BAF: 1,3 million illegal files removed from the internet

Yesterday, the Belgian Anti-Piracy Federation (BAF) announced it removed 1,354,949 illegal files from the internet in the first half of 2011.
 
BAF protects the rights of copyright holders in the entertainment industry and published the results in a press release yesterday. BAF concludes illegally services that offer certain products and services hinder the development of the current legal services. The 1,3 million illegal files include music, movies, series, TV programs, books and newspaper articles. The files are illegal because copyright holders did not give their consent to publish or reproduce their products, let alone received a fee for reuse.

Over 786 000 files out of the 1,3 million illegal files consisted of music. BAF indicates that not only artists, but also legal online music services such as download- and streaming sites suffer damages, because the illegal version competes unfairly. Unlike legal sites, illegal sites do not share their revenues with right holders nor do they pay any taxes. According to BAF, illegal services are also detrimental to consumers who use these services, because of additional unpleasant surprises such as viruses and poor quality of files.

You can read BAF’s press release here.

Reference: DeMorgen.be