As the ACTA storm is rising (try #ACTA on Twitter) a new report shows what history has taught us many times (as in the Prohibition): don’t fight what everybody wants with severe punishments, create a good commercial and competitive alternative instead.
The Dutch blogger Arnould Engelfriet reports about a Dutch study on the reaction of the Dutch public to a potential “three-strikes” law, (rapport-onderzoek-downloadverbod.pdf) done for the Copyright and New Media Foundation
The translated summary follows.
Download Ban will not help industry
A download ban will not affect the purchasing behavior of Internet users.
Such a ban, proposed by the Cabinet, may prove counterproductive to the fight of
illegal music and movies on the Internet. This shows a survey by research company
Multiscope commissioned by the Foundation and New Media Copyright held amongst a
representative fraction of the Dutch population. The foundation advocates for improving the
quality of legal downloads and the removal of copy protection and unskippable intros. This because sales of legal music will be boosted by these measures.
illegal music and movies on the Internet. This shows a survey by research company
Multiscope commissioned by the Foundation and New Media Copyright held amongst a
representative fraction of the Dutch population. The foundation advocates for improving the
quality of legal downloads and the removal of copy protection and unskippable intros. This because sales of legal music will be boosted by these measures.
Of those surveyed 63 percent said they would not buy more movies or music in the store as a result of a ban. Ten percent of respondents said to buy even less in the store after a download ban.
One third of the Dutch population sometimes downloads music or movies from the Internet. More than one million Dutch even more than once a week. No less than 75% of the respondents who is downloading is not going to cut back if such a ban was coming. Only when the ban would be linked to continuous monitoring and a shutdown of the Internet connection as a result of a violation, 43% of the respondents would reduce their downloading.
…..
Over sixty percent of the respondents said they would consider it a mistake and unjustified if the ISP would be required to monitor traffic offenders to detect violations. A shutdown of the Internet connection is considered equal to exclusion.
Offering legal alternatives will give little change to the behavior of downloaders:
only 10 percent of respondents would stop illegal downloading.
only 10 percent of respondents would stop illegal downloading.
Although legal offers of music and movies on the Internet should be promoted, the criminalization of the current download practice is a disastrous policy.
The study shows that the meager supply, the copy protection and the poor quality of legal alternatives are the main reason people download.As the Apple iTunes store for music and a recent British study has shown, investment in quality will be much more productive.
