have the means to buy them legitimately. The report continues: "This problem starts in the schools and we need to work with the education system to explain to younger kids that intellectual property should be respected, why it should be respected and what's the downside of not respecting it".
Commenting on the report, Bryan Lewin, lead officer for counterfeiting at the Trading Standards Institute told the BBC yesterday: "We need to dispel the myth that counterfeiting and piracy are victimless small-scale crimes. Making consumers aware of the true nature of intellectual property crime is vital, there is very little distinction between piracy and the actions of a burglar who steals property from a house."