[Air-L] [Fwd: FW: Call for Papers: Pirates and Piracy]

[Richard Forno]

Perhaps of interest as well -- I've not read through it yet myself, as  
it just came out today:

Film Piracy, Organized Crime, and Terrorism
http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2009/RAND_MG742.pdf


 From the abstract:

"This report presents the findings of research into the involvement of
organized crime and terrorist groups in counterfeiting a wide range
of products, from watches to automobile parts, from pharmaceuticals
to computer software. It presents detailed case studies from around
the globe in one area of counterfeiting, film piracy, to illustrate the
broader problem of criminal—and perhaps terrorist—groups finding a
new and not-much-discussed way of funding their nefarious activities.
Although there is less evidence of involvement by terrorists, piracy is
high in payoff and low in risk for both groups, often taking place  
under
the radar of law enforcement.

The study was made possible by a grant from the Motion Picture
Association (MPA). However, the views expressed herein are those of
the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the MPA. To
be sure, the MPA, like other industries afflicted by counterfeiting, has
powerful interests in the assessments presented in this report. Those
evident stakes required that the authors be especially careful in exam-
ining evidence and framing conclusions. The research was conducted
and the findings validated independently under the joint auspices of
the Center for Global Risk and Security, part of the RAND Corpora-
tion’s National Security Research Division, and the Safety and Justice
Program in RAND Infrastructure, Safety, and Environment. "


-rick

Disclosure: I despise the **AA and their controversial practicies,  
policies, and beliefs for many reasons.