Film theft in the UK - Future of Copyright

4
1 Chair’s foreword
The pirate is often seen as a romantic hero
figure, someone who steals but does so in an
honourable and victimless way. The truth is very
different.
Film piracy is the single largest threat facing the
UK film industry today. Film piracy is theft. Like
all forms of theft it has damaging financial and
social consequences. These effects may be less
immediately visible than those that stem from
the theft of a physical object – but they are no
less harmful as a consequence.
Piracy undermines the economic basis of the
film industry by depriving rights holders of the
revenues needed to fund future films, and to
provide jobs in our industry. Piracy cheats
consumers by duping them into paying money
for a product which is often of extremely poor
quality. Piracy also provides illicit revenues to
those engaged in a range of organised criminal
activities at home and overseas.
The problem of film theft is now growing at an
alarming rate. In 2001, the number of illegal
video products seized by the Federation Against
Copyright Theft (FACT) was 314,000. This figure
almost doubled in 2002 to 607,000 units, but
in 2003 the total number of films seized rose to
nearly 2 million units; a 223% increase on the
previous year. Increasingly these problems are
also transferring into the digital world by
copying and file sharing on the net. This level of
damage and loss to our industry is simply
unsustainable.
That is why the UK Film Council, the
Government’s strategic agency for film, has
established an Anti-Piracy Task Force. The Task
Force brings together the key stakeholders in
the UK film industry to deliver a joined-up antipiracy
strategy in the UK to reduce film theft
and to build public awareness of the
importance and benefit of copyright
protection.
This report maintains that film theft must be
tackled using all available means. There is need
for urgent action from both Government and
the film industry itself, but there is no single
magic bullet. The solutions involve, among
other things, tougher legislation, education of
consumers as to the economic and social
consequences of piracy and in the long term a
rethinking of our business models to enable
consumers to buy legitimately what is currently
being stolen.
Also the film industry needs to prepare for
future sale and rental of films digitally through
broadband and via the internet. This report is
intended to help inform the debate. Failure to
confront this challenge will also result in
serious damage to our film industry.