Study: 43% of Aus internet users download illegally

A new study, commissioned by the Department of Communications, has found that a quarter of all Australian Internet users have consumed illegal content over the past three months.

The study, which surveyed 2630 people over the age of 12, reveals that 43% of Internet users had consumed movies, music, TV programmes or video games illegally. This figure is significantly higher than the counterpart UK study, which revealed that only a fifth of Internet users were downloading illegally.

In comparison, the UK survey found that only 25 per cent of participants illegally downloaded a movie, 26% for music, 21% for television shows and 18% for games.

Malcolm Turnbull, Minister of Communications,said that the studyhighlighted the need to enforce regulations around illegal downloading and piracy.

“However, rights holders’ most powerful tool to combat online infringement is making content accessible, timely and affordable to consumers,” he said.

The study revealed the main causes as to why consumers illegally pirate, with popular reasons being cost-free (55%) and convenience (51%). The survey found that people would most likely stop infringing if legal content was cheaper (39%), more available (38%) and adopted a universal release date (36%).

Additionally, responses indicated that 43% of Internet users were unsure as to what constituted as legal content online. This statistic applied to 59% of participants aged over 55, and 50% of female participants.

Writing in the Labour Herald last weekend, Labour MP Ed Husic agreed that high prices were the cause of Australia’s rising piracy issue.

“Theoretically, the costs of physically getting a product to Australia, for example a DVD, have been eliminated – therefore the prices should drop considerably. But this hasn't happened because many rights holders won't pass these savings on to customers or free up the way consumers get content,” he wrote.

“As a result, some consumers turn to websites offering free, pirated material.”

Last month, the Australian government passed a Bill allowing copyright owners a right to apply for court orders against Internet service providers. At their request, Internet providers could block foreign websites that facilitate illegal file sharing.

This week, the UK government announced an official consultation on plans to increase the maximum sentence for online copyright infringement from two to ten years.