Online Copyright Infringement is becoming the ‘last straw’ with alarming violation numbers, billions in revenue losses, and thousands unemployed. Join Thu Do Multimedia in exploring the economic and social impacts, along with solutions to prevent this issue before the damage becomes irreparable.
What is Copyright Infringement? Do You Really Understand It?
Online copyright infringement involves the unauthorized copying, sharing, or use of copyrighted material without the owner’s consent.
Commonly infringed content includes music, movies, software, and video games, through peer-to-peer sharing channels, torrent sites, and illegal streaming platforms.
With the rapid development of the internet, copyright infringement has become increasingly accessible and widespread, posing serious challenges for content creators and businesses.
Types of Online Copyright Infringement
There are many types of online copyright infringement that are taking place in today’s digital world, the common ones that you are most likely to be involved in are:
Music Piracy
Downloading or streaming music without paying the copyright owner has become a huge problem. Illegal music sharing platforms and torrent sites have contributed greatly to the spread of this practice.
Movie and TV Piracy
This involves watching or downloading movies and TV shows without a license. Many websites offer free streaming services, attracting a large number of users and causing damage to the entertainment industry.
Software Piracy
Copying, distributing or using software without purchasing a license is a serious form of infringement that negatively affects software developers and companies.
E-book Piracy
Digital content such as e-books and audiobooks are also being heavily pirated, directly affecting authors and publishers.
The Serious Consequences of Online Piracy
No one wants their hard work to be “blatantly stolen” in just a few seconds. The problem of “piracy” is not only about sales, but also about ethics and human consciousness. The more it spreads and becomes “obvious”, the more people’s thoughts and wills will be distorted. Below is a deeper analysis of the serious consequences of “brain theft”.
Global Financial Losses
Online piracy is causing huge financial losses to industries around the world. In the United States, entertainment businesses lose $29.2 billion each year in online video piracy alone.
However, this impact is not limited to the film and television industry. The music, software, e-book and video game industries are also seriously affected. When content is shared and used illegally, companies lose a significant portion of their revenue, causing economic imbalances.
Businesses lose revenue, leading to cuts in investment, development costs, and ultimately profits. Not only private businesses, but also governments are affected by the loss of tax revenue from related industries.
Job Loss
In the United States, video piracy has resulted in the loss of between 230,000 and 560,000 jobs each year. This primarily affects creative and high-tech industries such as film production, music, software development, and video games.
Job losses affect directly related industries, spreading to support areas such as marketing, post-production, intellectual property management, and customer service. They suffer the most, as they do not have the resources to deal with the spread of piracy.
Hindering Technological Development
Piracy also creates major barriers to innovation and technological development. When businesses lose revenue due to piracy, they no longer have the motivation and finances to invest in research and development (R&D). This leads to delays in the implementation of new technologies, innovative products and breakthrough services.
For industries such as software and communications, continuous innovation is vital to stay competitive and meet consumer needs. When the motivation for innovation is reduced, not only businesses but the entire technology ecosystem slows down, affecting the progress of society as a whole.
Online Piracy Report: The Numbers Say It All
The Rise of Online Piracy
According to Go-Globe statistics, the number of visits made to pirated websites during the period 2023 – 2024 is 141 billion. This is an alarming number in the industry. In particular, the United States, Russia, and China contribute the highest number of visits.
Video (movies and TV shows) is the most pirated content, reaching 66% of the total pirated content. During the Covid 19 period, the number of global film piracy increased by 33% compared to the previous period.
The numbers say it all about the “piracy pandemic”
According to Go-Global statistics:
- $9.8 billion in lost revenue in 2018 due to piracy in the music industry.
- The United States loses $29.2 billion in revenue each year due to online video piracy.
- An economic loss of $51.6 billion is due to online movie and TV piracy.
- $300 million in publisher revenue is lost each year due to e-book piracy.
- The United States loses between 230,000 and 560,000 jobs each year due to online video piracy.
- 37% of the software running in the world is unlicensed.
- 2 out of every 5 copies of software running in the world are unpaid.
- Illegal streaming accounts for 80% of online video piracy.
- 24% of users download music from illegal sources.
- 26% of online users download movies or TV series from illegal sources.
- 13% of users download e-books or audiobooks from illegal sources.
Looking at these statistics, it’s too terrible, right? The problem of copyright is really spreading and is difficult to handle thoroughly. The sophistication of hackers has illegally spread “private” resources into “public” ones without having to spend a penny and illegally gain huge profits from “black” content such as betting ads, 18+, gambling, football, etc.
Content creators and producers increasingly want to protect their digital assets in cyberspace, while users want to “freely” use the products they create. However, the ones who are most heavily affected are none other than the businesses and organizations that produce those billion-dollar content. Therefore, businesses and organizations always want to find optimal solutions to thoroughly solve this problem.
Who are the copyright infringement? Understanding demographics
Younger demographics, particularly Gen Z and Millennials, are more likely to engage in online piracy. There are several reasons for this trend:
Limited Disposable Income: Many individuals in these age groups are students or early-career professionals who might not have the financial means to pay for premium content, such as movies, TV shows, software, or music.
Tech-Savvy: These generations are more familiar with digital tools, peer-to-peer networks, and streaming technology, making it easier for them to engage in piracy.
Desire for Instant Access: Gen Z and Millennials tend to prioritize immediacy, seeking the latest content as soon as it becomes available. Piracy often provides a quicker route to access than waiting for legal streaming options.
Furthermore, cultural norms around online sharing differ between generations. The idea of freely sharing content, which has roots in early internet culture, continues to influence the behavior of these younger groups.
DRM copyright protection solution – “the god of destruction” of online copyright infringement
When it comes to digital copyright protection solutions, DRM solutions come first. This is a comprehensive solution that helps businesses easily manage the rights to share, store or use their digital products to users. Only those authorized have the right to experience and enjoy that product.
Prevents unauthorized downloads by hackers, ensuring your content is protected from any attack, no matter how powerful. DRM is like a solid shield that keeps digital products safe from bombs and thieves.
Top 5 Major Copyright Protection Solution Providers in the World
Microsoft: PlayReady
Microsoft is one of the pioneers in developing DRM solutions. Microsoft’s PlayReady system has become one of the most popular DRM technologies for protecting video and audio content across multiple platforms, including television, radio, and online services.
PlayReady provides strong encryption, ensuring that content is only played on authorized devices. This helps content providers securely manage access, minimizing unauthorized copying and distribution. Microsoft’s technology is also integrated into major services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu.
Google: Widevine
Google has developed its own DRM system called Widevine, which is one of the most widely used content protection solutions for streaming services.
Widevine is currently being used on leading streaming platforms such as Netflix, YouTube, and Disney+. This system allows content encryption at different security levels, from SD to high-quality UHD/4K, ensuring that access to content is only available to authorized users. In particular, Widevine also supports detecting and preventing unauthorized recording through device ports, helping to protect content from sophisticated copying behaviors.
Apple: FairPlay
Apple has developed FairPlay, a proprietary DRM technology used to protect content on iTunes and Apple TV. FairPlay not only helps manage access to digital content but also helps prevent illegal sharing through strong content encryption. Only users with accounts and authorization can access and use the content.
Thanks to its tight integration with Apple’s ecosystem, FairPlay ensures that content from iTunes or Apple TV is absolutely protected, minimizing the spread and illegal copying on the company’s platforms.
ThuDo Multimedia: Sigma Multi-DRM
In Vietnam, Thu Do Multimedia has developed Sigma Multi DRM, a solution that combines DRM technologies from Microsoft (PlayReady), Google (Widevine), and Apple (FairPlay) to provide a comprehensive protection system for digital content.
By integrating many advanced DRM technologies, this solution ensures content protection on all platforms from television, radio, to streaming. In addition, Sigma Multi-DRM also supports features to detect violations and protect content from external attacks.
ETRUE: OneDRM
OneDRM is a copyright protection solution developed by ETRUE, designed to meet international standards and provide solid protection for digital content. OneDRM offers the ability to customize the DRM solution to suit the specific requirements of businesses and content providers. Unlike some other DRM systems with rigid structures, OneDRM allows for flexible integration, meeting a variety of business models from streaming, downloading to live media services.
Modern DRM technology is not just about encrypting content to prevent copying. These solutions also include many other security measures such as anti-write to device ports, detecting content sources and real-time access control. Ensure that business assets are not easily “overthrown”.
But among the many solution providers, which provider should you choose to ensure business benefits, ensure cost, flexible features and long-term copyright development and management strategies?
“Warrior” to protect digital content copyright is called Sigma Multi DRM of Thu Do Multimedia
Why is that?
Achieving authentication certification by Castesian – the world’s leading reputation
Sigma Multi DRM is a combination of 4 security solutions, including: Play Ready, Widevine and Fairplay, Sigma DRM, has met the standards for most of the largest copyright owners in the world to agree to grant content on the Internet environment.
In December 2019, the digital content copyright protection solution with the commercial name Sigma DRM of Thu do Multimedia was inspected and certified by Cartesian to meet international security standards. Cartesian is an organization specializing in inspecting security products in the world.
On October 16, 2020, after many years of participating in Google’s security training and certification programs, as well as security research and integration, Thudo Multimedia’s Sigma copyright protection project completed the integration of security solutions from Microsoft, Google and Apple with Sigma DRM to become a comprehensive copyright protection solution (commercially named Sigma Multi DRM).
This is a solution that meets both the security requirements at the operating system level (Operating System) often used by companies that own valuable copyrights such as Hollywood film studios, the English Premier League, etc., and also meets the security requirements at the application level of third parties. Sigma Multi DRM participating in the second inspection and passing the security requirements is a very proud event when a Vietnamese technology solution has passed the rigorous tests of a leading prestigious organization in the world.
With the completion of the inspection for the two products Sigma DRM and Sigma Multi DRM from Cartesian, Thu Do continues to be the first enterprise in Vietnam, the only enterprise in Southeast Asia, and 1 of 6 enterprises in Asia to achieve this certification. Up to now, Catersian has certified DRM security solutions for 20 enterprises globally.
Global cooperation – comprehensive protection
Sigma Multi DRM has been deployed for Internet TV service providers (OTT TV), livestreaming of many major domestic and foreign partners. One example is VTVcab ON TV service of Vietnam Cable Television Corporation, currently VTVcab ON has more than 6 million downloads, with a stable number of users of more than 400,000 per month.
Sigma Multi DRM is currently being used to protect TV content of K+, Box, VTVcab channels as well as Hollywood movie content on VTVcab ON TV application.
Explore the unique features of Sigma Multi DRM, not all vendors can do!
1. Multi-platform DRM integration
One of the most notable features of Sigma Multi DRM is the ability to integrate many major DRM technologies such as Microsoft PlayReady, Google Widevine, and Apple FairPlay into a single solution. This helps content providers protect their digital assets across different devices and platforms without having to deploy separate DRM solutions for each ecosystem. This cross-platform integration saves businesses time and effort, while ensuring that content is well protected across Windows, Android, iOS, and other platforms.
2. Optimized for performance and security
Sigma Multi DRM focuses not only on security but also on performance, ensuring smooth playback of content even when tightly encrypted. High compatibility with multiple video formats (SD, HD, 4K, UHD) and streaming technologies such as HLS and MPEG-DASH make Sigma suitable for a variety of streaming models, from video-on-demand (VoD) services to live broadcasts.
3. High Customizability
Sigma Multi DRM offers high customization for each customer based on their specific needs. With the ability to integrate with different content management systems (CMS) and content distribution platforms, Sigma allows for customizing copyright protection functions according to each business model, from solutions for pay TV, streaming, to e-learning platforms.
4. Cost-effective with scalability
A distinct advantage of Sigma Multi DRM is its cost-effective solution. Despite its competitive price, Sigma Multi DRM still ensures to provide advanced protection features similar to the world’s major DRM systems. The system is also highly scalable, allowing businesses to scale up their content protection without having to invest heavily in new infrastructure or software.
5. Enthusiastic customer support
One of the things that sets Sigma Multi DRM apart from other international solutions is its local customer support and service. As a Thu Do Multimedia product, Sigma has an on-site technical support team that can resolve issues quickly and efficiently.
Summary
Sigma Multi DRM stands out with its ability to integrate many leading DRM technologies, providing comprehensive protection and optimization for both performance and security. Real-time monitoring, high customization and reasonable cost make Sigma Multi DRM an ideal solution not only for large enterprises but also for small and medium-sized enterprises looking for a powerful and flexible copyright protection system.
Cooperating with us is the right answer for those who “steal the brains” of the business, because we will work with you to put the Sigma Multi DRM solution into the data system and comprehensively protect the business’s digital products from easy theft as before.
Don’t delay, because businesses are losing 80% of their revenue just because they don’t know how to invest 20% of their costs in a reputable supplier to protect digital content copyright. Connect with us now to receive free consultation and demo!
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