Külföldi torrent oldalak Turnbull Confident Of Ridding Country Of Online Piracy

Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has seized on new research comparing illegal downloading of popular shows such as Game of Thrones in Australia with online piracy in Britain as evidence that recent measures to stamp out the problem will work.

A survey found nearly half of Australian consumers interviewed between March and May downloaded pirated movies and TV shows. Up to 43 per cent of Australians interviewed had illegally downloaded at least one file, compared with a fifth in Britain. “The rate of piracy in Australia is disappointingly high, far exceeding that in the United Kingdom,” said Andrew Maiden, chief executive of ASTRA, the peak body representing Australian subscription television.

The contrast in the results is significant because Australia has recently adopted similar measures to Britain, suggesting Mr Turnbull could succeed in banishing Australians’ reputation as the world’s worst internet pirates.

While Mr Turnbull and Australia’s creative industries admit there is no magic bullet to eliminate online copyright infringement, they have long argued a multi-pronged approach can significantly reduce violations.

“The results underscore the importance of governments working with industry to address infringement issues, and that a range of measures are needed to properly tackle the problem,” Mr Turnbull’s office said.

Of the different types of entertainment, movies topped the list, with 48 per cent of survey respondents in Australia saying they had illegally downloaded a movie. Music ranked second with 37 per cent, followed by TV programs at 33 per cent, and video games in last place with 22 per cent.

The survey coincided with US streaming giant Netflix launching an Australian operation amid a growing crop of local joint ventures, including Foxtel and Seven Network’s Presto, and Stan, a collaboration between Nine Network and Fairfax Media.

Media executives believe consumers will eventually switch to affordable alternatives, which offer premium dramas, local content and Hollywood movies at competitive price points in high definition across multiple devices.

The British experience suggests they are right, with the survey identifying an increase in the take up of legal services since 2012 after countermeasures to combat piracy were adopted.

Mr Turnbull has led a push to tighten copyright laws to enable the blocking of overseas websites.

He also supports an industry code being developed by rights holders and internet service providers.