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Determinants of Unlawful File Sharing: A Scoping Review

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  • Steven James Watson
  • Daniel John Zizzo
  • Piers Fleming

Abstract

We employ a scoping review methodology to consider and assess the existing evidence on the determinants of unlawful file sharing (UFS) transparently and systematically. Based on the evidence, we build a simple conceptual framework to model the psychological decision to engage in UFS, purchase legally or do nothing. We identify social, moral, experiential, technical, legal and financial utility sources of the decision to purchase or to file share. They interact in complex ways. We consider the strength of evidence within these areas and note patterns of results. There is good evidence for influences on UFS within each of the identified determinants, particularly for self-reported measures, with more behavioral research needed. There are also indications that the reasons for UFS differ across media; more studies exploring media other than music are required.

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  • Steven James Watson & Daniel John Zizzo & Piers Fleming, 2015. "Determinants of Unlawful File Sharing: A Scoping Review," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(6), pages 1-23, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0127921
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0127921
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    Cited by:

    1. Luis Aguiar & Jörg Claussen & Christian Peukert, 2018. "Catch Me If You Can: Effectiveness and Consequences of Online Copyright Enforcement," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 29(3), pages 656-678, September.
    2. Cuntz, Alexander & Bergquist, Kyle, 2022. "Exclusive content and platform competition in Latin America," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    3. Steven J. Watson & Daniel J. Zizzo & Piers Fleming, 2017. "Risk, Benefit, and Moderators of the Affect Heuristic in a Widespread Unlawful Activity: Evidence from a Survey of Unlawful File‐Sharing Behavior," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 37(6), pages 1146-1156, June.

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