14 DAY TRIAL // As the world raves about copyrights and piracy, a new study shows that file-sharing pirates actually spend 300% more on content than the other consumers.
Telecom regulator Ofcom has published a new study into the state of online copyright infringement in the UK and came up with several conclusions, TorrentFreak reports.
According to the research, 10% of the country’s most prolific pirates are responsible for about 80% of all such acts carried out online. However, these, plus another 10% spend 300% more than those who don’t infringe copyright at all.
The research targeted Internet users of over 12 years old with the aim of gathering information on the way they usually consume movies, music, TV shows, video games, software and books.
While the research splits infringers into several categories according to their attitude and motivation, it showed that regardless of the group they fall into, the top 20% infringers are responsible for 88% of all such actions.
However, they are also those who spend the most on content. They account for 11% of all legal content downloads.
As mentioned, pirates split into multiple categories. The so-called “Justifying Infringers” are those who have demonstrated the highest levels of infringing behavior.
About 9 percent of all pirates are in this group and they are accountable for 24% of all infringements. They feel that they have already spent enough on content but like to try before they buy.
“Digital Transgressors” make up for another 9% of all infringers and are responsible for 22% of total infringed volume. They consume more films and TV shows than those in the previous group and while they show no remorse for their behavior, they’re also scared of getting caught.
“Free Infringers” are the largest group – 42% of those who download and upload data illegally fall in this category. They are accountable for 35% of the infringed volume.
“Ambiguous Infringers” are the last group that holds roughly 39% of all infringers. These are responsible for 20% of all such illegal activities, but they have the lowest level of digital consumption and the highest proportion of paid and legal content.