The Empire of Digital Piracy
In his beloved column in the newspaper DAWN, the late writer Irfan Hussain mused how progress in the developing world could have been delayed as a whole if cheap pirated copies of American software were not available alongside legitimate and paid means of operating these systems.
Digital piracy is real. It manifests itself in all forms of digital content from Netflix shows being funneled to free, ad-based and malware infested alternatives to bloated copies of pirated Microsoft Office software. Similarly, UFC President Dana White has been a very vocal proponent of cracking down on illegal streaming of UFC fight matches.
Recently social media was ablaze when Z-library, an immensely popular site for downloading pirated books for free, was seized by the FBI. Z-library had operated for many years before getting taken down. It operated in relative anonymity as only certain circles of computer savvy young people were aware of its existence and operation. That changed when TikTok proliferated with content of social media users uploading videos of themselves downloading their favorite books from Z-library for free and word ultimately reached the authorities.
A debate has ensued on social media after the seizure of Z-library. Some users protested this action as they believed it was a crackdown on the free circulation of ideas and effected disadvantaged groups more as either they will otherwise not be able to afford these books. Some said that people in the developing world will be affected more than others as books otherwise available in the global north become extremely expensive after they are imported into their countries. Other said that Z-library was a resource for students as it allowed them to read otherwise expensive textbooks for college classes. One user said the seizure of Z-library was the modern equivalent to the burning of the library in Alexandria.
However, these comments belie some of the complexity of this action. By all means Z-library was breaking US law. Copyright and intellectual property rights are sacred in the US and the developed world as the protection of the intellectual property of others is what ensures that writers and publishers can keep producing high-quality content. Enforcing copyright law ensures incentivizes these groups as it means they can make and sustain profits to keep their enterprise going. The reason Netflix spends so much money to create lavish shows like The Crown is because it hopes that more people will subscribe to Netflix and in the long run the firm will be able to make a profit from its investment.
The problem of internet piracy will only get more complex as pirates become smarter about their operations. In a globalized world, authorities in one country have very little ability to influence the behavior of pirates in another country. While the FBI can take swift action against piracy sites based in the US, they can hardly do anything about illegal hosting of streaming content in Vietnam.
A radically different way to conceptualize profit maximization and monetization of content needs to be developed in order that a mutually beneficial arrangement is reached in this rapidly changing world.
