Title: The Growing Challenge of Piracy as a Service: Insights from MPA’s Emilie Anthonis
In the ongoing fight against illegal content distribution, a new trend has emerged that complicates the battle against piracy: the rise of "piracy as a service." Emilie Anthonis, the first non-American and first female leader of the Motion Picture Association (MPA) in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region, sheds light on this issue. Since her promotion to President and Managing Director last year, Anthonis has been at the forefront of addressing this evolving threat.
Speaking at the NEM industry conference in Dubrovnik, Anthonis expressed her concerns about this alarming trend. “Piracy as a service is a B2B model that resembles a wholesale market for aspiring criminals,” she explained. This model significantly lowers the barriers for individuals looking to establish piracy sites, making it easier than ever for them to operate.
Today, anyone can acquire the technology, expertise, and resources needed to launch their own piracy platform. Anthonis highlighted that "you don’t need any IT knowledge to start a piracy website." With turnkey packages available, aspiring pirates can access white-labeled streaming platforms, secure content, and monetization services with just a few clicks.
This shift towards B2B piracy presents a unique challenge for the MPA, content creators, and regulatory authorities. Anthonis emphasized the need to tackle the issue at its source. "It really decentralizes the problem of piracy," she said. "If we don’t address the wholesale aspect, we will continually struggle to combat the retail piracy services that depend on them."
As the digital landscape continues to evolve, the fight against piracy must adapt as well. By understanding the dynamics of piracy as a service, industry stakeholders can better strategize their efforts to protect intellectual property and preserve the integrity of creative content.
