It's a myth that buying fake DVDs or downloading illegal content is a victimless crime. The most obvious concern may be the poor sound and picture quality or that the film stops before the end leaving you hanging. But scratch the surface and you'll find the damage caused by fake DVDs affects a wide range of people.

Copyright theft is a big issue - for the consumer, for the film and TV industries and for communities. For legitimate business, the distributors and high street retailers who sell or rent DVDs, counterfeiting has a significant impact on profits. At present, 15% of the value of legitimate sales is lost to the problem. It doesn't just affect big businesses; these losses have a serious negative impact on the 200,500 people employed in the industry in the UK, contributing to rental and retail store closures, loss of jobs and threatening future investment.

The growth of the fake DVD market should be a cause of concern for everyone: for the consumers who waste money on substandard copies of their favourite films; for the businesses which are exposed to hackers or viruses as the result of staff downloading films in the office; for the film and TV industry which loses out on funding for new films; for the cinemas and DVD retailers driven out of business; for the distributors of fake DVDs, who face up to 10 years' imprisonment, plus confiscation of assets, and for the communities plagues by organised crime funded in part by fake DVDs.

The Industry Trust offers resources and support materials to anyone who is committed to combating copyright theft. Choose a section that relates to you.