The Association "For Legal Content” starts a social campaign of anti-piracy in Latvia

The association „For Legal Content!” in the co-operation with the State Police, the Patent Office of the Republic of Latvia and the Ministry of Culture has started a wide social campaign of anti-piracy „Do not deceive yourself - you are stealing!” of films, music, TV channels and sport livestreams. The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness of the society that illegal watching of the online content on the Internet, both video and audio, just as the use of the illegal connection of TV is an illegitimate action, namely, it is theft.

Within the last year The State Police has initiated 19 criminal procedures, in framework of which, the illegal supply of the TV content was suspended to 20,000 users in total. By implementing the government's policy initiatives as well as the set priority of the State Police to fight against cybercrime and illegal television - the State Police conducted legality inspections of 563 audiovisual content in Latvia in 2017. 61 cause of administrative violation was initiated, 23 reports of administrative violation were drawn up.

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The quotation of the Chief of the State Police Ints Ķuzis: „To fight illegal television is one of the State Police last year’s priorities and it will be the same this year. It is important to take care of true and safe state’s information space, particularly in time, when Latvia is under the hybrid war threat. True information has always been the value and we will work in the future to stay on this way.”

The statistics of the illegal connection of TV and the attitude of the society against the illegal use of the Internet content is worrying in Latvia. In Latvia 240,000 residents use the illegal connection of TV (research of 2016). Every second person, or 46.3 % has used the Internet content illegally at least once. Every second person, or 55 % of the illegal users of the Internet content, permits and justifies his pirated activity and is confused with the offerings of Internet applications and cannot distinguish whether it is legal or illegal. The research of 2017 of the European Union Intellectual Property Office shows that the number of persons, who permit the use of illegal content on the Internet, has increased up to 31 % and it is 9 % more than in 2013. Whereas, the number of the users who cannot distinguish a legal application from illegal has increased by 24 % and it is 5 % more than in 2013.

„The social campaign of anti-piracy „Do not deceive yourself - you are stealing!” is the confrontation of society to some extent to look ourselves in the eyes and recognize ourselves in the situation where we, probably, do not want to admit that by using illegal content, such as films, music or sport livestreams, we also act illegally, take part in theft and steal. Last two years’ experience shows that there are few people not realizing they use the content or the connection of TV illegally. People are not aware of the fact that such action is illegal and it is theft. We have created an animation of the campaign that demonstrates that the statement “but everyone else is doing it” does not withstand criticism, and the piracy tolerance basically comes to an end!” said Dace Kotzeva, the executive director of the Society „For Legal Content!” She added: „The effective aim of the campaign is to decrease the number of vindictive people of piracy by 10 % or 17,000 users to promote the successful cooperation of the Society and the State Police in the fight of providers of the illegal services of television.”

The social campaign of anti-piracy „Do not deceive yourself - you are stealing!” created by the association „For Legal Content!” in the cooperation with the State Police, the Patent Office and the Ministry of Culture will appear intensively on TV, radio channels, on social networks and on JCDecaux outdoor advertising stands all February and periodically all year 2018.