Jari Ketola
12 Oct 2004 10:25
After the recent raid in Iceland, the local branch of MPA, SMAIS, has made various statements that are either highly exaggerated or completely false. They have, for instance, stated that: "[On this 100 person Direct Connect hub] we estimate our loss to be around $4,5 million."
Hagstofan, the national statistical institute of Iceland, has gathered detailed consumer statistics for years, and their records show that while the cinema attendance and video rentals decreased slightly, the sale of both VHS and DVD movies has grown. In addition there was a record breaking increase in the sales of domestic CDs.
The Hagstofan specialist states that "Downloads on the Internet don't have a noticeable effect on the sales or attendance," and that "Those that claim that decrease is due to Internet downloading, should do so very carefully."
There is growing concern in Iceland about the legal issues surrounding the raid. It's uncertain if the police had the right to execute surveillance and wiretapping for two years, and if the measures taken in general were excessive.
Thanks to Joelocal for using our news submit to let us know of the recent developments!