Avengers assemble! When digital piracy increases box office demand

Abstract

We show how the content of information goods changes the substitutability or complementarity effects of copyright infringement. Leveraging the quasi-random timing of the appearance of a high-quality pirated movie after its release in-theaters, alongside an instrumental-variables approach, we find that digital piracy complements box-office revenue for “spectacle”-oriented films, where the value of the good is linked to in-theater viewing. For “story”-oriented films, where the value is inherent—unenhanced by in-theater viewing—piracy displaces sales. Our findings suggest the value of creative content is linked to its distribution context, with relevance for commercialization and value capture strategies in creative industries with experience-goods properties.