he Impact of Copyright Awareness on Consumer Behaviour for Pirated Movie on DVD: A Case Study of Benue State University Students, Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigates the impact which copyright awareness has on consumer behaviour for pirated movies on DVD among a population of student consumers in Nigeria. The study adopted an experimental approach to test the hypothesis that there is a negative relationship between the level of copyright awareness and consumer demand behaviour (WTP) for pirated movies on DVD such that changes (increases) in the level of copyright awareness has a (decreasing) effect on consumer demand behaviour for pirated movies on DVD. Spearman’s Rank correlation analysis was performed on two variables, copyright awareness levels and WTP for pirated movies on DVD, using before and after measurements of changes in awareness levels. The study found ‘no correlation’ between copyright awareness and WTP for pirated movies on DVD, before and after changes in the level of copyright awareness on movies on DVD. The study also found that positive-type core messages, which emphasize opportunities and benefits of copyright in movies, to consumers, had the more impact on student-consumers than negative-type core messages which emphasize risks and sanctions.