Foot-dragging on anti-piracy law is costing us millions, say retailers Film and video markets decline by £250m since the act became law

 14 September 2011: The slow pace of implementation of the much-heralded Digital Economy Act is costing entertainment retailers millions of pounds, says Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) Chairman Paul Quirk.

Speaking at the ERA annual general meeting today (Wednesday) Quirk pointed out that it is now 14 months since the Digital Economy Act (DEA) came into law, but so far none of its provisions against internet piracy have been enacted.

"The best information we have is that the first letters to suspected file sharers will not be sent out until the second half of 2012 and disconnections of persistent pirates will not happen before 2013. This is unacceptable. We need action on internet piracy - and we need it now."

Quirk pointed to figures showing that since the DEA passed into law on 8 June 2010, the annualised value of UK music and video sales has declined by £250m.

"Not all of that decline is down to piracy," he said. "But a substantial part of it certainly is and every further day of delay will only make those losses greater."

ENDS