New Study Documents Epidemic of Online Book Piracy

Washington, DC, January 14, 2010— Nine million illegal downloads of copyright-protected books were documented during the closing months of 2009, according to a new study released today. The independent study, conducted by the online monitoring and enforcement service Attributor, looked at illegal downloads of 913 popular titles. On average, each of the titles tracked was downloaded approximately 10,000 times.

“This new study confirms that book piracy on the Internet has reached epidemic proportions. Unchecked, that piracy will drain the creative energy of American publishing. Those 9 million pirated books should be a call-to-arms for policymakers, educators, and every reader who cares about the future of digital and printed books,” said Tom Allen, President and CEO of the Association of American Publishers.

The study can be found online at http://www.attributor.com/docs/Attributor_Book_Anti-Piracy_Research_Findings.pdf. For more information about digital piracy of books contact Ed McCoyd, Executive Director for Digital, Environmental & Accessibility Affairs at the Association of American Publishers (emccoyd@publishers.org).

About AAP
The Association of American Publishers is the national trade association of the U.S. book publishing industry. AAP’s more than 300 members include most of the major commercial publishers in the United States, as well as smaller and non-profit publishers, university presses and scholarly societies. AAP members publish hardcover and paperback books in every field, educational materials for the elementary, secondary, postsecondary, and professional markets, scholarly journals, computer software, and electronic products and services. The protection of intellectual property rights in all media is among the Association’s highest priorities.