Right now, there is a tremendous amount of controversy and debate surrounding illegal file sharing of copyrighted material on the Internet.

There are more than 243 million files illegally downloaded everyday! The losses attributed to these downloads affect many people in many industries, especially within the entertainment industry. And, it is not just the copyright holders who are being subject to these losses. Internet piracy affects entire industries, from the recording artist, right down to your local music store clerk and the janitor who works for the record label.

• Music industry loses about $4.2 billion a year.
• Motion picture industry loses about $6 billion a year; $500 million of that attributed to students in colleges and universities, which is where a majority of illegal file sharing takes place.
• Software industry has a world-wide loss of $34 billion a year.
• eBook industry, the newest victim to Internet piracy, lost $1.5 billion last year.
• Losses of the overall theft of copyrighted material on the Internet costs U.S businesses as much as $250 billion a year.
• Industries are losing their drive to keep investing in these unprofitable businesses.