Most popular movies this month only available illegally for Aussies

Critics say the government’s new laws to fight online piracy won’t work as it is revealed 67 per cent of the most pirated films this month are not available online to Australians legally. 

They say the laws are also designed to help the industry rather than consumers, which forces downloaders to find other ways of getting their hands of the latest content. 

Sixty-seven per cent of the most downloaded last month from torrenting sites, such as The Pirate Bay and Kickass Torrents, could not be purchased legitimately online.

The majority of the most pirated films are not not available to be legally downloaded by Australian consumers

The titles included a mix of new release films and older ones, including Jurassic World, Furious 7, Avengers: The Age of Ultron and Pitch Perfect 2, according to figures collected by Torrent Freak.

Other films popular with online pirates, including The Wolf Of Wall Street, How To Train Your Dragon 2, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and The Interview, were not available on subscription on-demand streaming platforms Netflix and Presto.

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It comes as the government ramped up its anti-piracy approach, by passing a site-blocking law through parliament last week.

The de facto internet filter would give copyright holders – such as film studios and record labels – the power to apply to the Federal Court to have websites that make piracy possible blocked by all Australian internet providers.

The Wolf of Wall Street, one of the most popular films of 2014, was not available to be streamed via on-demand platforms Netflix or Presto

JUNE’S MOST PIRATED MOVIES: ARE THEY AVAILABLE IN AUSTRALIA? 

• Avengers: Age of Ultron – Not available

• Blackhat – Available for $19.99 from online stores

• Chappie – Available for $19.99 from online stores

• Cinderella – Available for $19.99 from online stores

• Ex Machina – Not available

• Furious 7 – Not available

• Get Hard – Not available

• The Gunman – Not available

• Home – Not available

• Jupiter Ascending – Available for $17.99 from online stores

• Jurassic World – Not available

• Kingsman: The Secret Service – Available for $18.99 from online stores

• Run All Night – Not available

• San Andreas Quake – Not available

• The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water – Available for $19.99 from online stores

• Unfinished Business – Not available

• Woman in Gold – Not available 

Critics of the law say blocking sites is not the way to stop piracy.

Labor MP Ed Husic was the first federal politician to speak out against the plan last week, saying it ‘is tough on piracy but not on the causes of piracy,’ in a speech given to the House of Representatives.

‘For years consumers of content have been forced to accept content later than overseas consumers at higher prices,’ Mr Husic said. 

Furious 7 was one of the most popular downloaded movies that was not available to be purchased legally online in Australia

Pirates flocked to Avengers: Age of Ultron on torrenting sites

‘It’s a business model that helped prop up profits of rights holders, and consumers have been cynically forced to accept a business model that simply fleeces them.

‘What this bill does is get government to help business to keep fleecing consumers or to support that type of ethos.’

Greens Senator Scott Ludlam also attacked the legislation, calling it ‘lazy and dangerous’.

Jurassic World is one of the most recently released films to be popular with downloaders

The Interview was another popular film unable to be streamed legally in Australia by Netflix or Presto

‘There are a variety of ways people will navigate around site blocking regimes, and such an aggressive approach does nothing to address the underlying factors, Access ExtraTorrents such as a lack of content accessability, that is the primary driver of copyright infringement,’ Mr Ludlam told Daily Mail Australia.

‘I think there’s absolutely an appetite for Australian movies, games, music and TV – but we’ve lagged well behind international markets when it comes to distribution of content in timely and cost effective manner. 

‘The take-up of Netflix has been unprecedented and services like ABC’s iView are increasingly popular, showing a strong community appetite for content.

Pitch Perfect 2, which stars Australian Rebel Wilson, was popular with downloaders in June

The Australian government launched a new site-blocking law in an attempt to crack down on piracy

‘Just deliver content in a timely and affordable manner, and piracy collapses.’

Despite the government’s best efforts, it is unlikely its controversial blocking bill will be successful in stopping piracy.

A similar policy was implemented in the UK in 2011, however most users were able to find ways to get around it by using proxy websites that were not blocked.