Swiss Government Says Piracy Is Not Harmful

Swiss Government Says Piracy Is Not Harmful

A new official report from the Swiss government concluded that the country's lenient anti-piracy laws are more than enough since piracy is not as harmful as the entertainment industry would have us believe.

The report conceded that more than one third of Swiss over 15 pirate music, movies and games regularly; however, it noted that most of them don't realize they are doing something illegal despite widespread media coverage on the subject.

More importantly, the report noted that no matter the size of piracy going on, the total amount spent on entertainment doesn't really change. In other words, money saved by piracy is spent on other forms of entertainment anyway.

In the end, content creators end up recouping their piracy losses through concerts, cinemas and merchandising as those give user an experience that cannot be downloaded.

So what about studios and record labels who make their livelihood off of content? Tough luck, the report says. They have to "adapt to the changing consumer behavior" or die.