ESA Asks Govt. for Help against Piracy
The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the trade group representing the videogame industry, filed a “Special 301″ report to the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) today pleading for help battling software piracy. The report singles out Canada, China, Malaysia, Russia, and parts of Europe as being extreme problem areas where piracy runs rampant.
“Countries that support computer and videogame piracy discourage publishers from establishing viable and legitimate markets,” said Michael D. Gallagher, CEO of the ESA. “The Special 301 process sends a strong message to them to clean up their act to avoid damaging trade sanctions.
“In 2007, our industry had a record-breaking year with receipts totaling $18.85 billion, but piracy closes off promising markets, artificially limiting our industry’s ability to contribute even more economic growth to the American high-tech economy and economies of our trading partners.”
The many forms of piracy cited in the report include online file swapping, CD-R and DVD-R burning, the factory production of new discs, cartridge counterfeiting, and “Internet café piracy.” The ESA says parts of Asia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Central/South America have videogame markets made up of 80 to 90 percent pirated software.
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POSTED IN: 'Wire' Reports, Industry News
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