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ESA estimates 'over 9.78 million' pirated game downloads in December
[Joriel Jiminez] So, okay, seriously, there are a lot of people out there stealing games. Like, lots. "Over 9.78 million" in just December of 2009, more specifically, according to a recent study conducted by the International Intellectual Property Alliance and the Entertainment Software Association. Scouring "the most popular peer-to-peer platforms" for a group of 200 titles, the study found that the worst offenders (by country) were Spain (12.5 percent), France (7.5 percent), Brazil (6 percent) and China (5.7 percent) -- the ESA also points out that these stats "demonstrate a strong correlation between countries that lack sufficient protections for technological protection measures and countries where online piracy levels for entertainment software are high." Worse yet, the figures are repeatedly noted as being an under-representation of actual piracy numbers. "While they account for illegal downloads that occur over select P2P platforms, they do not account for the downloads that occur from 'cyberlockers' and 'one-click' hosting sites, which continue to account for high volumes of infringing downloads," the ESA echoes. The IIPA has since submitted the findings to the United States Trade Representative who could potentially impose sanctions on certain countries based on the recommendations.
Canada prof calls US piracy report reliability into question
In case you hadn't noticed, Canada was recently added to the US "Priority Watch List" due to the country's allegedly less than strict laws regarding the piracy of various media (that includes games, folks). Canadians, however, are not taking the change lightly. University of Ottawa law professor MIchael Geist, citing a statement made by the Canadian government, says the process, "lacks reliable and objective analysis." The piece states that the criteria for determining who ends up on the list (and that country's priority level) is based around media industry lobbyists in the US, such as the International Intellectual Property Alliance. Geist hopes that Canadian politicians will take a stance against the inclusion on the list, though the recent ESA schmoozing of Canadian lawmakers may scatter those hopes a bit. Given Canadian member of Parliament Mike Lake's statements made less than two weeks ago though, we should see some serious change in Canadian piracy law, "in this Parliament." That is, if he can take a time out from playing NHL '09. [Via GamePolitics]
Canada a hotbed of piracy?
Canada looks to have found itself on the bad side of Microsoft, Apple, and other members of the International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA), with the group charging that the country isn't doing its part to fight piracy of software, movies and other intellectual property, The Inquirer reports. To that end, the group recently took its demands all the way to the U.S. government, asking for Canada to be moved up to the list of top piracy offenders, which currently includes the likes of China and Russia. The U.S. decided to give Canada a break this time 'round, however, leaving the country in its current second tier position alongside Brazil, South Korea, Mexico, and a number of other countries. Not surprisingly, the IIPA were none to pleased with that decision, saying that Canada's weak enforcement of piracy "continues to cause great damage to legitimate rights holders, both of Canadian and US copyright products."
