RIAA WELCOMES NOTORIOUS MARKETS REPORT ON PIRACY

The Recording Industry Association of America is hailing the release of the United States Trade Representative's annual Notorious Markets Report, which identifies markets engaged in pervasive copyright infringement in both digital and physical form.

In acknowledging the impact of piracy on American consumers and creators, RIAA senior VP, international policy George York said, "These digital platforms and brick and mortar shops undermine the U.S. comparative advantage to the detriment of American workers and creators, causing significant financial losses and eroding the creative sector's massive contributions to the U.S. economy—good jobs, wages, and growth."

The widespread adoption of AI only adds to the threat of piracy, per York. "We appreciate the report's prioritization of thefts that target the music community such as stream-ripping. And we urge a close look in the future at emerging piracy challenges presented by AI, including the widespread illegal use of copyrighted sound recordings and artist names, images and likenesses to generate invasive and unlawful voice clones and deepfakes."

Per the report, China remains the top source of counterfeit products in the world. "USTR encourages China to modify and expand the scope of robust enforcement actions to respond to the changing nature of counterfeit sales at physical markets, with a special focus on the following key markets," it reads.

Click here to read the 2023 Review of Notorious Markets for Counterfeiting and Piracy.