Portugal is 9th in the list of countries consuming the most digital piracy

Portugal is among the countries in Europe “that consume the most audiovisual and digital piracy”, ranking ninth out of 29, with Apritel defending the “urgency of government and competent authority intervention” on the issue.

According to a study published by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), which covers EU countries and the UK, Portugal is among those countries that consume the most piracy, the operator association Apritel said this Wednesday.

“This crime goes beyond “streaming.” An estimated 288,000 people subscribe to illegal services every month in Portugal, with each subscription covering four people, according to another study from Bournemouth University published at the end of 2022,” says Apritel.

Although the criminalization of illegal access in Portugal currently has legal representation, “the fact that it is applied only in the context of criminal prosecution reduces the likelihood of users being convicted” and therefore “the intervention of the government and competent authorities with the aim of changing legislation so that faster Mechanisms have been created to combat this crime.”

This problem of national importance will be addressed this Wednesday by the Secretary General of Apritel, Pedro Mota Soares, during his speech at the II Colloquium on Digital Piracy of Audiovisual Content, which takes place at the headquarters of the Judicial Police (PJ) in Lisbon.

According to the government, “audiovisual piracy causes €212 million in damage to the national economy, of which €66 million comes from taxes.”

The impact “goes beyond economics: piracy is associated with cyber risks, the financing of terrorist networks and crimes such as fraud and money laundering,” says Apritel.

More than half (57%) of “apps” [aplicações] According to research by the Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance, pirates have viruses and “malware” that pose a threat to family safety,” he warns.

“It is important to take this moment to secure new forms of protection against this crime. What is illegal “offline” must be illegal “online”,” says Pedro Mota Soares, quoted in the statement.

According to the organization, Apritel is an institutional association of representatives of companies in the electronic communications industry, whose purpose is to promote the adoption of good policies and industry regulations, as well as increase consumer awareness and the importance of communications in society.