Piracy

Definition of Piracy:

Piracy refers to the infringement or violation of intellectual property rights and the privacy of others, without regard for any laws or legitimacy, and with a disregard for the effort invested in the works being infringed upon.

Areas of Piracy:

Piracy is not limited to a single industry but extends to many areas and industries, including:

The film industry
The music industry
Cultural writings and books
Television channels

Types of Piracy:

CD Piracy::

This occurs when individuals or groups film movies inside cinemas using modern technology, including cameras, mobile phones, pens, and glasses, which are prohibited by law in this context, despite the lack of an effective mechanism to enforce this prohibition.
This type of piracy has become so widespread that it is now organized, with pirates profiting by printing, copying, and distributing these films in public places.

Electronic Piracy:

Electronic piracy is considered the most dangerous and prevalent form. Piracy websites offer films and artistic works for free download, making them easily accessible to users. With the widespread availability of high-speed, unlimited internet at low costs, these works are within reach of everyone, greatly increasing the number of people downloading these films and works.
The act of piracy is carried out by groups of young people who use all available resources to create websites that are not subject to any restrictions, laws, or regulations. They offer whatever content they want, including movies, songs, books, sports matches, and even pornographic films, to attract visitors.

The Impact of Piracy on the Arts:

After the emergence of Youssef Chahine’s cinema and the increasing presence of Egyptian films in international festivals, with some even winning awards, these positive trends have deteriorated due to piracy issues. This has stalled the advancement of the film industry, making it rare to see large-scale productions competing with works showcased at global festivals.
Piracy has undermined technical excellence, as pirates film movies from theaters without regard for the quality of the video, colors, or sound—areas in which filmmakers invest heavily to achieve a globally competitive standard.
Viewers have become accustomed to watching films with poor quality and intermittent sound, which has dulled their ability to discern between high-quality and low-quality productions.
Pirates have exploited intellectual property rights by cutting scenes, adding new content, and tampering with artistic content, which is a crime.
Piracy has diminished the viewer’s ability to appreciate the various aspects of film production, such as cinematography, directing, lighting, set design, music, and costumes—all skills that aspiring filmmakers should strive to learn and master.
Viewers are no longer able to distinguish between finished, pirated works with time codes or compression artifacts, and they have become indifferent to the quality marks that should be associated with films or artistic works.

Impact on Employment Opportunities:

The film industry is a major source of employment for young people across various fields, relying on approximately 75 different trades, from engineers to laborers and more.
Producing a single film requires about 150 workers in different roles on the set alone.
If Egypt were to produce 1,000 films annually, with workers repeating in half of them, this would mean stable and regular employment for about 7,500 workers.
The industry relies on numerous studios, sound stages, editing and graphics facilities, printing and processing labs, and advertising campaign designers across different specialties.
Additionally, there are many performing artists involved in the works.
Films are shown in cinemas where engineers, construction and operation workers, cafeteria staff, ticket sellers, cleaners, ushers, and security personnel are all employed.

Impact on Workers' Rights:

Piracy inevitably frustrates those working in the film industry, as they find their works available for free online on the same day they are released, without any respect for their rights.

Impact on Intellectual Property Rights:

Due to negligence in protecting works, pirates have become increasingly bold, perceiving piracy as a legitimate right and challenging the rights holders, governments, and anyone opposing them in any form.

Economic Impact of Piracy

Impact on Production Companies and Investors:

Piracy has had a severe negative impact on investors and production companies, leading to a loss of confidence and significant economic damage. Over the past five years, approximately 30 film production companies have closed down. This does not include the legal video cassette and CD companies, nor the collapse of the audio cassette industry. These companies have reported that continuing operations are no longer viable due to the massive volume of illegal downloads and the lack of any effective protection or governmental intervention.

The absence of enforceable laws in Egypt has led to diminished respect from other countries for our rights. As a result, international sites block the display of films from their own countries while freely distributing Egyptian films. This has led to a halt in the import of Egyptian films for theatrical release in both Arab and European countries. For example, Kuwait and other Gulf countries have drastically reduced the screening of Egyptian films, causing enormous losses for producers and distributors. Additionally, piracy has led to the collapse of television channels, such as the Arab Radio and Television Network, which experienced network shutdowns and partial sales to Al Jazeera, among other examples.

We regularly receive letters from our international partners highlighting that piracy significantly reduces the already limited opportunities for Egyptian films to reach the international market. They express their solidarity with our fight against piracy, hoping for a permanent and comprehensive solution to this ongoing crisis affecting various industries.

Impact on the State and National Income (Tax Authority):

The state suffers considerably due to the losses caused by piracy. With reduced revenues, the percentage of taxes collected by the government also decreases.

Assuming the legal download price worldwide is one Euro or one Dollar:.

If the download price in Egypt is five Egyptian Pounds, the result is:

5 EGP * 9,650,000 = 48,250,000 EGP

If the download price in Egypt is one Egyptian Pound:

the result is: 9,650,000 EGP

If the download price is ten piastres, the result is:

965,000 EGP

Impact of Piracy on Foreign Investment:

The widespread availability of Egyptian films online and the ease of access have significantly diminished foreign investment in acquiring these films. Over the past decade, income from foreign investments has decreased due to a widespread reluctance to engage, with a backlog of unreleased films now being assessed. Preliminary estimates suggest that losses from not exporting films from 2009 and 2010 alone to Kuwait and the Gulf region could exceed 150 million Egyptian Pounds.

Role of the Ministry of Information in Awareness:

The relevant ministries need to launch robust awareness campaigns to clarify what piracy is and the negative impact it ultimately has on the state and its citizens. It should be emphasized that piracy is theft, similar to any other type of theft that is punishable by law and condemned by society. It is suggested to initiate a campaign promoting solidarity with Egyptian films threatened by piracy, citing examples from countries like England that have undertaken similar efforts. Awareness programs should include state officials who handle the crime and its impacts, such as legal professionals, police officers, financial experts, lawyers, and members of parliament, before reaching the general public.

Role of the Ministry of Education in Awareness:

As previously mentioned, individuals aged between 16 and 24 account for about 50% of piracy offenders.
This highlights the need for the Ministry of Education to embed and reinforce the concept of intellectual property rights within school curricula, accelerating its inclusion in lower grade levels (grades 1 to 8) to instill these principles and values in the younger generation.

Proposed Solutions and Recommendations:

Legislative Measures: Enact laws to criminalize all forms of piracy.
Include Penalties: Implement penalties for tax evasion, smuggling, commercial fraud, etc.
Sanctions for Website Owners: Impose sanctions on the operators of piracy websites.
Ongoing Campaigns: Conduct continuous raids by the Anti-Piracy Unit to combat the piracy of CDs and DVDs.
Collaborative Efforts: Foster cooperation among relevant ministries—Culture, Information, Finance, Justice, Interior, Communications, and Industry—to collectively address this issue.