Hadopi: 12 million pirates, a shortfall of one billion euros

[Anna Kushina (櫛名アンナ)]

Almost 12 million French people consumed pirated audiovisual and sports content in 2019. According to a study by Hadopi, the deficit for these sectors amounts to 1.03 billion euros. This corresponds to 9% of a market with a weight of 11.6 billion euros.

The sectors with the greatest piracy are physical turnover (310 million euros) and the sale of pay-TV subscriptions (260 million euros). Public finances are also affected as they let more than 320 million euros pass. This sum corresponds to VAT, social and employer contributions, as well as corporation and income tax.

Piracy also means the potential destruction of 2,650 jobs for the affected sectors. According to Hadopi President Denis Rapone, the sectors in question “are already very much weakened by the effects of the health crisis”. He adds that torrent (P2P) downloads have declined since 2009 and the creation of the Hadopi. In contrast, streaming and direct download (DDL) remain important. Depending on the case, there is even talk of “considerable progress”.

Another problem for rights holders and Hadopi is none other than IPTV. With this system you have access to many TV channels for just a few euros. This practice is attracting more and more people.

Hadopi wants to continue the fight against piracy

“This means that an average of 11.8 million Internet users engage in these practices every month.” In March it was 13.6 million, with detention “exacerbating the phenomenon,” said Denis Repone.

In this context, Hadopi “passionately” calls the “resumption of examination” of the anti-piracy provisions provided for in the audiovisual reform. The first version of the provisions was abandoned because the health crisis had messed up the parliamentary calendar. In particular, this text provided for a merger between CSA and Hadopi with a new regulator called Arcom.