fast-sinking web consultant Viant knows when it's got a hot item. their 2001 report on file sharing, "The Copyright Crusade" (PDF), has been getting the company some desperately-needed column-inches (although not enough to rescue it from the clutches of .com chop-shop divine -- where marchFIRST went to die). they've recently released an update and are waiting to take your call.
the original report was a thorough survey of file sharing in the internet, designed to give the reader a good handle on the issues and the players. while some estimates of file sharing activity were included, the authors responsibly included this disclaimer:
"It has been our intention to present a balanced and educated view of these phenomena, not to rigorously prove any specific metrics for piracy."
in the hands of Jack Valenti and Mike Eisner, though, the report's been stripped down to the Big Scary Numbers. since Viant's momma didn't raise no fool, the update's just giving the people what they want. "Copyright Crusade II: Bigger and Scarier" (it's a PDF and, actually, i added that last part) leads with the sexy stats -- disclaimer be damned. sure enough, news organizations ranging from the BBC, to c|net, to the Hollywood Reporter, are all blaring that "Movie Piracy Is Up 20%"
it's a shame that what started as a balanced, comprehensive report on the nascent phenomenon of digital distribution has turned into Big Content's weapon of choice.
