{"id":40250,"date":"2023-10-20T15:07:05","date_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:07:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/startupsmart.test\/2023\/10\/20\/from-convicts-to-pirates-australias-dubious-legacy-of-illegal-downloading-startupsmart\/"},"modified":"2023-10-20T15:07:05","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:07:05","slug":"from-convicts-to-pirates-australias-dubious-legacy-of-illegal-downloading-startupsmart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/uncategorized\/from-convicts-to-pirates-australias-dubious-legacy-of-illegal-downloading-startupsmart\/","title":{"rendered":"From convicts to pirates: Australia’s dubious legacy of illegal downloading – StartupSmart"},"content":{"rendered":"
The fifth season of Game of Thrones <\/em>is being released simultaneously across the globe<\/a>, which means Australians will get access from 11am (AEST) on Monday April 13. HBO has decided to not drip-feed the episodes across differing regions, a method more commonly used for television series.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n One reason for the change is an attempt to curb the high piracy rate associated with earlier broadcasts of the popular television series, particularly in Australia.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n But according to Game of Thrones <\/em>director, David Petrarca<\/a>, piracy is not a bad thing and \u201cmay do more good than harm\u201d by contributing to the buzz around the series.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n During 2013, prior to the third season, Petrarca said<\/a> that unauthorised downloads did not matter because shows such as Game of Thrones <\/em>thrive on \u201ccultural buzz\u201d and benefit from the social commentary they generate.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The premiere of season four for Game of Thrones <\/em>triggered a record rate<\/a> of \u201cmore than a million downloads in half a day\u201d. Torrent Freak revealed<\/a> Australia as the leader (11.6%) in illegal sharing of the episodes, followed by the US (9.3%) and UK (5.8%).<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Australian cities also led the top cities in illegally sharing the program. Melbourne ranked number one and Sydney third, with Brisbane (ninth) and Perth (tenth) rounding out the top ten. These are not titles of which Australians should be proud.<\/p>\n Game of Thrones <\/em>is not the only television program with a legacy of piracy. The Breaking Bad <\/em>finale in 2013 had illegal downloads<\/a> of \u201cmore than half a million times within 12 hours\u201d.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Top of the list again for pirating the finale was Australia, accounting for 18% of the illegal downloads, followed by the US (14.5%) and UK (9.3%).<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n But we are not always on top of the illegal download table. The recent release of House of Cards<\/em> season three saw Australia at fourth place<\/a>, behind China, the US and India.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n What is important to note is that of the top ten countries listed, half \u2013 China, India, Australia, Poland and Greece \u2013 had no local Netflix service (although the Australian service launched weeks later). This lends support to the notion that a key problem is access, which needs to be resolved to help reduce piracy globally.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\nDubious record<\/h2>\n