Women in Piracy. Experimental Perspectives on Copyright Infringement

Abstract This paper presents a behavioural investigation into music piracy using experimental data, to our knowledge one of the few studies of its kind. Employing experimental methods, we elicited preferences for legal and burned CDs, alongside hypothetical choices for further consumption behaviours such as downloading music. The subjects were university students, deemed the most appropriate sample for analysing legal and illegal music consumption patterns. We focus on how gender influences copyright infringement, specifically examining differences between men and women in their piracy behaviours. The results reveal significant gender disparities: women engage in piracy less frequently than men. However, once they do engage in illegal behaviour, that is, once they start to download music files illegally, the number of such files does not differ between men and women. Both genders perceive original CD prices as unfair, but women express stronger feelings of unfairness and place more value on legality. Women’s reluctance toward piracy seems driven by ethical concerns, while men place greater value on the product’s originality. In this context, our paper aims to provide valuable insights for policymakers, offering tools to develop more effective legal strategies while shedding light on a specific aspect of economic behaviour.