Tag: online piracy

Singapore – New data shows that Filipino consumers who visit pirate streaming sites are prone to 21.66 times greater risk of malware infections, with a verifiable detection rate of 10%. This was according to the latest study conducted by the Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) alongside Dr. Paul Watters of Cyberstronomy.

The report’s findings reveal that when Filipino consumers access pirate torrent sites, the risk of malware infection increases 16.66 times when compared to mainstream platforms. The confirmed infection rate is 18%.

It concluded that a typical user visiting a pirate site faces the threat of infection by ransomware, numerous trojan horses, and other advanced persistent threats (APTs). These infections could occur within 42 seconds on a Windows machine and just 1 minute and 18 seconds on an Android device.

Matt Cheetham, general manager of CAP, said, “Evidence continues to mount that far from being a victimless crime, piracy can victimize consumers.” 

He added, “We look forward to the successful passage of site blocking legislation in the Senate that will allow the Philippines to both protect its consumers from online harm posed by pirate sites and grow its economy.” 

Jakarta, Indonesia – The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) and the Video Streaming Association of Indonesia (AVISI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Jakarta to fight piracy and protect and promote content in Indonesia. 

The signing of the MoU was held at the Coalition Against Piracy’s (CAP’s) State of Piracy Summit. It marks a closer collaboration and a significant step towards AVIA and AVISI combining their resources to fight online piracy and protect Indonesia’s creative and media industries.

The AVISI and AVIA partnership also marks a significant milestone in the ongoing struggle against piracy, reaffirming AVISI’s unwavering dedication to upholding a piracy-free digital-creative industry. 

Both associations pledge to strengthen defenses, promote legal access to content, and champion the rights of content creators, ensuring that creativity thrives and piracy recedes.

Representatives from Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (Kominfo) were also in attendance at the signing of the MOU, which followed a panel at the State of Piracy Summit hosted by AVIA and attended by representatives from Kominfo and AVISI.  

The signing of the MOU comes at a time when CAP’s most recent annual consumer surveys show that 54% of consumers in Indonesia access pirate services in 2023, the fourth highest incidence of piracy in the region. However, the survey also revealed the growing awareness of the downsides of piracy, with 94% of Indonesian consumers believing that online piracy has negative consequences, the highest percentage in the region, with damage to the creative industry being the biggest perceived negative impact.  

Ajeng Parameswari, general secretary of AVISI, emphasized the core mission behind AVISI’s inception and further underscored the imperative for a collective, amplified response to piracy. 

Parameswari said, “AVISI was established to cultivate a thriving ecosystem for the digital-creative industry, one that harmonizes seamlessly with the video streaming business model. Yet, the primary challenge we confront today is the pervasive threat of piracy.”  

“AVISI is delighted to announce a pivotal partnership with AVIA, aiming to widen the battle against piracy, transcending borders and safeguarding content not only within Indonesia but also on an international scale. The eradication of piracy is a shared responsibility, one that must resonate as a resounding deterrent to those who perpetrate it. In this endeavor, government support is pivotal,” she further added. 

Meanwhile, Louis Boswell, CEO at AVIA, said, “We are delighted to join with AVISI to continue the fight against online video piracy. Piracy is the single biggest problem the video industry faces and to solve  the problem there has to be a multi-pronged approach.” 

Boswell also noted, “With the creation of AVISI, I believe we will have  greater success and engagement with the industry in Indonesia to continue working towards  solutions. And we have to acknowledge the great support of the government with the Ministry of  Communication and Information Technology (Kominfo) who have been such great partners in addressing  and mitigating the problems of piracy. With our new relationship with AVISI and Kominfo support, I am  more optimistic than ever that momentum is growing which will continue to stem the tide of piracy in  Indonesia.”  

Singapore – Courts in Singapore are continuously cracking down on the rising number of media piracy in the country, as the latest order has stated it will beblocking 30 illegal streaming sites and almost 150 associated domains. Said announcement was made public by the Asia Video Industry Association’s (AVIA) Coalition Against Piracy (CAP).

Said coalition is made up of member corporations such as BBC Studios, Discovery Communications, LaLiga, the Premier League and TVB International.

Under the order, internet service providers must disable access to these illegal sites and their associated domains.

Matthew Cheetham, general manager at CAP, said, “Illegal streaming sites are simply illegal. Piracy is not a victimless crime and hurts not only content providers but also consumers who can be exposed to viruses and malware when accessing illegal sites, including malware that can access a user’s sensitive data such as banking details.”

Singapore has long been involved in cracking down on illegal streaming sites. In 2018, HK-based media and entertainment company PCCW Media filed a case against Singapore’s telco and ISP operators regarding allowing hosting illegal streaming sites such as DramaNice, DramaCool, MyAsianTV, KShowOnline and KissAsian.

In the same year, Disney Enterprises also filed a lawsuit against the local ISP operators regarding illegal streaming sites, categorised as flagrantly infringing online locations.

Manila, Philippines – In a new study about the online content viewing behavior of Filipinos, it was found that 49% of Filipinos online admit to using streaming piracy websites or torrent sites. The results also showed that the numbers spike to about 53% within the 25-34 age demographic.

Commissioned by the Asia Video Industry Association’s Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) and conducted by YouGov, the survey found that out of the 49% who do use streaming piracy websites or torrent sites, 47% of consumers who accessed them have cancelled their subscriptions to both local and international content services.

In comparison to neighboring countries Malaysia and Indonesia, who have seen a decline in online piracy over the past year, online piracy in the Philippines is rising. Indonesia’s YouGov survey showed a 55% reduction in Indonesians accessing piracy services while Malaysia’s found a 64% decline. 

This decline in both Malaysia and Indonesia is due to the government’s proactive piracy site blocking initiatives which has helped in the reduction of online piracy. 

Currently, the Philippine government is looking into doing the same. A bill before the Philippine Senate (Bill #497) entitled the ‘Online Infringement Act’ proposes a regulatory site blocking mechanism which would empower the authorities to ensure that ISPs take “reasonable steps to disable access to sites whenever these sites are reported to be infringing copyright or facilitating copyright infringement.”

The survey results showed that the majority of Filipinos think that these initiatives will deter the rise in online piracy with 53% of them agreeing that a “government order or law for ISPs to block piracy websites” would be the most effective.

According to Atty Teodoro Pascua, Deputy Director General, Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL), Filipino consumers should not patronize pirated content because of its risks and consequences. 

“The wide variety of legal services in the Philippines which provide premium entertainment content are reliable and importantly are legal. The piracy alternatives fund crime groups, put consumers at risk of malware infection and are unreliable. Piracy only benefits the criminal organizations who are behind these illegal websites.”

Neil Gane, the General Manager of AVIA’s Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) also commented, encouraging the legal consumption of content.

“We are confident that Indonesia and Malaysia will rise to become market leaders in video IP protection in the region, as a result of their site-blocking strategies. We are also confident that other countries in Asia, such as the Philippines, will take note and follow suit, boosting the growth of legal consumption of Filipino and international content.”