New Global Piracy Estimates Released
The International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA) has released its annual assessment of the state of large-scale copyright violations worldwide and their effects on U.S. copyright industries. The IIPA’s Special 301 review to the U.S. Trade Representative estimates that piracy in 51 countries cost U.S. copyright industries more than $18 billion in 2007.
The review shows a hike in estimated losses for three out of the five industries represented by the IIPA—music, business and entertainment software. IIPA member, the Association of American Publishers showed a $30 million drop in piracy losses compared to the prior year. The AAP reported some progress in its work with government officials in a number of Asian countries to tackle unauthorized commercial-scale copying and printing of textbooks and journals.
Interestingly, the IIPA review did not include loss estimates for the motion picture industry. Last month, the Motional Picture Association of America announced that their 2005 commissioned study on piracy significantly overshot estimated losses from peer-to-peer file sharing by college students.
