engine - 6:44 pm on Jan 11, 2011 (gmt 0)

Study Reveals 53 Billion Visits to Piracy Sites In One Year [bbc.co.uk]

A study by anti-fraud firm MarkMonitor has offered a snapshot into the changing nature of online piracy. It monitored illegal traffic levels on 43 file-sharing sites and found that they generated more than 53 billion visits per year.

Mark Mulligan, an analyst at research firm Forrester, points out that the numbers of visits does not necessarily equate to the number of downloads. But it does show that commercial file-sharing sites, alongside other non-network based methods, are becoming as popular a way of sharing pirated music and films as peer-to-peer technologies. "These upload sites index their files. It is very easy and convenient," he added.