Half of UK internet users unsure of legality of downloaded content

An Ofcom study has exposed that nearly half of those surveyed (47%) were unsure whether the content they accessed online was legal.

The report, entitled Online copyright infringement tracker benchmark study Q3 2012, also revealed that 16% of those surveyed believed they downloaded illegal content, in a three month period this year. The report details the main findings of a large-scale consumer tracking study into the extent of online copyright infringement, as well as wider digital behaviours and attitudes, among people aged 12+ in the UK.

Another finding highlights that 16% of UK internet users aged 12+ were estimated to have downloaded or streamed/accessed at least one item of online content illegally over the May-July 2012 period. A quarter of these (4%) only consumed illegal content.

Levels of infringement varied significantly by content type; the survey indicated that 8% of internet users aged 12+ consumed some music illegally over the three month period, while 6% did so for films. For video games and computer software the figure was just 2%.

The research stemmed from a recommendation in the 2011 Hargreaves Review of Intellectual Property and Growth that Ofcom should not wait until its formal reporting duties arising from the Digital Economy Act began to start gathering independent data and establishing trends in the area of online copyright.

More information is available over on the Ofcom site.