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ENFORCEMENT

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Joint Strategic Plan on Intellectual Property Enforcement<br />

The private sector is encouraged to examine<br />

opportunities for targeted consumer education on<br />

known sites that pose verifiable risks.<br />

FIG. 44: Web Traffic Streams (2011-2015).<br />

2011 2015<br />

Netflix<br />

SECTION 2<br />

ACTION NO. 2.16: Convene an interagency<br />

group to identify options to analyze online<br />

consumer behavior and identify means to<br />

promote consumer protection. IPEC will<br />

convene an interagency group, including<br />

Federal independent agencies such as the<br />

Consumer Product Safety Commission and the<br />

Federal Trade Commission, and other relevant<br />

stakeholders, to discuss and assess online<br />

consumer behavior to better understand threats<br />

and vulnerabilities; evaluate existing Federal,<br />

state, and private sector consumer education<br />

efforts; and identify opportunities for effective<br />

programs to protect consumers.<br />

6. Encourage Efforts that Support Content<br />

Platforms Offering Content Legally and Minimize<br />

Deceptive Sites That Operate with a Commercial<br />

"Look and Feel."<br />

Under the right conditions in the global marketplace,<br />

content providers will continue to expand the reach<br />

of their services and platforms, helping to erode rates<br />

of piracy as consumers are presented with enhanced<br />

options to obtain and enjoy content lawfully. Put<br />

simply, when people around the world are given real<br />

choices between legal and illegal options for accessing<br />

content, the vast majority will want to choose the legal<br />

option when it is made readily available. 77<br />

In this vein, a growing number of legitimate<br />

providers of streaming movies, television shows, music<br />

and other content have been investing significant<br />

financial and other resources to expand offerings,<br />

including for example, one provider that recently<br />

expanded its platform to directly serve over 190<br />

countries, making licensed content available nearly<br />

worldwide. 78 The wide accessibility of online content<br />

platforms promoting legal access to content may<br />

be reducing certain types of web traffic traditionally<br />

associated with piracy, such as with peer-to-peer<br />

networks via BitTorrent (FIG. 44).<br />

Investments by online platforms legally offering<br />

content (to expand their geographic service, the<br />

availability of licensed content, or the production of<br />

original content) are subject to a number of challenges<br />

YouTube<br />

Web surfing<br />

BitTorrent<br />

iTunes: 2.7%<br />

Facebook: 2%<br />

Other web video: 1.5%<br />

Encrypted<br />

browsing: 2%<br />

and limitations. These content providers face a<br />

panoply of differing national laws and enforcement<br />

regimes around the world, and sites face the difficulty<br />

of having to compete with those offering infringing<br />

content at a lower cost (often for free) or otherwise<br />

free of certain other potential limitations or restrictions.<br />

This challenge is only exacerbated when the unlawful<br />

option is designed to attract and mislead consumers<br />

by operating in a manner much like popular, legitimate<br />

sites. Such sites are notable for their commercial “look<br />

and feel,” including featuring prominent branding,<br />

third-party advertisements and credit card logos—that<br />

lend an air of legitimacy (FIG. 45).<br />

Although the operator of a website dedicated to<br />

infringement may switch between gTLDs, ccTLDs,<br />

registrars, or hosting companies when challenged for<br />

IP infringement, for example, the illict activity could<br />

be significantly curtailed if the operator is unable to<br />

take his name or brand along the way from website to<br />

website, (Sec. II, B).<br />

76.9% of total traffic 76.7% of total traffic<br />

Source: Sandvine<br />

Note: Data collected in September and October of each year<br />

The growth of legal alternatives will likely help to<br />

reduce piracy rates in parts of the world by making<br />

lawful content more readily accessible. However,<br />

these efforts must go hand-in-hand with continued<br />

enforcement efforts against unlawful actors to ensure<br />

that IP-infringing activity is not permitted to outpace the<br />

expansion of sites legally providing access to content.<br />

Amazon<br />

Video: 3%<br />

Hulu: 2.5%<br />

76

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