Many people have argued that piracy is a victimless crime, but a new report from the RAND Corporation indicates organized crime has a big role in film piracy.
The "Film Piracy, Organized Crime, and Terrorism" report tries to connect large-scale piracy operations to organized crime -- which a rational person could accept -- but it also says that terrorists are reaping the benefits from piracy.
"Given the enormous profit margins, it's no surprise that organized crime has moved into film piracy," said Greg Treverton, Director of the Center for Global Risk and Security at RAND. "The profits are high and penalties for being caught are relatively low."
The report, although not able to define any substantial links, said that it's possible organized piracy could have ties to terrorist organizations -- and these groups will continue to rely on piracy in the years to come.
"If you buy pirated DVDs, there is a good chance that at least part of the money will go to organized crime and those proceeds fund more-dangerous criminal activities, possibly terrorism," Treverton also said.
Something many people have noticed on first glance of the document is that the authors used the terms "piracy" and "counterfeiting" interchangeably throughout the report. When people think piracy, they think of digital assets, while counterfeiting can mean physical goods being sold and distributed.
It's sometimes difficult to figure out if the authors are trying to blame piracy for something, or if they actually mean counterfeiting is taking place. If you've been looking for a smoking gun to condemn pirates with, this is hardly the report to use to back up your claims.
The nonprofit research center received a grant from the Motion Picture Association (MPA) to compile the report. The full report is expected to be released on Tuesday.
