Regardless of where you stand on the issue, there is simply no question that piracy has had an overarching impact on the entertainment industry. Among the hardest hit of industries is gaming, although the music industry has arguably taken the worst hit from the propagation of file sharing networks.
Despite this, in a recent survey published by Rockwool Foundation Research Unit which asked applicants questions regarding their feelings towards various ethically dubious activities, such as tax evasion, insurance fraud and piracy, around 7/10 respondents felt that illegally downloading content from file sharing networks is ‘socially acceptable’. 15%-20% believe that it is ‘totally acceptable’.
Just 30% of respondents believe that piracy is ‘totally unacceptable’.
Torrentfreak points out that despite increasing efforts to deter pirates with anti-piracy programs, the survey indicates that in the past 10 years society at large hasn’t altered their opinion on piracy. In a survey conducted in 1997, 30% of respondents said that piracy was unacceptable.
While most respondents think it’s all right to download content illegally from torrent sites, 75% believe that downloading and then selling content to a friend for profit is unacceptable.
The full study can be read here (in Danish).
Do you think piracy is socially acceptable? << Share your views in the forums
Loading ...
