The Daily Telegraph newspaper has a report today about how the popularity of e-books on e-readers such as the iPad is responsible for more women over 35 turning to illegal downloading than would ever have considered illegally downloading music. According to the results of the Digital Entertainment Survey, which is an annual survey conducted by the law firm Wiggin, one in eight women over 35 who own an e-reader admit to downloading an unlicensed e-book, in comparison to one in 20 women of the same age who admit to having downloaded music illegally. As The Telegraph notes, the fact that consumers who would normally never dream of such actions are now doing so could be a cause of concern for publishers who are worried that the publishing industry might be harmed by increased unlicensed e-book downloads, just as the music industry has been hit by music piracy.
The Telegraph reports that the figures for other age groups will make even more uncomfortable reading for publishers, with 29 percent of e-reader and tablet owners of both genders and all ages admitting to downloading unlicensed works. For tablet owners alone, the figure rises to 36 percent. The survey also found that the iPad and Kindle were both in the top three most wanted devices.
Source: E-books drive older women to digital piracy - Telegraph