World's largest DVD Piracy Markets

[Smokey]

MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) recently compiled a list of cities and countries where DVD piracy is rampant. They characterized the following regions as “world’s most notorious” markets for pirated discs. I was surprise to see Canada on the list:

São Paulo, Brazil: The country’s largest city remains ground zero for pirated DVDs. The MPAA found that curtailing of local government “City Free of Piracy” campaigns created in 2011 has resurrected the pirated disc trade. Rio de Janeiro has also become an epicenter for pirated video games.

Toronto, Canada: Limited police resources to fight piracy has resulted in a boom of counterfeit DVDs being sold in local flea markets.

Beijing, China: The Hailong shopping mall in the Chinese capital is home to one of the largest markets offering bundled pirated DVDs and Blu-ray Disc titles. Shops there also sell hard drives loaded with pirated content that can be wiped clean and replenished for a nominal fee.

Jakarta, Indonesia: The Harco Glodok market remains the largest and most active in Indonesia for counterfeit and pirated DVDs and Blu-ray Discs. The report found that local law enforcement has shown a continued lack of interest in enforcing laws against piracy.

Moscow: The Mutino Market is infamous for selling counterfeit products via kiosks. In some kiosks, the physical display of counterfeit product has been replaced with titles burned to order, sometimes in nearby premises which provide further challenges to successful enforcement.

Mexico: The country is home to a long list of markets selling counterfeit discs. Some 90 regional shopping areas contain over 1,000 stalls and warehouses and are responsible for approximately $1.5 million in monthly sales each. The MPAA said a significant number of these markets are owned by municipalities, despite the fact that organized crime is clearly involved in their operations.

India: The Indian markets with clusters of street vendors selling pirated discs attract significant pedestrian traffic and are known for their high volume of counterfeit movies and other products.

MPAA Reveals 'World's Most Notorious' DVD Piracy Markets | Home Media Magazine

[bfalls]

The list doesn't surprise me. When I worked for Sony performing copy-protection, I installed systems in Sau Paulo, Manaus, Guadalajara, Mexico City, and Toronto. We also had a plant in China doing copy-protection. I did most of the titles in the US for Lionsgate, Sony, PBS, Alliance, Summit and most of the exercise videos for Beachbody.

[Smokey]

The list doesn't surprise me. When I worked for Sony performing copy-protection, I installed systems in Sau Paulo, Manaus, Guadalajara, Mexico City, and Toronto. We also had a plant in China doing copy-protection. I did most of the titles in the US for Lionsgate, Sony, PBS, Alliance, Summit and most of the exercise videos for Beachbody.

Thanks Bfalls. In the article it said that organized crime is behind most of DVD pirating and benefit financially from it. So they may have resources to obtain non copy-protection titles.

[bfalls]

When I was installing a system at Videolar in Sau Paulo, the project coordinator was telling me about a smash and grab where a large truck was used to break through the gate and dozens of boxes were taken from a loading dock by a group of thieves in broad daylight. Afterwards a Sally Port was setup with anti-tank type barriers. The plant was high security where everyone was electrically searched, then searched by a guard anytime you entered or left the plant. I was surprised. Sau Paulo appeared to be a very modern city and the plant location high-rent. Not nearly as economically depressed as Manaus, the other location in Brazil where a system was installed.