The ongoing and often extreme and overreaching battle against piracy within the audiovisual industry continues to escalate, with recent discussions focusing on devices capable of infringing intellectual property (IP) rights. As stated by Sheila Cassells, Executive VP at the Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance (AAPA), companies in the entertainment sector should be wary of “any technological development” that could potentially grant access to pirated content.
From historical technology like the VCR to modern advances like AI, all technology holds inherent potentials for piracy.
At the center of these discussions are specific devices including set-top boxes, Firesticks, and Android apps, often condemned for enabling piracy. The AAPA’s somewhat radical standpoint is a call to outlaw the production, marketing, and distribution of any such device.
This is how they do it though. “We’re going to ban everything!” Some months later 10 things are banned. Regular people “Whew! Well at least they only banned 10 things and not everything. We’re so lucky!”.
