IP Outreach Research > IP Crime
Reference
Title: | A Behavioral Model of Digital Music Piracy |
Author: | Ram D Gopal [University of Connecticut], G Lawrence Sanders [State University of New York], Sudip Bhattacharjee [University of Connecticut], Manish Agrawal [State University of New York], Suzanne C Wagner [Niagara University] |
Source: | Journal of Organizational Computing and Electronic Commerce 14, no. 2: 89-105 |
Year: | 2004 |
Details
Subject/Type: | Piracy |
Focus: | Music |
Country/Territory: | United States of America |
Objective: | To study the behavioural dynamics that drive individuals to pirate music and contrast them with those impacting software piracy. |
Sample: | 133 undergraduate business students |
Methodology: | Questionnaire Set |
Main Findings
Students scoring high in an ethical values index are less prone to engage in music piracy; respondents with a firm belief in justice and law also have a lower propensity to illegally download music, principally because they score higher on ethics. Age and gender are found to have an impact on the inclination to pirate. While income does not seem to influence illegal downloading, the higher the amount of money saved by music downloading, the higher the piracy level is. Contrary to software piracy, for music piracy the effect of deterrence strategies (the use of legal sanctions to check crime) appears to be small.
To reduce actual piracy, stakeholders should focus on preventive methodologies (measures making piracy more difficult and less attractive) including sustained advertising campaigns and educational initiatives (awareness campaigns), as well as on appeals to altruism and support for the arts, all targeting ethical incentives. Given that the amount of money saved by downloading off the Internet is a piracy driver, innovative pricing models may also contribute to combat music piracy.
[Date Added: Aug 12, 2008 ]