ACE comes together to tackle online piracy

  • 0

The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) has outlined an initiative to try and tackle online piracy.

Members of ACE include Sony Pictures Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox, Amazon, MGM, SKY and BBC Worldwide.

The creative sector in the US alone contributes over $1 trillion to the economy, and shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon, with consumers now able to pick from over 480 online services.

However, online content means piracy is rampant, with an estimated 5.4 billion illegal downloads of films and TV shows in 2016.

Piracy not only prevents profits from reaching the creators, but can also leave malware on machines used by downloaders.

The new initiative by ACE will see them work with law enforcement agencies while conducting research, file civil litigation and work with national content organisations.

Martin Freeman, general counsel at BBC Worldwide said: “The ACE initiative is hugely important at a time when content consumption habits are rapidly shifting and methods of piracy are becoming more and more sophisticated.”

Walt Disney Company senior executive vice president, general counsel and secretary, Alan Braverman, said: “ACE will help protect the viability of the creative community and ensure audiences continue to enjoy the high-quality content they have come to expect. It enhances our collective efforts to fight online piracy by disrupting the criminal enterprises that profit from the theft of copyrighted content, while promoting the legal market for that content, and ultimately gives consumers greater confidence that their viewing choices are not supporting unlawful activities.”

www.alliance4creativity.com

AUTHOR

Toby Cruse

All stories by: Toby Cruse