14 DAY TRIAL // Piracy seems to be on everyone's mind lately, Nintendo moving to sue mod chip producers and limit the availability of the hardware that enables piracy, and Ubisoft trying out a new form of PC Digital Rights Management on all its big titles like Assassin's Creed II and Settlers 7. And now, the Entertainment Software Association is saying that the United States is doing the right thing by putting together a report highlighting which countries have the biggest problems with copyright protection.
The report, named Special 301, is put together by the United States Trade Representative and says that “Internet piracy is a significant concern with respect to a number of trading partners, including Brazil, Canada, China, India, Italy, Russia, Spain and Ukraine.”
It's quite a surprise to see that Canada gets nominated alongside China and Russia, where piracy is surely more prevalent, especially considering major publishers have development studios working north of the United States border. The report states there are legislative measures that Canada must approve to avoid making the list again in 2011.
Michael Gallagher, who is the president of the Entertainment Software Association, praised the efforts to reduce the power of so-called pirate heavens, declaring, “President Obama has underscored the importance of doubling exports over the next five years in order to spur job growth. The entertainment software industry is well positioned to contribute to this initiative, as we produce game products that the world desires.”
It's not clear what the impact will be on the countries on the Priority Watch List of the simple Watch List as defined by the USTR Special 301 report. The United States might try to retaliate economically or take legal action against the countries on an international level but it's unlikely this will help reduce piracy.