Anti-piracy advocacy organisation Creative Content Australia has launched a campaign to help educate Australians on the dangers of pirate websites and to highlight the impact illegal downloading is having on Australia’s film and television industry.

“The Price of Piracy” is Creative Content Australia’s response to the Federal Court’s recent decision to block 59 websites found to be primarily engaged in facilitating access to copyright-infringing material.

The campaign educates the community on the negative effects piracy can have for users accessing content, including the threat of vicious malware, spyware or ransomware, identity theft and serious breaches of personal data.

Also highlighted in the campaign is the impact of piracy on Australian content creators, including local production companies, directors, producers, actors and production crew. Many practitioners in Australia’s media industry are impacted by piracy, including the potential for theft of copy-written material, reduced job opportunities and loss of revenue.

As a result, Creative Content Australia’s campaign has been well received by industry representatives.

Matthew Deaner, CEO of Screen Producers Australia (SPA) says for Australian producers, the value of their business is in the value of their copyright.

“Piracy jeopardises business sustainability, placing local jobs at risk. Long-term effects of piracy mean less Australian content gets made. In a tight market, piracy pushes producers to the wall. It’s a simple choice for consumers: support local business or support content thieves”, he says.

For producer Carmel Travers, piracy erodes the capacity of Australian producers to bring to life iconic characters, like childhood favourite, The Magic Pudding.

“Behind every film and television show in Australia sits scores, sometimes hundreds, of individuals who’ve invested time, energy and money in creating and telling stories. Most of those people do what they do out of a passionate determination to tell Australian stories, to make sure our children grow up watching Australians on screen, hearing Australian voices, and breathing life into great Australian creative ideas. But piracy robs everyone in the industry of the right to a commercial return for their labours,” she says.

Director of the Australian performer’s union MEAA Equity Zoe Angus urges Australians to think twice before illegally copying or downloading other people’s work:

“It’s not only film and TV producers who are hurt by copyright infringement and piracy. It is stealing from Australian actors and performers whose livelihood is dependent on re-sales and licencing of the productions they appear in,” she says.

Together, industry practitioners and Creative Content Australia’s “The Price of Piracy” will be encouraging everyday Australians to think of the high price consumers might pay by compromising personal data on piracy sites, and reminding the public of exceptional local content that can be accessed through legal avenues, such as in cinemas, on free-to-air television, DVDs, Pay TV or online.

More information about the “Price of Piracy” campaign can be found here.

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