Report: 74% less traffic to pirate websites after MCMC efforts

[Len]

Group comprising US studios commend government's efforts to stop online piracy.

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian government’s efforts to fight online piracy has been quite successful with data showing that there has been a 74% reduction in traffic to pirate websites, the Motion Picture Association International (MPAI) said.

This was revealed by MPAI Asia-Pacific hub regional director Olver Walsh at the Content Piracy Forum organised by the Communications and Multimedia Content Forum of Malaysia (CMCF) held in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, The Edge reported.

According to MPAI, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) had initiated its sixth effort to block pirate websites in June 2016, and the massive drop in traffic was recorded in the subsequent six months.

“As pirate websites generate income through advertising revenue, a disruption to their business model can help stop online piracy,” Walsh was quoted as saying.

MPAI represents the interests of six international producers and distributors of films, namely Disney, Paramount, Sony Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Universal, and Warner Brothers.

“If we can disrupt the revenue they are making, then we will affect their ability to operate,” he was quoted as saying by the financial daily.

He added however, that more can be done to tackle serious and organised intellectual property crime committed using an online platform.

“The introduction of the Infringing Website List (IWL) by the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) in London, UK could be effective in Malaysia.”

The IWL refers to a list of sites that have been verified by the police as providing copyrighted content illegally, which is then shared with advertisers, agencies and other intermediaries so that they can cease advert placement on these illegal websites.

“Ernst and Young did a study that suggested that if these IWL measures had not existed, then these sites were able to make an additional US$100 million to US$170 million in advertising revenue across the year.

“The ongoing industry efforts against pirate websites has therefore reduced the sites’ advertising revenue by 48% to 61%, and the more countries that we can get involved in this sort of initiatives, the higher the number it will become,” Walsh said, according to The Edge.

For Malaysia, MPAI says 91.76% of advertisements appearing on pirate websites for Hollywood content are high-risk advertisements, including those promoting adult content, gambling, online scams, and those containing malware (malicious virus).