Copyright is even more right in digital age: US media mogul

SEOUL (AFP) — US media mogul Sumner Redstone said Tuesday that "enormous emerging markets" for entertainment content are opening up across Asia and elsewhere but copyright protection poses a growing challenge.

At a keynote speech to the Seoul Ditigal Forum, the chairman of Viacom and CBS Corporation called for better protection of copyright -- noting that film piracy alone costs the US economy more than 20 billion dollars every year.

"Copyright is even more right in the digital age," Redstone said.

"It's harder and harder to make money in the media business," he said, citing sites that enable the illegal downloading of full length songs and movies, DVD piracy and the unauthorized distribution of copyright content on services "such as YouTube."

"When you can instantly and easily download a high-quality feature-length film for free -- with no repercussions -- the incentive to purchase it quickly evaporates," he said.

The average ...