Piracy figures 'beefed up by music industry'

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Simon Hayes
07nov06

MUSIC and software industry lobby groups have been accused of touting "absurd" piracy figures in an effort to get tougher copyright laws and more police resources to enforce them.

A draft Australian Institute of Criminology report on intellectual property crime - obtained by The Australian- describes some industry research as "self-serving hyperbole" and warns that exaggerated statistics are being used to get government attention.

"Demonstrated higher levels of piracy and counterfeiting would invariably result in additional federal government resources being diverted to enforcement activities," the report says.

"This is a matter requiring urgent attention."

The AIC has labelled the report an "early draft" written by an external consultant, with senior staff saying the conclusions were "not accurate".

Senior criminologist Russell Smith said the institute was still working on the report.

"(The draft) is hyperbolic and overblown," he said. "It was a very early draft written by a consultant, and we would want a chance to revise it."

The draft, written by the consultant Alex Malik, describes industry statistics as "unverified and epistemologically unreliable". Mr Malik declined to comment.

The software industry claims it lost $361 million in sales last year as a result of piracy.

The report alleges the music industry was not able to explain how it came to its statistics on piracy. Record companies claim 10 per cent of sound recordings are pirated.

"It is inappropriate for courts and policy-makers to accept at face value currently unsubstantiated statistics," the report says. "Either these statistics must be withdrawn, or the purveyors of these statistics must supply valid and transparent substantiation."

The lobby groups have come out fighting over the claims.

Music Industry Piracy Investigations manager Sabiene Heindl said the organisation's statistics were collected from local data, but the piracy figure itself was drawn up by the International Federation of Phonographic Industries, and was accurate.

Business Software Association of Australia chairman Jim Macnamara said his organisation's piracy figures were extrapolations, but had been confirmed by other studies.
The Australian - The Nation
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I lended some unstable neighbour my vacuumcleaner (hardware). Should have charged them for the clean bag inside too (data carrier), And ultimately I should have checked their deposit (software).
That makes me a pirate too... HarHarHar

Share ur dust!@
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The policy is: If it doesn't bother me, I don't give a flying f4ck.
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