Who Piracy Hurts

Piracy is not a victimless crime. It destroys jobs, drains money from local economies, harms the creative process, and in 2007/08 alone it cost the global motion picture industry approximately $18.2 billion U.S. The film and television production industries provided over 131,500 jobs in Canada in 2005 and generated over $5.2 billion dollars (CDN) for the Canadian economy.

Piracy also hurts local businesses and damages government tax revenues. The annual consumer spending loss in Canada due to film piracy in 2005 was estimated at $270 million (USD) while the loss of tax revenues due to film piracy in Canada in 2005 was estimated at $41 million (USD).

Foreign location production provides direct benefits in the form of jobs for local performers, crews, and other dependant businesses, economic activity through spending to production-related vendors and general suppliers, and direct and indirect tax revenues. The economic benefits go well beyond production alone: Numerous related industries benefit through film and television distribution, theatrical exhibition, retail sales, manufacturing, broadcasting, film festivals and others.