Individuals running websites that give access to pirated content are putting thousands of jobs at risk and threatening to undermine an entire creative enterprise according to Philippe Dauman, President and CEO of Viacom.

Speaking at a Broadcasting Press Guild briefing in London, Dauman said that companies such as his needed to make content available in different and legitimate ways. “That’s our responsibility,” he admitted. “At the same time, you see a movie, that so many people worked on … appear on a site that runs for profit, with zero cost of goods in many cases, operated by shady elements, which asks consumers to pay with their credit cards for what they think is a legitimate service. In fact it’s not,” he advised.

“When you have a movie that appears in this way before it appears in the theatre, that undermines an entire creative enterprise. Taking that to its logical conclusion, many thousands of jobs will disappear,” he warned.
“It sometimes feels like you’re playing Whac-a-mole. It’s important to have a concerted effort to contain it. We need the help of law enforcement around the globe,” he stated, suggesting that the UK had been “very good” in that regard.

“You’re never going to stamp [piracy] out. We have to do a combination of enforcement and making it easier for the viewer to consume content at different parts of the cycle,” he concluded.

Categories: Articles, Content, Piracy