Media piracy is, by definition, the act of illegally reproducing movies, music and/or videos for personal or commercial use. Music and movie piracy are the most common forms and fall into the category of Intellectual Property Crimes. Piracy is widespread and its roots began when streaming and Internet material became easy to download. Creators of music and film are constantly struggling to stop piracy, but their efforts have had limited impact. Piracy is unethical because it is illegal and adversely affects the global economy; it is not considered a "significant" crime and therefore not given priority by enforcement officials. Also, piracy steals the work and product of entertainers and reduces its value by selling a lower quality product at a cheaper price. Unfortunately, because of current technology, pirating films and music is relatively simple and involves only copying a movie or CD and then reproducing it. It began by the single step of a consumer copying a movie or a CD for themselves, family members and/or friends and has now evolved into a major, but illegal, industry. .
If caught, penalties for piracy include fines, prison or both. This includes both the people that sell the product and those who purchase them. People that buy pirated products are also breaking the law because they are knowingly purchasing items that were obtained illegally. Piracy is considered robbery and people that buy pirated CD's are considered purchasers of stolen property. However, piracy is considered a "victimless" crime because it does not directly affect a person, but in the long term it will. Many people, including upstanding citizens, often do not perceive this as a crime. I can attest to this because I know people, including family members, that have purchased pirated videos and that do not believe they have done anything illegal. However, there are victims of piracy. Entertainers, artists and the companies that invest in them are the first victims.