In a report released by the US Congress, some copyright holders complain that 90% of Iraqis pirate copyrighted content. Such a statistic raises many questions.
Every year, the US Congress publishes a report, the “Special 301”, which details the status of protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights. The United States is among the world’s largest exporter of audiovisual products: illegal streaming sites and pirated DVDs therefore represent a major shortfall. The list of “problem” countries compiled by US lawmakers specifically singles out one country and its people.
According to certain testimonies collected by the authors of the report, 90% of Iraqis frequently view pirated content, whether sporting events or films and series. This impressive figure is advanced by Miramax and BeIN Sports, always very active when it comes to blocking pirate sites. Torrent Freak recalls, however, that pirating online content must be particularly difficult in a country where half of the population does not have internet access. And to add: “as more than a third of Iraqis are under 14, a considerable number of pirates must also be quite young”. The piracy problem is undoubtedly real, but in what proportions?
US singles out Iraq for content piracy
Ironically enough, the problem of piracy in Iraq is appeared on the American radar because of the GIs stationed in the country. They noticed that online piracy, or the purchase of illegal DVDs, was common and really very affordable. Are their testimonies sufficient to establish such a figure? Even studies pointing to the Middle East as a “piracy hotspot” never give concrete statistics.
That said, even if the figures put forward by the complainants were true, one thing remains certain: it would be very complicated to enforce the law concerning intellectual property in Iraq (or in Algeria, which is also cited as a bad student in this area). On the one hand, the authorities of these countries have other priorities, and on the other hand, their diplomatic relations with the United States are not necessarily in good shape.
Source: Torrent Freak