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Feds Question Big Media's Piracy Claims

Posted by kdawson on from the show-me-the-losses dept.

WrongSizeGlass writes "CNET is reporting that the GAO's study of big media's piracy claims has raised some questions. (Here are the study's summary, highlights [PDF], and full report [PDF].) 'After spending a year studying how piracy and illegal counterfeiting affects the United States, the Government Accountability Office says it still doesn't know for sure.... The GAO said that most of the published information, anecdotal evidence, and records show that piracy is a drag on the US economy, tax revenue, and in some cases potentially threatens national security and public health. But the problem is, according to the GAO, the data used to quantify piracy isn't reliable.'"

14 of 261 comments (clear)

  1. Not reliable? by odin84gk · · Score: 3, Funny

    So... It was stolen data?

    1. Re:Not reliable? by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 4, Funny

      They included accidents wherein passengers had alcohol in their systems, even though the drivers were completely sober.

      I was going to make a joke about the effects of "second-hand alcohol" on the driver, but grossed myself out thinking about it...

      --
      It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
    2. Re:Not reliable? by zill · · Score: 3, Funny

      Sounds like the Federal "study" that was done by the NHTSA. Ever heard the claim that ~50% of all fatal crash accidents involved alcohol? Guess how they arrived at that number? They included accidents wherein passengers had alcohol in their systems, even though the drivers were completely sober.

      But technically it's true. If I died by crashing into a brewery while driving sober it would still count as a "fatal crash accident involving alcohol".

      accidents caused by alcohol != accidents involving alcohol

      The phrasing is extremely dishonest and deceptive, but it's still true nevertheless.

    3. Re:Not reliable? by Thing+1 · · Score: 4, Funny

      I had an old girlfriend

      You should try a young one, perhaps? Just not too young, please don't think of the children.

      --
      I feel fantastic, and I'm still alive.
  2. Just ask by SnarfQuest · · Score: 5, Funny

    Just ask the RIAA for their data on piracy. They should have accurate information.

    --
    Who would win this election: Andrew Weiner vs Andrew Weiner's weiner.
  3. More like inflated data by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Its no secret that the RIAA/MPAA have been putting up fake torrents to catch pirates for years. When you take that into account, you can easily inflate the number of "pirates" to near unrealistic numbers.

    Company A sets up a torrent hosting a fake copy of Avatar with 1000 seeds, 10000 leechers and 1,000,000 completed downloads.
    Company B does a basic search for "Avatar torrent", sees Company A's torrent and records it.
    Company C, which owns Company A and Company B, then goes to the U.S. government and claims "We lost over a MILLION Avatar sales from piracy! We demand a government bailout!"

  4. You don't say... by geminidomino · · Score: 5, Funny

    the data used to quantify piracy isn't reliable

    Ya think, DiNozzo?

  5. Re:Should it include by bmo · · Score: 4, Funny

    Every hard disk not sold by Paramount will be counted as 20 incidents of piracy.

    --
    BMO

  6. The gears are moving! by TerrenceCoggins · · Score: 2, Funny

    So the GAO is setting its sights on big media's piracy FUD machine? Hurrah! I can see it now: The GAO or some other trustworthy government organization that's outside of the music/film industries' influence will oversee a comprehensive study done on the matter. After gladly washing down this hardy serving of humble pie with a cold glass of milk, big media will offer up their entire content library for free over streaming HTML5 video in OGG 1080p with a bit of help from axxo and the gang. As for this ACTA? It'll have a public funeral at last (despite already having the support of more powerful government agencies and branches) at which US, Chinese, AU, EU, the Pope, Muslim leaders and other world and religious leaders will get together and announce an end to nuculear proliferation, a way to kill global warming faster than Orkin kills roaches, and a cure for world hunger that involves magical gum-drops of some sort...

  7. Re:It's about fucking time by jank1887 · · Score: 2, Funny

    really? I thought that time wasn't until later tonight.

  8. Re:Laid back? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    > about D&D .... I never played myself

    Er, duh? You're supposed to play an elf, or a wizard, or a cleric... no one plays "themselves"! ;-)

  9. Re:Self interest by nospam007 · · Score: 2, Funny

    '"Piracy" and counterfeiting are not the same thing.'

    Exactly! The Navy caught pirates off captured ships and they had counterfeited Kalashnikovs.
    Can you believe the nerve of those people? Ts.

  10. Re:Thinking about the popularity of D&D by MozeeToby · · Score: 2, Funny

    Vin Diesel? Still not seeing the connection.

  11. Re:Laid back? by SanityInAnarchy · · Score: 2, Funny

    The hell they don't!

    --
    Don't thank God, thank a doctor!