File Sharing Putting CD Counterfeiters Out Of Business?
from the perhaps-the-RIAA-should-be-happy... dept
While studies have shown that unauthorized file sharing has no real impact on legitimate CD sales, the site TorrentFreak is suggesting that it has hurt one business: counterfeit CDs. The guys who stand on the street corners or at flea market selling cheap, but fake, copies of popular CDs are finding a lot less demand these days thanks mainly to file sharing. In the past, if someone didn't want to pay top dollar for a CD, their only choice was basically to buy one of these knockoffs. However, these days, with the growth of file sharing, they're better off just getting the songs free online. People who still want real copies of the CDs still buy them, but the market for cheap knockoffs just isn't there any more. Of course, you never hear the RIAA mentioning this "positive" aspect of file sharing...
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