Is Film Piracy Linked to Organized Crime and Terrorism?
It is clear that film piracy is a threat to the global information economy. But what impact does it have on public safety and national security, in particular through the involvement of organized crime and terrorists? A RAND Corporation study examines this question, drawing on 17 case studies, based on more than 2,000 pages of primary source materials and 120 interviews with law enforcement and intelligence agents in 20 countries. This report finds that because profits are huge, the cost of entry is minimal, and the risks relatively low, organized-crime groups worldwide use counterfeiting to fund serious criminal activities. Also, three of the case studies offer evidence that terrorist groups have also supported their operations through film piracy: the Barakat Network, a criminal syndicate that operates in the Tri-Border Area of Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay; the Provisional Irish Republican Army, one of several paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland that fomented civil unrest and
