I'm not sure, but I think most of the movie pirates out there do not buy DVDs. But if they do buy DVDs in addition to all the burned or downloaded titles they steal, they're about to find out some horrible news: pirating movies is bad -- illegal even. New DVDs released this year will include special inserts supplied by DEG (Digital Entertainment Group) urging people to buy authentic DVDs rather than pirated copies. Again I'm not sure, but I thought the unavoidable FBI Warning message that plays before the movie already covered this ground.Isn't this like car manufacturers putting fliers in vehicles urging new auto buyers not to steal other cars? Why remind someone who just bought your product to continue being a good consumer? It feels a little unappreciative to me. Even if the insert reads: "Thank you for buying this DVD and continuing to support Hollywood's efforts to entertain you," the honest spenders should feel a little annoyed.
Meanwhile, I'm pretty sure the people I see selling bootlegs in Chinatown and in subway stations will never see these inserts. And if they do, they probably won't care. Sure, there's probably a small percentage of pirates who still don't know they're doing anything wrong, and a small percentage of those people might be shocked to learn of the issue from, and be influenced by, the DEG pamphlets. But I imagine the cost of the promotion/propaganda isn't really worth it.
Hasn't it been too long for Hollywood to still have no clue what to do about piracy?
(via The Hollywood Reporter)
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-10-2007 @ 2:30PM
ihatemovies said...
Just one correction: downloading a movie or making a copy of a DVD is not "stealing"; it's copyright infringement, which is a civil offense.
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1-10-2007 @ 2:37PM
Christopher Campbell said...
Well, according to the MPAA and the others in Hollywood behind anti-piracy campaigns, it is stealing. Haven't you seen the commercials?
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