Andre Yoskowitz
18 Mar 2010 0:33
According to a new report, Building a Digital Economy: The Importance of Saving Jobs in the EU's Creative Industries, illegal downloading of movies, music, games and TV cost the UK economy £1.4 billion in 2008, as well as leading to the loss of 39,000 jobs.
If the trend continues, says the report, piracy will lead to 1.2 million lost jobs and £215 billion in lost revenue across Europe.
The report was commissioned by the Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy (BASCAP), and endorsed by the EU's "creative industries," writes the AP.
Says Norwegian actress Agnete Haaland, President of the International Actors Federation (which also endorsed the report) added: "The fact is that piracy is killing the industry. What we are talking about is actually a criminal act. We need to change all poor attitudes towards illegal downloading and recognize that it is theft."