Digital piracy costing brands millions

MarkMonitor studied 22 high-profile brands and a found their names being used illegally by a total of 91 sites, either to commit digital piracy or sell counterfeit products.

Brand categories include film, TV, music, software, videogames handbags, sports apparel, pharmaceuticals, luxury items and footwear.

MarkMonitor identified 43 sites committing digital piracy, which includes the illegal downloading of ebooks, music, films and videogames. It also reported 48 sites that are guilty of selling counterfeit branded products.

The study found 26 sites selling counterfeit prescription drugs, with a combined traffic of 141,000 visits a day. It also identified 21 ecommerce sites selling counterfeit luxury goods with a combined traffic of 98,000 daily visits.

MarkMonitor said the sites that sell counterfeit goods and commit digital piracy pose problems including "lost revenue and risks to public health and safety".

North America and Western Europe host a total of 67% of the sites classed as committing digital piracy, the report found, while the same areas hosts 73% of counterfeit ecommerce sites.

Eastern European countries represent 14% of the counterfeit sites and 9% are from Asia.

This article was first published on marketingmagazine.co.uk