How Internet Piracy Is Destroying the Entertainment Industry

Internet piracy; the title conjures up a thousand images in our head. Tech geniuses, holed up in their basement, downloading illegally obtained copies of music, movies, or TV shows, and distributing them to millions with the click of a button. These “pirates” are trading in the open seas for the open web, and are wreaking havoc on internet service providers across Canada, especially those who are offering unlimited internet in Toronto.
First and foremost, what is internet piracy? Simply put, it is the illegal reproduction and distribution of copyrighted material on the internet. Internet service providers can monitor their user’s activities as best as they can, but the truth is that users with unlimited internet in Toronto are finding better ways of masking their activities and continuing with their piracy. It shouldn’t take a giant leap to understand the inherent evils in piracy, but here are some to begin with:

Cutting out the Creators

Whether it is a movie, TV show, or album, original content creators want to spread their media across world and receive remuneration for their creation. Internet piracy essentially cuts these creators out of the equation, taking the reproduction and distribution out of the media companies hands and into the millions of users that pirate content on a daily basis.

Downsizing an Industry

Consider this shocking statistic; since the first peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing site was created in 1999, music sales in the United States have dropped from $14.6 billion to $7 billion in 2013, a 53% drop. Through the trickle-down effect, not only have music sales dropped off, but jobs have been lost and the industry has down-sized to accommodate for the lost revenue.

Opportunities for Viruses

The majority of P2P sites operate on an honour system of sorts. Highly ranked individuals, using unlimited internet through their internet service providers, will typically offer the file they are advertising. While this is still far from a sure thing, a quick scan of the comments on any file offered can alert users of files to avoid. It is the wild-west of the online world, per-se, and users must be wary of any file they may download.
While some Internet service providers can’t control users who elect to pirate media, including those using unlimited internet in Toronto (or any other city across Canada) they may have the option to report this suspicious activity to the proper authority for prosecution. Don’t kid yourself, just because you have unlimited internet, or if your internet service provider opts to keep third parties secret, users must be held accountable for any online activity they engage in. While the over-played adage of “you wouldn’t download a car,” doesn’t necessarily equate to internet piracy, the spirit of it is correct; if you enjoy an artist, TV show, or movie, support them with your money and don’t download the car.