COVID-19 & Copyright Infringement

A less well-known social repercussion of this ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is the staggering rise in global criminal activity, especially non-violent and white-collar crimes such as cyber attacks and financial fraud. This rise in white-collar crime could be attributed to the observation that most law-enforcement agencies and other government organizations are currently overwhelmed with COVID-19 and reducing the unchecked spread if this dangerous novel coronavirus. Due to this ongoing medical crisis, police forces are unable to deploy the necessary resources to combat this crime wave.

Based on our understanding of human psychology and white-collar criminology from the perspective of intellectual property law, it’s logical to come to the conclusion that the total number of unprocessed (or unreported) cases of copyright infringement has increased considerably since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. It should be noted that due to the current state of the ongoing socio-economic crisis, the processing and prosecution of copyright infringement cases is the least of anyone’s concern. Additionally, committing copyright infringement is extremely easy, and many people accidently commit it all the time.

Although there is a rise in copyright infringement cases things will most likely subside after the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as the legal system could identify and process these minor crimes.