Experts estimate pirate trade

The trade volume of pirated audio and video products has dropped by 15 percent in Russia since the beginning of this year and currently it amounts to 65 percent of the Russian audio and video market, Igor Bokovtsev, the President of the non-commercial partnership Disc Alliance, declared at a conference devoted to the protection of copyrights today. He reiterated that the Russian State Duma had adopted bills that toughened responsibility for violation of copyrights.

At the same time participants of the conference noted that one of the reasons of dissemination of pirate products was the imperfectness of legislation. Another reason is the low incomes of the population.

Experts also spoke in favor of holding consultations with the Russian State Customs Committee on restricting imports of replication equipment that enables pirates to produce illegal disks and cassettes at home. Bokovtsev added that about 30 to 40 percent of pirate products were produced with this kind of equipment in Russia.