Counterfeit Goods & Illegal Downloads

You’re probably familiar with the slogan ‘take a bite out of crime’.

McGruff the Crime Dog popularized it in TV public service announcements a couple of decades ago.

Illegally downloading a song or purchasing a counterfeit handbag may not seem the same as robbing someone on the street, but it is still a crime.

Ann Harkins, president and CEO of the National Crime Prevention Council, says research from her organization finds that more than three out of four adults believe those things are illegal.

Yet 68% still do those things willingly in an effort to save money.

While two out of three adult Americans agree that piracy and counterfeit products are a problem, singer and songwriter Addie Brownlee says there’s a mistaken belief in the general public that these are victimless crimes.

Nearly 60% of people surveyed say they don’t think they’ll be caught.

Research also revealed that most respondents were unable to define the terms “intellectual property” and “intellectual property crimes” accurately.

And only 14% said that they have ever knowingly purchased a product they believed was counterfeit.

You can learn more about counterfeit goods and illegal downloads here/.