Browse by Media Hit and Intellectual Property

Claims about the economic impact of piracy are hotly contested. 

Its business model was welcomed by the music industry which has suffered losses in revenues and album sales due to music piracy over the Internet. Spotify allows users to either stream music for free if they are willing to listen to advertisements, or pay a subscription fee for a premium service, meanwhile paying royalties due to artists and record companies.

An oft-cited study from 2006 commissioned by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and conducted by the Institute for Policy Innovation found that film piracy cost the US economy $20.5 billion annually.

“Instead of scrolling first through Netflix and then through your cable video on demand offerings, WheretoWatch.com is a one-stop shop to see what options are available to you to get to the specific movie or TV show you’re looking for," said IPI. 

Creative Content Australia Executive Director Lori Flekser cites Tom Giovanetti, who said: “Patronising suggestions that creators should 'innovate' away their problems is an unhelpful contribution adding nothing to discourse about solutions to piracy…  Content owners ARE innovating. They also want their product protected against massive theft. It’s not a matter of either/or—it’s a matter of both/and.”

For the Loyola community, illegal downloading is a problem among students and faculty alike. About $12.5 billion is lost in the U.S. economy each year because of music piracy, according to a study by the Institute for Policy Innovation. 

One argument basically is: Obama supports patent reform, therefore it must be a liberal idea. But patent reform enjoys a long tradition of intellectual support from a wide range of right-leaning think tanks and advocacy groups, including IPI.

The R&D tax credit has been a “temporary” provision in the tax code since 1981. Each time the credit is about to expire, Congress rallies support to renew the tax break from those who benefit from it. As the libertarian IPI puts it, “this cycle has repeated itself for years ... Congress essentially uses this cycle to raise money for re-election, promising the industry more predictability the next time around.”

According to a study by the Institute for Policy Innovation in 2007, the music industry loses out $12.5 billion each year due to piracy, or illegal downloading of music.

Intellectual property rights deserve the same protections as physical property rights, said an open letter to Congress from 67 advocacy groups, industry associations and scholars Monday.