Spinning beyond measure
IT'S RECKONED by the folks over at
p2pnet that the MPAA, RIAA and other media organisations are blowing the piracy problem way out of proportion.
Pirated
movies and
music rate on
Havocscope, a listing of illicit products and their values, at places 16 and 20 respectively.
The guys at p2pnet think that even these ratings may be a little higher than the reality, seeing as the figures for the movie industry are based on a study by the MPAA, and the music statistics are from the IFPI, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, owned by all the top dogs in the industry like EMI, Warner Music and Vivendi Universal.
Far higher on the list than pirated movies and music is "pirated web videos," ranking at number five and estimated to be worth $60 billion.
However, the figure is a bit of a mystery. While there's no doubt that there is plenty of copyrighted material available on such sites, the exact amount that it costs the industry is undetermined. Universal Music CEO Doug Morris seems a bit miffed about it all though, having said at an
investors conference that he believes his organisation is owed "tens of millions of dollars."
The INQuirer
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