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This topic comprises 3 pages: 1 2 3
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Topic: Day and Date....for STREET COPIES??!!
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Frank Angel
Film God
Posts: 5305
From: Brooklyn NY USA
Registered: Dec 1999
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posted 05-03-2006 12:51 PM
OK, so we all agree that the ever-shortening window between theatrical release and video (in all its forms) is a major threat to the exhibition industry, not to mention the harm done by the mouthings-off of the imbeciles who advocate D&D for DVD releases which certainly doesn't help. But this is absurd -- yesterday I saw a street vendor on Flatbush Avenue hawking his DVD wares. And there he had a DVD of UNITED 93. I was quite taken-aback -- it opened just 3 days ago. I was really pissed and asked this guy if he knew it was illegal to be selling bootleged copies of current movies. He got indignent and insisted in an accent that I didn't recognize other than it was Asian, that these were NOT bootleged. He kept repeating "not from movie theatre, not from movie theatre." Out of pure curiosity, I bought a copy for a mere $4. And sure enough, this ISN'T a camcorder-under-a-trench-coat copy. This one ranks up there with one of the best DVD tranfers I have seen -- had to be from a digital master because the titling was video rock steady, which tells me it didn't even come from a negative.
So HOW do these people get this stuff? And evidently it is already available in China or Japan or whatever country of origin this guy is related to.
So once again, here is proof-positive that the crap about piracy being the fault of leaks at the exhibition end of the business is just so much flying manure.
But here's my question: What do I do?...do I try to find this guy again and turn him in to the FBI (naw...that's not me) but how about sending them the big Anti-Piracy Division of the FBI the DVD? You would think that with all the super sophistocated anti-piracy technology that they are constantly crowing about, especially in the form of huge round turds in the middle of the picture, shouldn't that be enough for them to trace the origins of this DVD?
Real question of course is, will the MPAA and the FBI be as anxious to bust some studio executive and splash it all over the news the same way they would if they busted the guy in the trench coat with the camcorder, or OMG, a theatre manager? Anyone wanna bet me a good meal at Peter Lugars that nothing would come of it if it's the former?
In a quandry.
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John Hawkinson
Film God
Posts: 2273
From: Cambridge, MA, USA
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 05-03-2006 03:23 PM
Frank, this is exactly why the industry is so concerned about piracy, and why we have CAP codes. The industry has a real problem, and they are trying to do something about it.
We may not agree that CAP codes are a good solution, but this should drive home Why they have happened. They are one of many attempts to try to solve this problem. And it is a really hard problem.
Lest you think otherwise, organized crime is heaviliy involved in the supply chain of these pirated movies. That dramatically complicates solving the problem. ![[Embarrassed]](redface.gif)
As Louis mentions, I emailed the mpaa hotline address in December 2003 asking what to do when you see street vendors selling DVDs of unreleased movies. I never got a response.
Oh, and by the way Frank, it's not "Day and Date." Frequently the pirated versions are available BEFORE theatrical release.
--jhawk
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