Site blocks mean big drops

Anti-piracy programmes that allow ISPs to automatically block piracy sites could reduce their traffic by nearly 70 percent, brand protection specialist Incopro has found.

Incopro, following a commission from the the Motion Picture Association (MPA) and Portuguese audiovisual association the FEVIP, looked at Portugal, where government-organised piracy blocks are in effect.

Between November 2015 and June 2016, Portugal’s site blocking orders resulted in a reduction in large-scale piracy websites of 69.7 percent, according to Incopro.

This practice is becoming more recognised in countries across Europe and, in 2015, a memorandum of understanding was reached in Portugal between local rights holders, ISPs and the government.

Out of the top 250 unauthorised sites accessible in Portugal, 65 were blocked and suffered usage drops of 56.6 percent domestically, although their usage increased by 3.9 percent globally.

Helen Saunders, head of intelligence and operations at Incopro, said: “We were incredibly excited to continue our work with the MPA, and that we are seeing such positive results.

“It’s fantastic to see that more countries are starting to take action against piracy, and are getting great results. We hope that this report will inspire even more geographies to take similar action in a concerted effort to safeguard the global entertainment industry.”

Stan McCoy, president and managing director of the MPA in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, added: “Piracy continues to be a serious threat to the health of a European core copyright-intensive sector that employs 11 million people and generates €914 billion in economic activity. Yet research shows that this problem can be curbed.”

He said: “At the MPA, we take a three pronged approach: make legal content easy to access, engage consumers about the negative impact of piracy, and deter piracy through the appropriate legal avenues. All stakeholders must work together as joint stewards of the creative ecosystem.”