clipped from: torrentfreak.com   

Economy Profits From File-Sharing, Report Concludes

The 142 page report looks into the economic and cultural consequences of file-sharing on the music, movie and games industries. The conclusions and recommendations seem to echo some of our previous writing. While most file-sharers download mainly copyrighted files without paying for them, the overall effect on the welfare of the economy is positive.

The report, which was commissioned by the government, estimates the positive effect on the Dutch economy to be around 100 million euros a year. While it is recognized that the entertainment industry suffers some losses, these don’t outweigh the positive effects of file-sharing.

File-sharing gives people access to a wide range of cultural goods and is often used to sample content that is bought later
people who download music and movies are not buying less than people who don’t. In fact, downloaders are reported to be more frequent visitors of concerts