Forget Russia and China, is Mexico the world’s leader in piracy?

When it comes to the pirating of movies and music, apparently nobody even comes close to reaching the amount of losses that occur in the country of Mexico.

In a new report just released by the International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPI), the estimated trade losses due to piracy reveal some interesting results that seem to be startlingly absent from all the current discussions about the levels piracy and copyright infringement in the world.

China and Russia are the two countries that are frequently cited as the world’s “piracy powerhouses” over the rampant pirating of movies and music that occur in their countries, with Hollywood recently even going so far as to place Canada at number 3 on its “Most Wanted List” with its alleged camcording “leniency.”

But, is this really the case? Is what we’ve been told really true?

Well, according to this new study the answer is a resounding NO!

In this new report compiled by the IIPA, the 2005 and 2006 “Estimated Trade Losses Due to Copyright Piracy” are laid bare in stunning detail for the world to see.

Here is what it says:

People’s Republic of China

• Motion Pictures – $244 million USD
• Records & Music – $206 million USD

Russian Federation

• Motion Pictures – $266 million USD
• Records & Music – $423 million USD

Mexico

• Motion Pictures – $484 million USD
• Records & Music – $486 million USD

The report goes on to list the amount of piracy-related losses from a variety of other countries but, none come even close to reaching the amounts of these 3 countries, notably Mexico.

What is most interesting is that Mexico is responsible for almost TWICE the amount of lost revenue from movie piracy that China is, and yet barely a word of this is mentioned in the media or even uttered from the lips of the WTO or any of the intellectual property enforcement organizations.

Is this because larger forces are at work, like the fear of angering such a close neighbor to the US? Or does it have to do with the US governments more pressing concerns with the country like drugs, corruption, and large-scale migration to the US in search of livable wages?

Who knows for sure but, these figures should at the very least provide China and Russia with some tangible facts for rebuttal to put in their next reply to to the MPAA and RIAA about the piracy that occurs in their countries.

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