Georgian Internet Industry against Internet Piracy

Georgian media, commercial and informational internet portals are concerned with the high statistics of internet piracy on Georgian websites. They believe that internet piracy disrupts the development of the internet industry in the country.

The Anti-piracy Center is joined by Georgian online platforms and organizations specializing in protecting intellectual property, including Entrepreneur, Georgia Today, IPN.GE, TKT.ge, popsport, mygroup, Innovation Agency, etc. These websites and organizations demand the needed steps be taken to make the situation better. In particular, they urge the major advertiser companies to not locate their advertisement on the pirate online platforms. The anti-piracy Georgian platforms believe that the latter will aid the development of the internet industry, and the matter of intellectual property protection in Georgia.

The Executive Director of the Anti-Piracy Center has commented on the current internet piracy situation in the country, going into detail how exactly it does more harm than we might realize.
 
“Nowadays, the main source of revenue for legal Georgian internet sites is the income from advertising. Several Georgian websites illegally, through unlicensed content, take the biggest part of total revenues from advertising.

These illegal websites sell their advertising space by attracting visitors with thousands of illegal content that they put on their platforms. Because of this, legal websites that create original themes or legally purchase textual, audio and video contents, are seriously harmed.

Consequently, the Georgian internet space is uncompetitive and unhealthy. This, of course, makes the industry less attractive to local and foreign investors,” said the Executive Director of Anti-Piracy Center.
It is also worth noting that because of the level of internet piracy, important internet gamers/gamblers abstain from Georgia and the country’s platforms. If the situation of internet piracy were less severe in the country, the Google advertising network would be more active as well, partnering up with Georgian websites and through this stimulating the local market.

Local and international investors are interested in collaborating with Georgian legal streaming websites, but the alarming statistics of internet piracy in the country make it impossible for the sides to work on strengthening their partnership.

By Nini Dakhundaridze