Cover story
Cover story
Content security
How is content being protected as the direction of travel – OTT and Apps – reduces barriers to piracy? Colin Mann finds out how providers plan to keep ahead of the game.
Miruna Herovanu, executive director of trade body AAPA( Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance) suggests that the challenges posed by the ease of copying and distributing content online cannot be overstated.“ The speed at which pirates operate and their ability to exploit societal vulnerabilities create a complex landscape for rights holders. It is essential to address the misconceptions surrounding piracy- we are not talking about harmless individuals working out of a basement, fighting the capitalist system. Such narratives have been weaponised, hindering policymakers from pursuing essential legislative measures that would empower rights holders with the necessary tools to protect their work.”
“ When discussing piracy, we must recognise it as a form of criminality, often linked to organised crime generating tens of millions of euros in illicit profits. This issue directly impacts the audiovisual sector amounting to losses of hundreds of millions of euros each year. Piracy is not a victimless crime. These lost revenues are not being reinvested into new content or grassroots initiatives but are instead funnelled into the hands of criminals.”
“ Moreover, the adaptability of these criminal enterprises, which offer their services across multiple devices, adds further complexity to tracking and enforcing rights. The territorial nature of copyright protection, combined with the varying implementation of regional tools across EU countries, often complicates enforcement efforts. It’ s crucial that we address these challenges with a unified and robust approach to safeguard the integrity of our creative industries.” MALWARE.“ Another increasingly problematic matter is the public perception of piracy as a victimless crime, despite the fact that studies, such as the one commissioned by AAPA in 2022, examined malware infection techniques across a broad range of actors targeting European consumers, finding that malware can be downloaded through malicious advertising, malicious popups, fake browser extension installations, browser notification hijacking, blocking notifications, adware, malicious software installation and banner ads. Furthermore, the study found an average 57 per cent chance of an audiovisual piracy app being installed with embedded malware,” she notes.
According to Javier de Posada chief
“ The speed at which pirates operate creates a complex landscape for rights holders.”- Miruna Herovanu, AAPA information security officer, Agile Content, the biggest challenge nowadays is controlling distribution in an environment where content is available anytime, anywhere.“ With users accessing video across multiple devices( smartphones, smart TVs, tablets) keeping track of where content is being consumed and ensuring it stays within authorised platforms is increasingly difficult. The rise of social media and streaming platforms has also made unauthorised sharing more prevalent, often spreading pirated content faster than rights-holders can react. On top of that, piracy methods are becoming more advanced, with illegal streamers using VPNs, mirror sites and even encrypted messaging apps to evade detection. Recently, platforms have also started to put in credential sharing prevention mechanisms, which was becoming increasingly popular in the past years,” he says.
“ One of the main challenges for rightsholders is that while new streaming technologies benefit legal providers and consumers, they also create vulnerabilities that open the door to piracy,” says Kieron Sharp, chairman of intellectual property protection organisation FACT( Federation Against Copyright Theft).“ The ease of access to on-demand content across multiple devices has given rise to illegal streaming services that exploit these developments. The shift towards online streaming began with services like BBC iPlayer, which gave consumers a taste for flexible, on-demand viewing.” DEVICES.“ However, as major platforms such as Netflix, Amazon, and Disney introduced paid subscriptions, illegal alternatives emerged, providing similar content without charge. This has created a thriving underground market for pirated content, which continues to pose
10 EUROMEDIA