The Government has released new research on the levels of online copyright infringement in Australia and why people choose to download content illegally.
The research shows Australia has high levels of online copyright infringement.
TNS Australia conducted a survey for the department between 25 March and 13 April 2015. It was closely based on surveys undertaken by the United Kingdom Government, so the results for the two countries could be compared.
Over 2630 Australians aged 12 and over were interviewed.
The research shows that Australians are consuming a significant amount of digital content, with 60 per cent having done so during the survey period across four main content types surveyed: movies, music, TV programmes and video games.
Four in ten content consumers, or 43 per cent, had consumed at least some illegal files (compared to 21 per cent in the UK). This represents a quarter of all Australian internet users, or 26 per cent.
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The survey also provides insight into why Australians infringe:
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What would encourage people to stop infringing:
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And highlights a lot of internet users aren’t sure what is legal content online:
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UK media release on the survey findings
- UK media release: UK consumers give boost to legal downloading and streaming for TV, films and music