Whether it’s video games, artwork, or movies, piracy of digital content continues to be an issue for creators to combat. A report from market research organization Parks Associate projects that by 2027, streaming service providers will lose a combined $113 billion solely from piracy. The theft of ideas is not a new phenomenon, but the internet has given piracy an unprecedented surge that only seems to grow as time goes on. But why has piracy become so popular?
The most likely culprit would be how easy it is to do now. Decades ago, if you wanted an illegal copy of a movie, for example, you would have to jump through several hoops, while today, almost anyone can find or upload a screen recording of a movie in a matter of seconds. Even easier would be to find a website that hosts whatever you want.
Another issue would be the opposite: inaccessibility. Inaccessibility comes in multiple forms: region-locking, overpricing, being of lower income, or something being removed from official stores. When these things happen, people get backed into a corner. The only options from there on are to buy something at a sometimes massively marked up price, or pirate it.
So how do businesses avoid piracy? Well, the first thing to do is to focus on accessibility. Most people are willing to pay for something, and often don’t consider piracy as their first choice. The most obvious way to make something accessible is to just make it available for purchase; people can’t buy something that no one sells. Additionally, items should be sold at reasonable prices and the prices should make sense across regions. Piracy is more prevalent in lower-income areas, so frequent or permanent discounts for certain regions can decrease the likelihood of piracy.
