Illegal downloads rife in Australia
Australia is the online piracy capital of the world, with one Game of Thrones episode being downloaded one million times in 24 hours, it's been revealed.
Each week, one in four of Australians illegally downloads a film, TV show or music online.
“Crazies and junkies put on a balaclava and rob a bank, these days from the comfort of your own home you can run a million-dollar shop front in Australia stealing content,” piracy expert Michael Speck said.
Village Roadshow splashed a full-page newspaper ad claiming piracy is killing off the local entertainment business.
The reality is that an economy of 900,000 jobs and $90 billion per year is at stake.
When it comes to illegal downloading, Melbourne is the worst offending city in Australia. Sydney is the third worst offender.
Experts say there is no excuse for illegal downloading, but there is a reason.
“Choice has found we are paying more for TV shows, music and movies,” Choice’s Erin Turner said.
“One recent example we looked at was Wolverine. On Australian iTunes [it cost] $24.99 and that was 42 per cent more than what it cost to download the exact same movie in America.”
Submission to the Attorney General for the online copyright infringement inquiry closes next Monday.
