The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry has published a report claiming that 35% of all CDs sold around the world are illegal copies – that’s 1.1 billion pirate disks. The report also includes a list of countries recommended for government action: Brazil, China, Mexico, Pakistan, Paraguay, Russia, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand and Ukraine.
Sales of illegal discs rose 4% in 2004, though the year saw the slowest increase since 2000, an indication that increased anti-piracy activity is having a positive effect.
Clearly the biggest threat to the record industry today is not P2P networks but the more traditional CD copying seen in the the IFPI’s ten priority countries where anti-piracy offensives are most needed.
The report contains a four point “Call to Governments” asking for strong and updated copyright laws, sentences to deter pirates, the regulation of disc manufacturing and a commitment to prosecute copyright infringers aggressively.
IFPI Chairman and CEO Jay Berman said: “Commercial music piracy dominates large swathes of the world’s music markets, despite an encouraging slowdown in growth in 2003. This illegal trade is funding organised crime, fuelling widespread corruption and costing governments hundreds of millions of dollars in lost taxes. It is destroying artist careers and music cultures, and robbing countries with high piracy rates of billions of dollars of investment they would otherwise enjoy.
“The responsibility now is for governments – and especially on the 10 priority countries our report names – to act decisively against the problem. This means proper enforcement, deterrent sentences against pirates, effective regulation of disc manufacturing and, above all, the political will to make sure real change happens.”
