A Group-IB report says that piracy revenue in Russia was down in 2020 by 7%, compared with a 27% drop in 2019, when one of Europe’s largest pirates was shut down. Another report, published by TMT Consulting says that legal streaming was up by 17%, to 63 million viewers in 2020. Revenue to legal services in Russia increased by 66%, exceeding $365 million.
Group-IB is a Singapore-based provider of solutions for detection and prevention of cyberattacks and online fraud, IP protection, and high-tech crime investigations.
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The title of the report “Why Jolly Roger Is Sad” is a reference to the famous pirate, who would probably have been disappointed by the above findings. This report complements a 2020 report Jolly Roger’s Patrons, which described the financial ecosystem of piracy, gambling and organized crime that exists in Eastern Europe.
Another reason that piracy may be down in Russia is that pirates there are known to have been sentenced to hard labor.
