Maybe you are an influencer who is putting everything on the line to create the best content on social media or YouTube. People are loving it and enjoying what you are doing. They subscribe and even might pay money to see your creative online stories. Or you are a math teacher who has a site where high school children could subscribe for tutorials with extra math insights. Putting hours of work to ensure the best quality of tutorials with crystal clear explanations. Or you are a Yoga teacher who encourages people to follow Yoga classes for €9,99 per month. Whatever your occupation is, if you are creating online-to-pay-for content, you are absolutely not looking for online pirates who are copying your content and offering this for free, are you?
Does this really happen?
Yes, online piracy is a thing. It happens everywhere on the internet. Those pirates are copying your content, and offering it for free via forums, regular websites, social media and even marketplaces. And be honest; if someone can get those Yoga classes for free, instead of paying €9,99 per month, why would they not choose that option? That means that if your content really is being copied and shared for free, you might lose some customers, and thus revenue. Something you really would not want right?
Does all content get copied?
The world of online piracy is bigger than you might imagine. In the past, and the beginning of online piracy, it was most of all regular movies that were offered for free. ‘’Customers’’ could download these, which saved money because they did not have to go to the cinema for the newest movie, but could watch it from their couch. However, the pirates nowadays go beyond that. Copying the classes of Yoga, the Spanish teacher classes, but also written documents as journal articles and books are illegally being shared by those pirates.
What to do about it?
If you are someone who is sharing your own and creative content, where people should pay to watch it, you should think about the consequences if you are not taking online pirates into consideration. Obviously, you can start working on it yourself, however, this costs a lot of time and most probably you would not know where to look for it. Another option? Engaging with an anti-piracy company, who can ensure brand protection, and track down illegally shared content!
