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Music and software industry lobby groups have been accused of touting "absurd" piracy figures in an effort to get tougher copyright laws and more police resources to enforce them.A draft Australian Institute of Criminology report on intellectual property crime - obtained by The Australian- describes some industry research as "self-serving hyperbole" and warns that exaggerated statistics are being used to get government attention. "Demonstrated higher levels of piracy and counterfeiting would invariably result in additional federal government resources being diverted to enforcement activities," the report says. The report alleges the music industry was not able to explain how it came to its statistics on piracy. Record companies claim 10 per cent of sound recordings are pirated. "It is inappropriate for courts and policy-makers to accept at face value currently unsubstantiated statistics," the report says. "Either these statistics must be withdrawn, or the purveyors of these statistics must supply valid and transparent substantiation."
