Presenting a Model to Explain the Intention of Purchasing Pirated VCDs/DVDs

Purchasing pirated VCDs/DVDs is a serious and prevalent problem that imposes heavy costs on producer companies in many developing countries, particularly in Iran. The purpose of this research was to propose and test a model that determined the predictors of consumer attitudes and behavioral intentions toward pirated VCDs/DVDs. A research model was established by extending a model used by Wang and et al (2005). Survey sample was 343 students and the Structural Equation Modeling technique was used to test the hypothesized relationships. The main contribution of this paper is to show that consumer intentions to buy pirated products are dependent on the attitudes they have toward them which in turn is further influenced by social influence, unethical behavior, and novelty seeking. This paper reinforces the mediator role of attitude in the relationship between these antecedents and behavioral intentions, and confirms that purchasing these products is an unethical behavior. This research informs policy makers and managers about the main predictors of consumer attitudes toward pirated VCDs/DVDs and helps them provide anti-pirated strategies.