Hey NY Times: Can You Back Up The Claim Of $200 Billion Lost To Counterfeiting? http://bit.ly/9GTU3I I thought not, they’re totally bugus.
The mainstream media really do themselves a disservice when they blindly quote “statistics” or “reports” from any record industry, movie industry or counterfeit-fighting source because the statistics are clearly bogus you do any investigation.
If the media won’t investigate, what purpose do they serve? Disseminate press releases?
I could take arguments of the “damages from piracy” a little more seriously if the “proof” wasn’t so obviously just made up with no provable case.
Back in 2007 we wrote about a study by the well-respected GAO which noted that industry claims on counterfeiting were massively overblown. The GAO looked at the actual data and found that, contrary to claims from the industry that 5 to 7% of world trade involves counterfeit materials, the research they’ve seen shows it happening in less than 1% of trade and the value of those goods was significantly lower. Of course, obviously, those trying to pass counterfeit goods across the border will do their best to hide it, the evidence of the supposed 5 to 7% is totally lacking.