Three years ago the Motion Picture Association learnt, via a study, that US movie studios had lost US$6.1 billion to DVD piracy.

Of that figure, US$4.5 billion was from piracy in other countries outside the USA and US$1.3 billion resulted from losses in America.

The study, commissioned by the Motion Picture Association and conducted by international strategy consulting firm LEK in 22 countries over 18 months, also found that of the US$6.1 billion, a total of US$3.8 billion was lost to the practice of obtaining movies either through buying or acquiring illegally produced DVDs through a commercial source, or the making of personal illegal copies or receiving an illegal copy of a legitimate DVD from a friend or family.

Internet piracy, the study also showed, accounted for US$2.3 billion.
According to the study, DVD piracy rates were highest in China at 90 per cent, while it was 79 per cent each in Russia and Thailand; Hungary, 76 per cent; Poland, 65 per cent; Mexico, 61 per cent; Taiwan, 54 per cent; Spain, 32 per cent; India, 29 per cent; and Italy, 25 per cent.
We highlight this data against the backdrop of the lead story in last Saturday's edition of the Daily Observer reporting on the impending closure of DVD outlet Viewer's Choice, due to piracy.

According to the report, Jamaicans' appetite for bootleg movies has forced the operators of this business to make a painful decision to close this Friday.

The story quoted Mrs Melanie Graham, the marketing director for movie theatre chain Palace Amusements, as saying, "Even though the police have been cracking down, the pirates are still doing a flourishing trade, and it's difficult to survive as a legit business with that kind of competition."

We are aware of the police's efforts to crush this illegal activity, and we have reported on those operations whenever they were carried out.
But despite the police's attention to the issue, it is not uncommon to see vendors hawking illegally recorded movies in some of our major commercial centres daily.

The question is, why are these pedlars allowed to continue this trade? We had expected that this kind of activity would be included in the constabulary's drive to maintain order in public spaces.

Plus, there is always the possibility that apprehending the sellers of these DVDs will set the police on the trail to arresting the larger players, many of whom are suspected of using the sales from illegal DVDs to fund organised crime.

For, as we have argued before in this space, allowing minor breaches of the law to go unpunished will simply create the atmosphere for the growth of more serious crimes.

At present, breaches of the Copyright Act attract heavy fines and the possibility of imprisonment, enough to discourage attempts at committing breaches as long as there is proper prosecution.

But even as we advocate enforcement of the law, we believe that the authorities need to fashion more creative ways of informing the public about the risks - both personal and national - associated with copyright infringement.

The message must resonate with the ordinary man on the street, while driving the fear of God into those who engage in this crime to feed more heinous deeds.

For as it now stands, more Jamaicans will be out of a job this Friday.

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