DVD piracy epidemic exposed by Batman
Hello All,
Film piracy on DVDs is at "epidemic proportions" with the latest figures showing a 41 per cent rise in the number of such movies seized this year.
A DVD of Batman Begins, which was released last Friday, was confiscated by trading standards officers in central London on Saturday morning. A cinema customer had filmed it with a camcorder the previous night.
Such events are not rare. Despite attempts to crack down on piracy, poor quality copies of most blockbusters are available within hours of opening at the cinema, the Federation Against Copyright Theft (Fact) said yesterday.
Last year, three million pirate DVDs were confiscated - five per cent of the estimated 60 million sold in 2004.
Around 680,000 were seized in the first three months of this year, a 41 per cent rise on the same period in 2004.
Raymond Leinster, the director general of Fact and a former officer in the organised crime branch of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, said piracy did not just harm the film and DVD industry; it helped fund paedophile rings, drug and gun dealing and human trafficking.
"If we are carrying out surveillance or raids on DVD pirates, we nearly always discover that these criminals are involved in a multitude of other illegal and unsavoury activities of which the sale of DVDs is merely the most public," he said.
The e-bay online auction site and file sharing computer software gave pirates more opportunities to sell counterfeit movies, he told the Trading Standards Institute conference in Brighton. Mr Leinster said fewer pirate DVDs were being imported from the Far East. Instead, criminals in this country were producing them using relatively cheap equipment.
Batman Begins, Madagascar, Millions, and Mr and Mrs Smith are among the most popular pirate films this month. Star Wars: Revenge Of The Sith is another big seller in car boot sales and pubs.
Film studios have narrowed the gap between movies being released in America and the rest of the world in an attempt to curb piracy.
A few years ago film-goers had to wait six months to see the latest American releases. But today the gap is often a couple of weeks. The most eagerly anticipated films are released on the same day across the world.
Films also appear on DVD more quickly. The gap between a cinema and DVD release is now usually four months.
As a result, 90 per cent of pirate DVDs are filmed from the back of cinemas using camcorders, usually on a movie's opening day.
The picture quality is often poor, while coughs and sweet rustling can sometimes be heard on the soundtrack.
Simon Hewlett, of 20th Century Fox, said the DVD pirate industry was worth up to £750 million in Britain. More than a quarter of people admitted to having seen or bought at least one pirate movie.
"Ninety per cent of films do not make a profit at the cinema," he said. "The industry needs home entertainment to make a profit."
Most pirate DVDs were made by professional gangs, he added. "The distribution skills of pirates are almost as efficient as those of Marks & Spencer," he said.
To read the rest of the article Click Here
Talk to ya soon,
Donnie Hoover
www.cheap-dvds-advisor.com
Your One Stop Source For Cheap DVDS !!
DVD Reviews
Film piracy on DVDs is at "epidemic proportions" with the latest figures showing a 41 per cent rise in the number of such movies seized this year.
A DVD of Batman Begins, which was released last Friday, was confiscated by trading standards officers in central London on Saturday morning. A cinema customer had filmed it with a camcorder the previous night.
Such events are not rare. Despite attempts to crack down on piracy, poor quality copies of most blockbusters are available within hours of opening at the cinema, the Federation Against Copyright Theft (Fact) said yesterday.
Last year, three million pirate DVDs were confiscated - five per cent of the estimated 60 million sold in 2004.
Around 680,000 were seized in the first three months of this year, a 41 per cent rise on the same period in 2004.
Raymond Leinster, the director general of Fact and a former officer in the organised crime branch of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, said piracy did not just harm the film and DVD industry; it helped fund paedophile rings, drug and gun dealing and human trafficking.
"If we are carrying out surveillance or raids on DVD pirates, we nearly always discover that these criminals are involved in a multitude of other illegal and unsavoury activities of which the sale of DVDs is merely the most public," he said.
The e-bay online auction site and file sharing computer software gave pirates more opportunities to sell counterfeit movies, he told the Trading Standards Institute conference in Brighton. Mr Leinster said fewer pirate DVDs were being imported from the Far East. Instead, criminals in this country were producing them using relatively cheap equipment.
Batman Begins, Madagascar, Millions, and Mr and Mrs Smith are among the most popular pirate films this month. Star Wars: Revenge Of The Sith is another big seller in car boot sales and pubs.
Film studios have narrowed the gap between movies being released in America and the rest of the world in an attempt to curb piracy.
A few years ago film-goers had to wait six months to see the latest American releases. But today the gap is often a couple of weeks. The most eagerly anticipated films are released on the same day across the world.
Films also appear on DVD more quickly. The gap between a cinema and DVD release is now usually four months.
As a result, 90 per cent of pirate DVDs are filmed from the back of cinemas using camcorders, usually on a movie's opening day.
The picture quality is often poor, while coughs and sweet rustling can sometimes be heard on the soundtrack.
Simon Hewlett, of 20th Century Fox, said the DVD pirate industry was worth up to £750 million in Britain. More than a quarter of people admitted to having seen or bought at least one pirate movie.
"Ninety per cent of films do not make a profit at the cinema," he said. "The industry needs home entertainment to make a profit."
Most pirate DVDs were made by professional gangs, he added. "The distribution skills of pirates are almost as efficient as those of Marks & Spencer," he said.
To read the rest of the article Click Here
Talk to ya soon,
Donnie Hoover
www.cheap-dvds-advisor.com
Your One Stop Source For Cheap DVDS !!
DVD Reviews
posted by Cheap DVDs Guy at 5:36 PM
0 comments
