Book piracy in Italy is a clear and present danger, something that can pose a significant threat to the book industry as a whole. As PublishingPerspective reported, this has been revealed by Ipsos, a renowned market research firm that was commissioned recently by the Association of Italian Publishers (Associazione Italiana Editori, AIE) to gain a better insight into the prevalence and impact of piracy on the book market. The findings of the study unveiled a staggering reality: piracy costs the industry more than a quarter of its total valuation, accounting for a whopping 28 percent.
This marks the third Ipsos study commissioned by AIE, and the results this time around are particularly concerning. It has been revealed that piracy is not just a financial issue; it can contribute to significant job losses as well. The survey revealed approximately 4,900 jobs have been lost due to piracy. The study sheds light on the widespread nature of piracy in Italy, with a reported 31 percent of the general population above the age of 15 engaging in illegal access to books, ebooks, and audiobooks. Even more alarming is the prevalence among students and professionals, with rates soaring to 78 percent and 49 percent, respectively.
What’s more troubling is the lack of perceived consequences among those involved in piracy. A staggering 70 percent of respondents who admitted to accessing publishing products illegally expressed little concern about facing repercussions for their actions. Despite a slight decrease in daily acts of piracy compared to 2021, with nearly 300,000 instances reported daily, the economic toll remains substantial. Italy’s economy suffers a loss estimated at €1.75 billion (US$1.9 billion), with an additional €298 million (US$326 million) in lost tax revenue.
The gravity of the situation becomes even more apparent when considering the sheer volume of piracy occurring annually. The report suggests that as many as 108.4 million acts of piracy may take place in Italy within a single year. Alarmingly, despite efforts to raise awareness about the illegality and consequences of piracy, there seems to be a decline in public awareness. The percentage of individuals acknowledging the illegality of piracy dropped from 84 percent in 2019 to 79 percent in 2023, indicating a worrisome trend.
While some argue that consumers are becoming more media-savvy, it’s evident that concerted efforts are needed to combat the pervasive issue of book piracy and its detrimental effects on the industry, economy, and society at large.
AIE president Innocenzo Cipolletta said: “Italian publishing is experiencing a difficult economic context, characterized by rising costs that are only minimally offset by cover-price increases, while the demand stimuli present in past years are no longer present or have been scaled back. “
President of the Italian Federation of Newspaper Publishers, Andrea Riffeser Monti said: “Piracy of intellectual works is a central issue for the entire content publishing industry. An ongoing economic and technological evolution today represents the most complex challenge for the authorities engaged in countering piracy.
“It must be made impossible for those who do business on illegal content to hide behind the anonymity of the Internet: people must be aware that they are committing an offense and must know that they can be punished for it.
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.