Piracy, Geoblocking, and Australian Access to Niche Independent Cinema

Online audiovisual piracy cannot be properly understood if divorced from its context. This article uses the availability of lesbian-focused films in Australia as a lens through which to consider the relationship between online audiovisual piracy and industry geoblocking practices. It is argued that artificial control through internet geoblocking can limit potential global sales by restricting universal availability of certain films. Anti-piracy discourses around lost sales and reduced profits for film industries are complicated by piracy contexts where there is no mechanism for viewers to make legal online purchases. When looking beyond Hollywood, the diverse purposes of independent and minority filmmakers provide a more complex understanding of piracy overall. This article proposes a more nuanced approach to online film piracy that emphasizes context, taking into consideration that pirate culture is formed by an extensive but inchoate network of individuals with diffuse motivations that have differential impacts upon the industry.