The aim of the project is to analyse the process of switching between authorised and unauthorised sources of cultural goods. We will analyse whether a one-time incentive to acquire content from an authorised or unauthorised source may permanently change the consumer’s preferences due to e.g. a one-time-only cost of the switch. We will also learn how far-reaching are the effects of unauthorised uploads of particular goods, when their legal alternative is not (yet) available, as well as what happens in the opposite case (when the unauthorised uploads are effectively delayed).
Our analysis will cover three areas:
- TV series. Will a one-time incentive to acquire content from an unauthorised source (i.e. a pre-release leak of some episodes) influence also the future decisions of the viewers?
- Video games. Will elongation of the period when only the paid legal option is available convince more players to make use of the authorised sources?
- Comic books. Will the inclusion of a higher quality legal alternative (official digitalisation of older issues) make those readers who rather used unauthorised sources before, return to the authorised?
As an additional result of the research, we will estimate the effect of unauthorised file-sharing on the legal consumption of TV series, video games and comic books.
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This project has received funding from the National Science Centre.
- principal investigator:
- Wojciech Hardy
- superior:
- Michał Krawczyk
- Contact:
-
wojciech.hardy@ibs.org.pl
news
The research on the effects of piracy on video game sales, as well as on the effects of delaying the game cracks had been widely described and presented, e.g., at CIPPM workshop in Bournemouth.
IBS presentations at the Warsaw International Economic Meeting 2018 (June 3-5).
On 28th and 29th of September, Wojciech Hardy took part in two conferences in Warsaw, where he talked about his studies of the unauthorised file-sharing.
Our presentations from Warsaw International Economic Meeting (WIEM) 2017 are now available.
Publications
2018-04-26
Pre-release leaks as one-time incentives for switching to unauthorised sources of cultural content
Pre-release leaks of cultural content incentivise consumers to look for unauthorised sources. I find that such events may induce some television viewers to switch to unauthorised sources to gain access even to content that had not been leaked. To demonstrate that this is the case, ... 
