Illegal streaming links ‘treble’ during lockdown
A UK trade organisation representing copyright owners has claimed that the number of illegal streaming links online has trebled during the country’s COVID-19 lockdown.
The warning comes from the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT), which said its own internal analysis revealed an “inevitable” increase in piracy during the lockdown period, which began in the UK in March.
FACT said its team had removed “more than double” the volume of illegal streaming links online in April compared to February.
Piracy could damage rights owners’ ability to generate revenue from online distribution during the pandemic, the group argued.
“Every pirated link that we detect denies the rights holder of revenue to which they are entitled—crucial funds needed in order for film studios to remain in production of future releases,” a FACT statement said.
The pandemic has posed new challenges in IP enforcement, as more people stay at home and search out new content online.
In the US, the Internet Archive was accused of flouting copyright law after making available an “emergency library” of 1.4 million digitised works.
The move drew criticism from US senator Thom Tillis, who has been active on IP issues in Congress.
The Internet Archive said the emergency library was aimed at fulfilling the “unprecedented global and immediate need for access to reading and research materials” during the pandemic.
It also argued that the library was protected under US copyright law as “fair use”.
As well as piracy, there have been concerns from rights owners and IP enforcement groups over a heightened risk of counterfeit goods during the pandemic.
Writing in WIPR last week, Phil Lewis of the UK Anti-Counterfeiting Group said that “intensified defensive action” was required from authorities and brand owners to stem the flow of counterfeit goods.
As well as the wider problem of tackling counterfeits, there are also specific dangers posed by COVID-19-related goods like counterfeit hand sanitisers and face masks.
The UK government needs to allocate resources to block the distribution of fakes and warn consumers about the risks of counterfeit and fraudulent products, especially in relation to online sales,” Lewis wrote. It’s also incumbent on e-commerce platforms to improve their own security systems, he argued.
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