Russian Media Piracy in the Context of Censoring Practices

International Journal of Communication. 2015. Vol. 9. P. 839–851.

Kiriya I., Sherstoboeva E.

This paper suggests that media piracy in Russia is a cultural phenomenon caused largely by long-standing state ideological pressures. It also questions the common approach that considers the issue of piracy in economic or legal terms. In Russia, piracy historically concerns not only copyright issues but also censoring practices, and the sharing of pirated content is a socially acceptable remnant of Soviet times. This paper uses an institutional approach to show how anti-copyright state policy was used in the Soviet time to curtail the freedom of speech. Analysis of the new anti-piracy law reveals that current state policy intended to protect copyright may also be used to control content; moreover, this analysis concludes that the new policy is not likely to curb piracy.

Keywords: censorship, Russian media, media piracy, anti-piracy law, media regulation

Publication based on the results of: Regional media markets: the production of social meanings, market power and power relations (2015)