Lesser-Known Facts About Online Piracy (1)
For the month of May, we offer you a new list of facts about online piracy, but this time we hope the anecdotes we are about to tell are less well known; some of them are even quite amusing.
The Game of Thrones team wasn’t upset that the series was pirated
Everyone knows that Game of Thrones is, still in 2024, one of the most pirated TV series on the Internet, as is its prequel House of the Dragon. George Martin’s books are also among the most downloaded since the series began.
But did you know that the creators and producers were actually rather pleased that these shows were being pirated?
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Several of them have in fact said that piracy was a good indicator of success. Director David Petrarca said that illegal downloads helped the series by generating “buzz.” Author George R.R. Martin and HBO programming president Michael Lombardo both said that high piracy rates were compliments on the quality of the series; Jeff Bewkes, the CEO of Time Warner, which owns HBO, even said that massive piracy was “better than an Emmy.”
Netflix uses piracy statistics to improve its catalogue
Netflix keeps a very close eye on popular downloads on Internet pirate sites to complement its content development strategy, both to produce its own shows and films and to acquire the rights to new content. Netflix also uses feedback from consumers who use pirate sites to improve its service and make it more user-friendly than the most popular illegal sites. The platform even sends questionnaires to its users to find out which pirate sites are the most popular. Netflix was the first to understand that piracy was not a question of price, but of convenience and quality.
Why piracy really isn’t a victimless crime
No one can ignore any longer that piracy affects a large number of jobs in the entertainment industry and, as a result, the lives of ordinary people. Contrary to what some believe, it doesn’t harm only people who are already too rich anyway.
But did you know that there are links, well known for years, between digital piracy and the financing of organized crime and terrorism?
Since a 2009 report turned into a book, it has already been shown that the revenues generated by piracy are widely used to finance terrorist groups. In 2017, a bill was even introduced in the U.S. Senate to deal specifically with this issue. Interpol has found links between the proceeds of piracy and counterfeiting and groups such as the well-known Islamic terrorist groups, but also armed groups operating in South America, India and Europe.
The more addicted you are to screen time, the more likely you are to pirate.
A study by several researchers from Appalachian State, Tennessee Tech, Shippensburg and Louisville universities showed that people with signs of screen addiction pirated much more than others. In this study, screen addiction is considered present if negative effects such as withdrawal symptoms appear daily.
Respondents who fit this description were three times more likely to consume pirated content, to download it, but also to make it available to others.
Some musicians even encouraged piracy
Music piracy has declined considerably today, but it was a major problem in the 2000s and 2010s. But some artists weren’t really opposed to it.
In 2007, the industrial metal band Nine Inch Nails began leaving USB drives containing the songs from its upcoming album Year Zero in the bathrooms of concert venues, encouraging fans to share the songs online. In the end, it turned out that only songs approved by the band were circulated before the album’s release, which shows that musicians can control how their work is distributed.
As early as 1981, the punk provocateurs Dead Kennedys were already selling cassettes of their album In God We Trust, Inc. with a blank side and this ironic caption: “Home taping is killing record industry profits! We left this side blank so you can help.”
Other artists found funny ways to fight piracy
Actor, artist and judge on the famous reality show Drag Race, RuPaul released his album “Born Naked” on The Pirate Bay, with a special surprise for those who came to pirate it.
The leaked version in fact includes the first parts of each track, followed by a speech by RuPaul over their own music.
At first glance, the album seems complete, and even the beginning of every track seems right. However, the music quickly stops and RuPaul comes in with a message accusing the downloader of theft and encouraging them to go to iTunes and buy the album “because I want to get some of that”; RuPaul then carries on with random interjections, funny sketches, and well-aimed, colourful insults directed at pirates.
Madonna and the band Alestorm had similar ideas, also releasing fake pirate versions of their albums.
Join us in mid-May for the rest of our article. In the meantime, if you have a film, a series, software or an ebook to protect, don’t hesitate to call on our services by contacting one of our account managers; PDN has been a pioneer in cybersecurity and anti-piracy for more than ten years, and we certainly have a solution to help you. Happy reading, and see you soon!
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