Thief: A Qualitative Examination of Movie Piracy Behaviors in American and Jamaican Women and Their Impact

Speaker

Kerry-Ann White

Abstract

The piracy of copyrighted movies in the digital disc format at any stage of the motion picture industry’s value chain without permission of the copyright holders is an ongoing problem that is prevalent and adversely impacts industry revenues. In this flat world, information and materials are being disseminated at an alarming rate. Drawing on the Theory of Planned Behavior, and expanding upon my previous conference publication, I qualitatively examine the factors impacting movie piracy behaviors American and Jamaican female respondents between 17 and 70 years of age. I discuss differences across groups and examine the underlying rationale for piracy behaviors. In order to move closer to mitigating some of the damages caused by movie piracy, it is recommended that the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) should find ways to communicate with each group of women through effective marketing, education and enforcement of its piracy policies and penalties and with each country to affirm their stance on piracy.