DVD Copy Study Claims Piracy is on the Rise

DVD Copy Study Claims Piracy is on the Rise
According to a new Macrovision sponsored research study, DVD movie copying is on the rise in both the UK and the US. The report, prepared by Futuresource Consulting, details that 32-36% of 5,331 respondents admit to copying pre-recorded DVD’s in the last 6 months, compared to 25% of respondents surveyed in 2007.

The study is also reporting that 63-77% of respondents conceded that they would purchase at least some of the titles that they had duplicated in the event that the movies could not be copied. 18% of US participants indicated that they had failed to make copies of specific DVD’s found on a 40 title list used in the study.

DVD Copy Study Graph
Futuresource, Copyright 2008

But let’s not forget, this ‘study’ was sponsored by Macrovision, the cheerleaders and profiteers of DRM. Surveys and study data are often manipulated and skewed to the benefit of the sponsor. With that in mind, I am skeptical to believe any type of piracy or DVD copy report that is sourced from the good ol’ Macrovision boys.

Upon further analysis of the report, it appears that Futuresource conveniently does not differentiate between backup copies of legally owned content and illegitimate copies of unowned content. “Although the majority of people are copying from their own purchased DVD in both the UK and USA, a significant proportion of people are copying from rented and borrowed titles.” Source: Futuresource. How nice of them to define ‘piracy’ as any copy of any DVD movie, legally owned or not.

If you’d like to read the full report prepared by Futuresource, it can be found here.

About Wes Novack

Wesley Novack is a Technologist working in the software industry, with extensive experience building and managing highly available applications, services, and systems in the public cloud. He has a breadth of experience in online publishing, the consumer electronics industry, and building internet communities. Wes enjoys hanging with his family, skateboarding, hiking, the vegan lifestyle, and a good cup of tea. You can find him on Twitter @WesleyTech.

View all posts by Wes Novack →

3 Comments on “DVD Copy Study Claims Piracy is on the Rise”

  1. Upon further analysis of the report, it appears that Futuresource conveniently does not differentiate between backup copies of legally owned content and illegitimate copies of unowned content. “Although the majority of people are copying from their own purchased DVD in both the UK and USA, a significant proportion of people are copying from rented and borrowed titles.” Source: Futuresource. How nice of them to define ‘piracy’ as any copy of any DVD movie, legally owned or not.

    It may not be piracy …but it is illegal just the same. This is what pisses me off!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Like FISA kind of pissed off! Our govenment is broken. 🙁

  2. Actually, there has been no ruling in the US that states copying a personally owned DVD for personal use is illegal (according to US Copyright law). It MIGHT however, be an illegal activity solely due to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

  3. There aint no “MIGHT” to it- it is illegal- Why do you think they wrote, lobbied and passed the DMCA? To trump the nteamax decision, that’s why. This is my point. You can copy a DVD – but it is ILLEGAL to bypass any DRM. Therefore, since all DVDs have CSS- you are a criminal in the US if you rip a DVD,not to mention a lot of other countries that rolled over and tok it up the tailpipe for the US.

    This is why the folks at AnyDVD and the guy behind CloneDVD had to leave their homeland and move to Antigua.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *