This report examines consumption of copyright-infringing content in the 27 EU Member States and the UK, for TV programmes, music and film, using a variety of desktop and mobile access methods, including streaming, downloading, torrents and ripping software. It is an update of the first such report, published in 2019.
The analysis is based on a rich set of data on access to pirated music, film and TV programmes in all 27 Member States and the UK, for the period January 2017 to December 2020. The data covers both fixed and mobile devices, as well as the main access methods to such content.
The data on which the report is based covers both fixed and mobile devices, as well as the main access methods to such content across the European Union.
Main findings:
- Between 2017 and 2020, overall access to pirated content was cut in half.
- The decline was most pronounced in music, at 81 %, followed by film (68 %) and TV (41 %).
- The average internet user in the EU accessed pirated content 5.9 times per month in 2020.
- The Covid pandemic had only a temporary impact in the spring of 2020, when film piracy increased. During the summer of 2020, the downward trend resumed.
- Streaming was by far the most common access method, accounting for about 80 % of all access.
- Differences among Member States are examined using econometric analysis. Factors such as income inequality increase piracy, while access to legal offers and knowledge of such offers tend to decrease piracy.
How was the study conducted?
The basic data for this study comes from tracking traffic to piracy websites, sourced from MUSO, a London-based company that provides statistics on piracy activity. MUSO provided the EUIPO with data on the illegal consumption of digitally pirated films, TV shows and music gathered over a 48-month period, from January 2017 to December 2020 in all 27 EU Member States and the UK. Additional data was used to put the traffic in context, and to analyse it, such as:
- economic variables such as per capita income;
- proportion of young people in the population;
- legal digital offer: internet and broadcast platforms;
- perception, awareness and behaviour in respect of piracy.
This additional data was sourced mainly from Eurostat, from the European Audiovisual Observatory and, for data on consumer perception and attitudes, from the EUIPO’s IP Perception Study.
| Resources: Online copyright infringement in the European Union | |||
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| Full report | Show | ||
| Executive summary | Show | ||
| Press release | Show | ||