A new report by the Norwegian research body Ipsos MMI says that online piracy has been dramatically reduced in the last 4 years, and the report largely credits legal alternatives such as Netflix and Spotify for this positive change.
The report found that in 2008, 1.2 billion songs were illegally downloaded in just Norway alone. But this figure has shrunk to just 210 million in 2012. Similarly for films and TV shows, the number of illegal downloads in 2008 have almost been cut in half just four years later.
While Norway has just recently passed tougher copyright laws, the dramatic change in user behaviour is down to viable legal alternatives, the report says. Of those surveyed, 47% report they are now using Spotify to stream music, with half of them paying for a premium Spotify account.
"When you have a good legitimate offer, the people will use it," said Olav Torvund, a former law professor at the University of Oslo.
The report shows a lessening need for legislation to deal with the online piracy problem, now that market-led solutions are coming to the fore. "There is no excuse for illegal copying, but when you get an offer that does not cost too much and is easy to use, it is less interesting to download illegally," Torvund added.
