Piracy in the Media and Entertainment Industry

What to do and how to avoid piracy in the media and entertainment industry
By Rachel Davy, Writer/Editor Unfortunately in today's marketplace piracy in the media and entertainment industry is becoming a fast growing problem. According to media piracy statistics the number of those who steal and then illegally copy pirated material is growing steadily.

Follow these suggestions to protect your work from piracy:

1. Become a member of an organization that protects and educates its members about piracy in the media and entertainment industry.

2. Educate yourself about copyright issues and protect your work by copyrighting it according to the specific guidelines for your area of the media and entertainment industry.

3. Report any issues of illegal copying to the proper sources.

Join agencies that fight to protect copyright issues in the entertainment industry

There are many agencies and organizations that specialize in protecting their members from entertainment and media piracy. You can register your work with these organizations. If you have any problems, many of them either have legal teams or can provide you with information to get legal assistance.
Try:  Join the ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers ) if you're a singer, songwriter, lyricist or music publisher. ASCAP offers its members many benefits including a special online tool to help them copyright their work. The Writer's Guild of America West and the Writer's Guild of American East are labor unions for writers that protect its members from piracy in the entertainment industry. The Business Software Alliance (BSA) specializes in fighting against digital media industry piracy.

Learn about copyright law so that you can protect your work from illegal copying

Educating yourself about copyright law is one of the best ways to protect your work from piracy in the media industry. There are websites that can help you find information about copyright issues in the entertainment industry and help you to find a lawyer, if you need to consult one.
Try:  Visit Fast (Federation Against Software Theft Limited) to find information and a database where you can learn about pirated media statistics, get the latest information about entertainment industry piracy and report piracy problems. Copyright-Info.org is a website that lists information about copyright law, what constitutes illegal copying, and where and how to report copyright violations.

Protect your work by having it licensed to protect it from media and entertainment piracy

Having your work properly licensed is a great way to protect it. For those in the media and entertainment industries this is especially important since according to entertainment piracy statistics, piracy in the entertainment industry is on the rise.
Try:  License your films with the Motion Picture Licensing Corporation (MPLC) to protect it from entertainment piracy. This organization represents producers, film makers, studios as well as independent film makers throughout the world, and keeps track of media globalization piracy on its website. The IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry) is an organization that represents the recording industry by not only providing information about media piracy stats, but also to protect the rights of those in the recording industry throughout the world. On their website you can find publications about piracy and copyright law for those in the recording industry.

• Learning as much as you can about licensing your work, copyright law and statistics on media piracy, which can help you protect your work from piracy in the media and entertainment industry.
• There are specific guidelines for each area of the media and entertainment with regard to licensing and copyright law. Learn what those guidelines are to protect your work.