A report reveals that a fifth of young people in the UK admit to downloading illegal content. So what needs to happen to put a halt to internet piracy? Katie Wright investigates

A DETAILED report from the European Union Intellectual Property Office has revealed that 19 per cent of 15 to 24-year-olds have intentionally downloaded illegal content online in the last 12 months. While music is the most popular legal pursuit for youngsters online, with 97 per cent streaming or downloading on a regular basis, films and TV series are more common for people who access illegal sources (85 per cent) followed by music (56 per cent).

But why are people still turning to pirate sites when Spotify, Netflix, Amazon, iPlayer and countless other above-board services are available? The content being 'free or cheaper' is by far the strongest motivator (67 per cent) followed by the convenience of downloading for personal use (38 per cent), which streaming sites don't allow. And it's not just because they can't find their favourite shows elsewhere, because only 29 per cent of respondents said that was the cause.

"These factors combine to produce an atmosphere of indifference so that many young people who have been brought up in this digital age do not care whether they infringe IP [intellectual property] or not," comments Antonio Campinos, executive director, EUIPO.

Gennaro Castaldo, speaking on behalf of the Get It Right From A Genuine Site initiative, believes education is the answer: "Using legal services supports the artists and performers and all those people behind the scenes that work hard to create the incredible range of content available - and it holds the door open to the many great opportunities for young people to join the industry in the future," he says. "We still need to continue to work to build awareness of the consequences of using illegal sources and services and to change the attitudes and behaviours of the remaining 19 per cent."

But according to the report, only 18 per cent of young people would stop accessing pirated movies and music if they had a 'better understanding of the harm caused', whereas 58 per cent say if they had access to more affordable material, they'd quit.

What this all points to is that there's a serious gap in the market for a 'Spotify for TV' equivalent, a bit like Netflix (which costs from £5.99 a month) but with a 'freemium' option, paid for by adverts.

Because that's what illegal TV sites essentially are: overloaded with layer upon layer of ads, but often with very poor streaming quality.

Spotify does now have a 'shows' section, but it mainly consists of a lot of sub-five minute clips that you can get on YouTube anyway, and while TV services like iPlayer, 4OD et al may be free (as part of the license fee), they don't have as wide a range of series as Spotify does artists.

At the other end of the pricing spectrum, news has leaked that tech billionaire Sean Parker will soon be launching a controversial service called Screening Room, which will offer movies to stream at home for $50 a pop on the same day they're released in cinemas.

Now, if only a startup could do something similar, but for significantly cheaper, it might go some way to plugging the piracy gap.

"It probably won't be easy," says Campinos of the industry's future, "but it will certainly be exciting."

DON'T FORGET THE WI-FI

In the past, the first thing you'd do on arrival in a hotel room was check out the view and leap on the bed to see how comfy it was, but these days we're more likely to be found hunting for charging points and the Wi-Fi password. That's according to research by E.On, which has found that 76 per cent of travellers expect Wi-Fi as standard, with a fifth of those saying it's more important than a free breakfast. The survey of 2,000 people also found that we now take 40 per cent more gadgets on holiday than we did five years ago, which has led to a change in accommodation priorities. The biggest hotel pet peeve now? Sockets that are too far from the bed.

ETSY SELLERS SET THEIR SITES ON PATTERN

Online marketplace Etsy has launched a new tool that lets sellers create their own standalone websites. Called Pattern, the paid-for service was devised in response to research that revealed a third of sellers want to open their own site but don't have time. The new feature allows quick and easy set-up, importing existing listings and integrating the usual checkout, "so they can spend more time making and less time on the administrative aspects of their shops", says Etsy's Mike Grishaver. Thinking of making the switch? You can get a free 30-day trial at etsy.com/pattern.

TALK LIKE A TABBY

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