Stream ripping at the center of another piracy report

Stream ripping has been at the forefront of music piracy for a few years now, and it continues to be a concern for the industry. The practice was a focus in the 2017 Notorious Markets List from the Office of the United States Trade Representative. The report has placed a focus on digital piracy in recent years, and stream ripping was the focus in the 2016 edition. It remains a top concern in the 2017 version.

“Though circumstances exist where stream ripping could be lawful, such as if the content were licensed for that purpose and the conversion were permitted under the legitimate service’s terms of use, the operations of many unauthorized stream ripping sites reportedly continue to contribute overwhelmingly to copyright infringement,” the report reads.

Several other music industry groups have raised similar concerns about the practice. Over the last two years, reports from the IFPI, Muso, and PRS for Music pointed to stream ripping as a growing piracy practice posing a threat to the sector. Although stream ripping has been widely criticized, the Electronic Frontier Foundation did issue a cautionary statement about applying the term too broadly.