STUDY: NO EVIDENCE PIRACY HARMING ENTERTAINMENT BIZ

Once again, the London School of Economics and Political Science has come to the defense of Internet pirates. Following a 2011 study indicating that piracy has had little effect on the music industry and may in fact have boosted concert ticket sales and merchandising a new study by the LSE reported today (Thursday) by TorrentFreak.com has shown that piracy has not affected sales of theatrical movie tickets either. “Despite the Motion Picture Association of America’s (MPAA) claim that online piracy is devastating the movie industry, Hollywood achieved record-breaking global box office revenues of $35 billion in 2012, a 6 percent increase over 2011,” the report observed. The LSE report urges the U.K. government to expand rather than further restrict fair use and private copying while stepping up enforcement against businesses that seek to profit from theft. “We recommend a review of the [Digital Economy Act] and related legislation that strikes a healthy balance among the interests of a range of stakeholders including those in the creative industries, Internet Service Providers and Internet users,” the study concluded.