According to reports by the Canadian Mounties (Motto: Like Police, Only On Horses), the piracy industry cost Canada $30 billion in Canadian currency (USD $45,454). This figure had been bandied about by lobbyists and even the US Ambassador to Canada, ensuring sensationalist headlines much like the one above.
The problem, however, is that it isn’t true. Blogger Michael Geist asked the Mounties about the claim who responded that they “found the numbers on the Internet.” Had the Mounties done a search after I posted this story, think of the press releases they could put out.
PIRACY COSTS CANADIANS $5.99 TRILLION, KILLS BABIES
Piracy=bad and organized piracy=bad++. However, piracy exposes developing countries to new technologies and forces many companies to go open source once they grow out of their haxoring ways and start getting serious. If a copy of Windows Vista didn’t cost $300, the OLPC wouldn’t exist. There are questions about the value and economic impetus for software piracy, but a lot of the problems software manufacturers bring upon themselves — like lying about the real economic effect.
Canadian coppers admit making up piracy figures [TheInquirer]
There… you’ve done it again. Hasn’t CrunchGear learned that one isn’t supposed to insult Canada, especially the mounties. You should start preparing your public apology now. Note: I’m may take a while for them to get back to you because they are sharing a computer.
john – To bad your joke about Canadian currency is really a joke on us Americans. It seems you have not kept up with the fact that our Us dollar has gone the way of the Peso. So here is a current event post for all. We are now sitting at just about a 1:1 value with the Canadian loonie. Actually yesterday it got so bad the Canadian dollar was worth more than our dollar. Lets keep buying those IPods people!!! Our economy is fine. Haha
Last time I checked the Canadian dollar was pretty much on par with the US dollar.
“…Canada $30 billion in Canadian currency (USD $45,454). ”
Lol – You DO realize the Canadian dollar is almost Par with the USD.
Fine. It’s on par. But it’s a different color!
Don’t worry about the piracy, our colourful (note the “proper” spelling of “colour”) money will bail out Hollywood, I figure that shouldn’t take much more than a Loonie or Twoonie (for real, that is what we call our $1 and $2 coins).
“Fine. It’s on par. But it’s a different color!” – John Biggs
You lost all credibility because of your inability to check your facts. Moreover, even if you did have the right figures this article is worthless, crap “journalism”; and your little comment is completely juvenile.
30 billion in Canadian currency (USD $45,454).
HAHAHA BITCHES! Dollar for a Dollar
We Support Your War! Great for our economy. Invade other countries! How about France! Get these frogs out of here too. When it is all said and done you can call them Canadian fries.
>You lost all credibility because of your inability to check your facts.
Did your mounties check the facts?
You’re just taking shots at Canada so you’ll get more commen….doh!