The fight against digital piracy: An experiment

With the increased reliance on the Internet, digital piracy is a hot topic that is receiving substantial interest. And while most studies concentrate on understanding piracy in developed countries, few studies have been done in developing countries. In order to fill in this gap, this study reports on an experiment to deter/prevent digital piracy behavior in an Arab and a Middle Eastern country. The study used an experiment where different treatments (effect of religion, law, and awareness) were applied to the samples. Results revealed that only the religion and awareness treatments contributed to a decline in digital piracy, and that awareness having the higher effect on the piracy intention. This study discusses the study results and implications for both research and practice. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.