Piracy is a major issue globally but more so in Australia. As a broke student with a love of tv shows and films, I can say that I have pirated my fair share of films and shows. Many students and even adults are of the same opinion. The reason why piracy is such a major in Australia is simple, accessibility. We broke records with our illegal downloads, beating the U.K, U.S and even China, which compared to our population is a big feat. Netflix is a fairly new and under developed system in Australia. I have a Netflix account but I rarely get to watch my tv shows on there. Thanks to the strict Australian laws, Netflix Australia does not own the rights to certain tv shows until it has been aired by the channels who bought the rights for it.

So if we want to watch the new episode of Game of Thrones before all the fans flock to facebook and spoil everyone, we pirate instead. The Game of Thrones directors are not bothered by pirates instead they welcome the online buzz. While we fall into the trap and think that the directors and cast and crew lose money, instead streaming platforms like Netflix and national tv channels lose viewers and money.

In an article titles ‘From Convicts to Pirates: Australia’s dubios legacy of illegal downloading’, Scott discusses how Australia should not be proud of what is essentially a crime but why blame the consumer when the producer is not keeping their end of the bargain?

As a consumer who already pays for a netflix account, I am not unwilling to pay for a service so long as the service is up to date. While I don’t support piracy, I refuse to be the one holding the door(get it?) for Australia to get inside and start properly airing shows in tune with the rest of the world.