In Croatia 99.9 Percent Downloads Illegal

The Croatian news portal Net.hr has recently reported that in Croatia 99.9 percent of Internet downloads are illegal and that the revenue from legal downloads is insignificant.

According to Nenad Marčec from the Croatian Composers’ Society, those younger than 35 do not buy CDs with music and movies.

“Internet piracy is a problem that even the most developed countries have not yet solved. In the US and the UK, despite the developed anti-piracy systems, regulated online sales and the high living standard, 70 percent of downloads are still illegal,” stated Marčec.

Željko Topić, director of the Croatian IPO, stressed that those engaged in illegal downloading are very often juveniles, 12- or 13-year-old children, below the age at which ordinary prosecution is possible.

Topić however stressed that the rights owners must be protected and the public made aware of counterfeiting consequences in terms of health and safety, as well as the damage it causes to the economy and the state budget.

In 2010, EUR 24 million (USD 34 million) worth of counterfeit goods were seized and destroyed in Croatia.

For more information, please contact Dalibor Radovic at our Croatia office.

Source: Net.hr, Croatian news portal