MPAA overstated student download impact

The damage done to the movie industry by illegal downloading on college campuses is not as high as previously reported, according to the Motion Picture Association of America. (MPAA).

The MPAA recently determined that a 2005 study conducted by LEK, a consulting firm hired by the MPAA, yielded "inflated numbers" for digital piracy by college students.

"We take this error very seriously and have taken strong and immediate action to both investigate the root cause of this problem as well as to substantiate the accuracy of the latest report," Executive Vice President of Corporate Communications for the MPAA Seth Oster said in a Jan. 22 press release.

According to the original study, 44 percent of the motion picture industry's domestic losses were attributable to piracy by college students.

The MPAA stated that number is in fact 15 percent, which amounts to approximately a quarter of a billion dollars.

This information comes two weeks before the House of Representatives votes on the College Opportunity and Affordability Act of 2007, which includes an amendment to aid universities in combating "digital theft."

The inclusion of this amendment is unrelated to the MPAA's inaccurate 2005 study, Rachel Racusen, spokeswoman for the House Education and Labor Committee, explained.

"Because this bill reauthorizes the Higher Education Act - the primary law governing our nation's higher education system - it also includes provisions that strengthen college campus safety plans and address illegal file-sharing on college campuses," Racusen said.

"Internet piracy is against the law, and other similar illegal behaviors that occur on college campuses, such as underage drinking, drug use and crimes are already addressed under the Higher Education Act."

The House Education and Labor Committee unanimously passed the bill, sponsored by Congressman George Miller (D-Calif.), in November.

"The MPAA commends Chairman Miller for taking this step to protect intellectual property on college campuses," said MPAA chairman and CEO Dan Glickman, in a Nov. 9 press release.

Glickman cited the erroneous statistics from the 2005 report as part of the reason for the MPAA's endorsement of the bill.

"Illegal downloading doesn't just hurt the motion picture and music industries, but it can also be harmful to universities as it puts their systems at risk for security purposes, takes up bandwidth and slows systems that are designed for research and other educational purposes," Glickman said.

The amendment would provide universities with grant money to "develop implement, operate, improve and disseminate programs of prevention, education, and cost-effective technological solutions, to reduce and eliminate the illegal downloading and distribution of intellectual property" on campuses.

Racusen cited an initiative by the Illinois State University as an example of the type of preventative programs the bill would fund.

Illinois State hopes not only to slow piracy by improving technological measures, but by changing the student body's attitude toward digital theft.

"Illegal downloading of music, videos, movies and games is a symptom. It is not the problem, nor is technology the answer," said Cheryl Elzy, dean of university libraries and a federal copyright agent at Illinois State.

Elzy hopes to teach students what she called "good Digital Citizen behaviors."

"The problem is changing behavior, almost changing a culture," she said.

"The voluntary grant program established under this bill would provide those schools that want to proactively explore innovative ways of stopping internet piracy with the resources to do so," Racusen said.

The U.S. Secretary of Education will ultimately determine how grants are awarded.

Despite the statistical error, Oster maintained that college students are "responsible for a disproportionate amount of stolen movie products in this country."

"We will continue to aggressively fight piracy on all fronts including working to forge alliances with other copyright organizations, deploying technologies that help combat piracy and working closely with governments around the world who recognize the importance of intellectual property to a strong economy," Oster said in the recent press release.

"Piracy remains a profound global problem that affects not only the motion picture industry, but consumers, the overall U.S. economy and American workers generally," he continued.