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Digital Piracy: Theory

Author

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  • Paul Belleflamme
  • Martin Peitz

Abstract

This article reviews recent theoretical contributions on digital piracy. It starts by elaborating on the reasons for intellectual property protection, by reporting a few facts about copyright protection, and by examining reasons to become a digital pirate. Next, it provides an exploration of the consequences of digital piracy, using a base model and several extensions (with consumer sampling, network effects, and indirect appropriation). A closer look at market-structure implications of end-user piracy is then taken. After a brief review of commercial piracy, additional legal and private responses to end-user piracy are considered. Finally, a quick look at emerging new business models is taken.

Suggested Citation

  • Paul Belleflamme & Martin Peitz, 2010. "Digital Piracy: Theory," CESifo Working Paper Series 3222, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_3222
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    as
    1. Duchene, Anne & Waelbroeck, Patrick, 2006. "The legal and technological battle in the music industry: Information-push versus information-pull technologies," International Review of Law and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 26(4), pages 565-580, December.
    2. MartI´nez-Sánchez, Francisco, 2010. "Avoiding commercial piracy," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 22(4), pages 398-408, December.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Thomes, Tim Paul, 2011. "An economic analysis of online streaming: How the music industry can generate revenues from cloud computing," ZEW Discussion Papers 11-039 [rev.], ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    2. Rasch, Alexander & Wenzel, Tobias, 2013. "Piracy in a two-sided software market," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 78-89.
    3. Marc Bourreau & Michel Gensollen & François Moreau & Patrick Waelbroeck, 2013. "“Selling less of more?” The impact of digitization on record companies," Journal of Cultural Economics, Springer;The Association for Cultural Economics International, vol. 37(3), pages 327-346, August.
    4. Raphaël Suire & Thierry Pénard & Sylvain Dejean, 2010. "La gratuité est-elle une fatalité sur les marchés numériques ? Une étude sur le consentement à payer pour des offres de contenus audiovisuels sur internet," Économie et Prévision, Programme National Persée, vol. 194(3), pages 15-32.
    5. Maya Bacache-Beauvallet & Marc Bourreau & François Moreau, 2015. "Piracy and creation: the case of the music industry," European Journal of Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 39(2), pages 245-262, April.
    6. Stefano Comino & Fabio Maria Manenti, 2015. "Intellectual Property and Innovation in Information and Communication Technology (ICT)," JRC Research Reports JRC97541, Joint Research Centre.
    7. Xinyu Hua & Kathryn E. Spier, 2023. "Settling Lawsuits With Pirates," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 64(2), pages 543-575, May.
    8. Martyna Kobus & Michał Krawczyk, 2013. "Piracy as an ethical decision," Working Papers 2013-22, Faculty of Economic Sciences, University of Warsaw.
    9. Éric Darmon & Thomas Le Texier, 2014. "Private or Public Law Enforcement? The Case of Digital Piracy Policies with Non-monitored Illegal Behaviors," Economics Working Paper Archive (University of Rennes & University of Caen) 201403, Center for Research in Economics and Management (CREM), University of Rennes, University of Caen and CNRS.
    10. Markus Pasche, 2014. "Welfare Effects of Endogenous Copyright Enforcement - the Case of Digital Goods," Jena Economics Research Papers 2014-008, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena.
    11. Carlos M. Fernández‐Márquez & Francisco J. Vázquez & Richard Watt, 2020. "Social influence on software piracy," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 41(7), pages 1211-1224, October.
    12. Nicolas Dias Gomes & Pedro André Cerqueira & Luís Alçada Almeida, 2014. "Software Piracy: A Critical Survey of the Theoretical and Empirical Literature," GEMF Working Papers 2014-05, GEMF, Faculty of Economics, University of Coimbra.
    13. Francisco Martínez-sánchez, 2012. "Collusion in Software Markets," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 32(2), pages 1345-1352.
    14. Budzinski, Oliver & Monostori, Katalin, 2012. "Intellectual property rights and the WTO," Ilmenau Economics Discussion Papers 71, Ilmenau University of Technology, Institute of Economics.
    15. Aguiar, Luis & Martens, Bertin, 2016. "Digital music consumption on the Internet: Evidence from clickstream data," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 27-43.
    16. Javier López-Cuñat & Francisco Martínez-Sánchez, 2015. "Anti-piracy policy and quality differential in markets for information goods," European Journal of Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 39(2), pages 375-401, April.
    17. Budzinski, Oliver & Monostori, Katalin & Pannicke, Julia, 2012. "Der Schutz geistiger Eigentumsrechte in der Welthandelsorganisation: Urheberrechte im TRIPS Abkommen und die digitale Herausforderung," Ilmenau Economics Discussion Papers 79, Ilmenau University of Technology, Institute of Economics.
    18. Avinadav, Tal & Chernonog, Tatyana & Perlman, Yael, 2014. "Analysis of protection and pricing strategies for digital products under uncertain demand," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 158(C), pages 54-64.
    19. Gomes, Nicolas Dias & Cerqueira, Pedro André & Almeida, Luís Alçada, 2015. "A survey on software piracy empirical literature: Stylized facts and theory," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 29-37.
    20. Schubert, Stefanie & Jost, Peter-J., 2015. "Beat the gun - protection against zero-profit imitation," VfS Annual Conference 2015 (Muenster): Economic Development - Theory and Policy 113045, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    information good; piracy; copyright; IP protection; internet; peer-to-peer; software; music;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms
    • L82 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Entertainment; Media
    • L86 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Information and Internet Services; Computer Software

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