Piracy Makes U.K. Riots Look Like "Children Stealing Candy"

Andy Chalk

One Flag, One Fleet, One Cat
Nov 12, 2002
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Piracy Makes U.K. Riots Look Like "Children Stealing Candy"


The CEO of Australia's News Limited makes no bones about his belief that digital piracy is a serious problem.

The death of Mark Duggan, who was shot and killed last year by police in Tottenham, led to five nights of rioting in London that soon spread to other cities including Liverpool, Manchester and other, smaller towns. From August 6 to 10, widespread looting and arson led to property damage estimated at $316 million; over 3100 people were arrested, 186 police officers and ten firefighters were injured and five people were killed.

But that ain't nothin' in the eyes of Kim Williams, CEO of News Limited, one of Australia's biggest media conglomerates and a cornerstone company of Rupert Murdoch's massive News Corporation. Williams told an audience at the Australian International Movie Convention that the damage done by "scumbag" digital thieves is far worse than that caused by last year's rioting - and that it's only going to get worse.

"Imagine the great works that are not being produced because the digital bandits are creating virtual pirate Globe Theaters and virtual literary magazines and making off with possibly 65 percent of the profits," Williams said. "If you think I'm exaggerating, think again, because the copyright bandits of the paper age of Shakespeare and Dickens had nothing on the copyright kleptomaniacs of the digital age."

A 2012 report by the Intellectual Property Awareness Foundation claimed that more than 37 percent of Australians admitted to illegally downloading content, he said, while roughly 60 percent of "persistent downloaders" say they snag something at least once a week. Williams claimed that leaves them less likely to go to the movies, buy DVDs or pay for music from iTunes and other online services, which one estimate said cost the Australian economy $1.37 billion last year.

"That's money out of all our pockets," he said. "And culture taken from all our lives. And cultural development taken from our nation."

And he was colorfully unequivocal with his declaration that piracy is theft. "Illegally downloading [digital content] is the equivalent of smashing a window and taking it," he said. "But the scale of this theft makes the London riots of last year look like children stealing [candy] from a shop. It may be hidden from view but internet piracy has become the biggest heist since Ronnie Biggs took an interest in trains."

Exaggerated or not, Williams' point isn't entirely invalid. Piracy costs money, of that there is no doubt, but the detriment of its impact is most definitely debatable and I don't think he's doing himself or his argument any favors by making such extreme comparisons. News Limited parent company News Corporation recorded nearly $5 billion in adjusted operating income on revenues of $33.4 billion in 2011, after all, hardly what you'd call the results of a company struggling to stay afloat in a hostile and damaging market.

Source: TorrentFreak [http://torrentfreak.com/illegal-downloading-is-scumbag-theft-by-copyright-bandits-says-media-giant-ceo-120821/]


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J Tyran

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Dec 15, 2011
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Copy write infringement cannot compare to the UK riots, people where murdered during those riots. Other peoples lives where put in danger from the arson too. This Williams guy is an idiot, I hope the families of the victims don't read his comments.
 

Gearhead mk2

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Aug 1, 2011
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...wow. That is just... I don't even know how to react. Gimme a second here...
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Got it. Kim Williams, you are an idiotic, short-sighted, overpaid mouthpiece for the wretched hive that is they entertainment industry, and saying that a 4-day city-wide upheavel brought on by people angry at a biased, corporate backed economic system but which degenerated into directionless violence is not as bad as piracy is one of the most vile, senseless, disgusting things I have ever heard.
 

algalon

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Dec 6, 2010
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This is Newscorp, FOX. Rupert Murdoch's company. There's not a single thing anyone associated with FOX can say that I would take seriously.
 

NinjaDeathSlap

Leaf on the wind
Feb 20, 2011
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That's funny. I've never known of any internet pirates running down internet pedestrians in their internet cars; or setting internet fire to people's internet livelihoods; or firing internet guns at the internet police...

Yet more evidence to add to the pile of 'Why every high-ranking member of NewsCorp should crawl up their own arse and die.
 

CosmicCommander

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Apr 11, 2009
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This is the market responding to the unacceptable treatment of media publishers and conglomerates towards consumers; any true advocate of innovation and good will stand behind the "scumbags", for too long Murdoch and Co. have controlled Governments and attitudes through some more-than-shady practices. They're being hit hard by people who aren't buying their content for these reasons pirating it instead; along with others who are dissatisfied with their pricing and content. This is going to force large companies to either innovate to cater to these dissatisfied consumers or die.
 

Keepeas

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Jul 10, 2011
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So he's saying this:

((0.316 Billion)/(5days)) < ((1.370 Billion)/(365days))
63.2Million/Day < 3.75Million/Day

Sounds Legit

But seriously...that's not even taking into account one is property damage/theft and the the other has no physical damages.
 

Zaik

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Jul 20, 2009
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He sounds like an expert in copyright math.

Let's consult another expert.

 

AndrewC

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Jun 24, 2010
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Someone's life is more valuable than some stolen digital good. A person's livelihood isn't less than some pirated item.

I don't comment often, but how he can say this baffles me.
 

NotALiberal

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Jul 10, 2012
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The Plunk said:
I bet that once we have the technology to create Star Trek-style replicators, the food industry will claim that "food piracy" is worse than the holocaust.
It's funny because this is true. Or really sad, actually... the worst part is, I could imagine people on this site defending it without the slightest hint of irony. "STOP BEING ENTITLED! DONT YOU REALISE CEOS HAVE TO EAT TOO?!?"

OT: Oh look, another out of touch CEO complaining that he couldn't afford his private jet in a week... he had to wait TWO WHOLE WEEKS INSTEAD! You people sicken me. Where is your humanity? What's that? Realistic pricing? Convenient ways of obtaining media? No stupid anti consumer practices like region locks and unskippable anti piracy warnings? MADNESS! We can't possibly use logic and reason.. no we have to try pass new anti piracy bill #27484838 and try strong arm it through the law making process.
 

Canadamus Prime

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Jun 17, 2009
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Well his company certainly doesn't seem to be suffering due to Internet piracy, quite the contrary.
But really, worse than the London riots? Unless you're a tabloid you should at least present news that is plausible.

Andy Chalk said:
And he was colorfully unequivocal with his declaration that piracy is theft. "Illegally downloading [digital content] is the equivalent of smashing a window and taking it," he said. "But the scale of this theft makes the London riots of last year look like children stealing [candy] from a shop. It may be hidden from view but internet piracy has become the biggest heist since Ronnie Biggs took an interest in trains."
The thing is if illegal downloading was actially classified as theft by law then I'd be sympathetic about the losses, but since it isn't I find myself unable and unwilling to care.