Brein says study shows blocking pirate sites works alongside more legal content

Online piracy in the EU is falling, thanks to more legal content offers and efforts to combat illegal sharing, according to the anti-priacy group Brein. The conclusions are based on a study by researchers at the University of Amsterdam that found piracy among consumers in various EU countries fell over the period 2014 to 2017. In Brein's home market the Netherlands, 37 percent of internet users downloaded or streamed content from an illegal source.

Cost was the most important driver for the illegal piracy, making it unsurprising that a growing legal offering is helping to reduce piracy, Brein said. According to the group, the study offers evidence that simultaneous blocking of a large number of websites in the UK had a statistically negative effect on the total online piracy and a positive effect on the use of legal video streaming services.

Brein has long fought for ISP-imposed bans on illegal file-sharing sites such as the Pirate Bay. It's in the midst of such a case against the leading Dutch ISPs, after an early block on the Pirate Bay was overturned for being ineffective and then restored.