PolyGram Video and USA Home Entertainment Warning Screens

1st Warning (1982-1990)
Warning: On a black background, we see a blue bar with "WARNING" (with a black drop shadow) in white and italics. There is white warning text below the bar.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Seen on PolyGram Video releases of the era. On PolyGram Music Video releases, it appears at the end rather than the beginning.

2nd Warning (1990-1997)
Warning: On a black background, there is a red rectangle with the standard white FBI letters and logo. At the right of the screen is white text with a red "WARNING" at the top.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Rare. Mostly appeared on releases with the "VHS Assembly" logo. One release with this warning is NFL CrunchCourse. Also appeared on the first tapes with the 1993 logo. Canadian copies of PolyGram releases from this time have this too, and a good example is the 1992 VHS of Essential Opera. It still appeared on some tapes with the "Red Line of Doom" logo, mostly NFL releases and early Mighty Morphin Power Rangers releases, used in tandem with the next warning.

3rd Warning (Canada, 1992-2003)
Warning: On a blue background, we see the warning text scrolling up. The word "WARNING" is above a red line. It is then followed by its French translation with the word "ATTENTION" above a red line.

Variant: Most releases use only the English or French version of this warning, depending on the language. On some VHS tapes it uses both languages. From 1992 to 1993, the warning was spaced.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Seen on all Canadian PolyGram Video releases from 1992-1999, such as Mr. Bean, and on English VHS releases by Malofilm from 1992-1997. Can also be found on some Périodica Vidéo releases, on a Koch International VHS of Backlash: Oblivion 2, and on certain Seville Pictures DVD and VHS releases from 1997-2003. It's also seen on the Canadian VHS of Air Bud and TVA International videos.

4th Warning (1993-2002)
Warning: On a black background, we see the words "FBI WARNING" in Futura. The "G" is slightly lowered compared to the rest of the phrase. Below is the white warning text in Helvetica. This is almost the same as the enhanced variant of Universal Pictures warning.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Seen on all USA Home Entertainment releases, as well as PolyGram Video releases from 1993 to 1999. Also seen on several Sterling Home Entertainment releases and some WarnerVision/KidVision releases. It is unknown whether this was translated into Spanish for their Spanish-dubbed tape of The Borrowers. Tapes from their subsidiary Manga Entertainment, at least in the United States, had their own warning screens, detailed below, though this does appear on their initial DVD of Ghost in the Shell, which PolyGram released directly.

5th Warning (1994-2005)
Warning: On a black background, we see a red bar with the silver words "FBI WARNING". Below is the standard warning text.

Variant: Starting in 1995, the warning is 100% 2D and here are the changes.
 * "FBI WARNING" in particular is now white with a black border.
 * The bar at the top is now a solid red without a border.
 * the warning text is also in a different font and arranged differently.
 * "FBI WARNING" is also smaller.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Seen on most Manga tapes distributed by PolyGram Video in the United States, including Black Magic M-66, the Patlabor movies, and Psychic Wars. It was also seen on all tapes distributed by Palm Pictures, including X, The Castle of Cagliostro, and Rayearth.

6th Warning (1995-1997)
Warning: On a white background, we see a black rectangle with the standard FBI letters and logo. To its left is the word "WARNING" in red, and below that, the standard warning text.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Seen on many PolyGram-era tapes from Manga Entertainment, including Macross II, Ghost in the Shell, and Dangaioh.

1st Warning (1981-1986)
Warning: On a black background, this text is shown in white: '''WARNING All rights of the producer and of the owner of the work reproduced reserved. Unauthorised copying, hiring, lending public performance, radio or TV broadcasting of this video recording prohibited. '''

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Extremely rare. Seen at the end of the first PolyGram Video releases in the UK, such as Rankin/Bass' The Flight of Dragons and The Wind in the Willows. Also appears on many PolyGram rental releases of Spectrum Video material, including Endless Love, An American Werewolf in London, King of the Mountain, McVicar and Quadrophenia.

2nd Warning (1983-1992)
Warning: On a black background, we see the word "WARNING" in red. Below it is the following text in white: After a few seconds, it fades out.

Variant: On Hoyts-PolyGram Video releases, the background is white and the warning text is black.

FX/SFX: A fade-out.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Extremely rare. It's usually seen on Hoyts-Polygram Video VHS releases in Australia. Strangely, it appears on the 1995 US Video Treasures VHS of Raw Deal, as this appears after the 1987-1998 Video Treasures logo and before the Hoyts-PolyGram Video logo, even though it's sourced from an Australian master.

3rd Warning (1984-1998)
Warning A: On a black background, we see the word "WARNING" in orange, and below is the following text in orange: All rights of the producer and of the owner of the work reproduced reserved. Unauthorised copying, hiring, lending, public performance, radio or TV broadcasting of this video recording prohibited.

Warning B: After the above text fades out, we see the following text fade in, in exactly the same font as the first warning: This video cassette was duplicated by Rank Video Duplication on behalf of PolyGram Video and with their approval.

Variant: Sometimes, the duplication notice is absent. This can be seen on British 4 Front Video and Channel 5 Video VHS releases.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Seen on all British PolyGram Video releases from 1984 to 1998. It can also be found on releases from UK companies PolyGram acquired, such as Vision Video and Channel 5 Video releases.

4th Warning (1990-1999)
Warning:: On a black background is the following text, all scrolling up, and in capitals: WARNING THIS VIDEOGRAM IS FOR PRIVATE DOMESTIC USE ONLY. ALL UNAUTHORISED USES INCLUDING COPYING, PUBLIC PERFORMANCE, BROADCAST OR TRANSMISSION BY DIFFUSION SERVICE OF THE WHOLE OR PART OF THIS VIDEOGRAM ARE PROHIBITED. UNAUTHORISED USE MAY INCUR DAMAGES FOR BREACH OF COPYRIGHT AND CRIMINAL PENALTIES OF UP TO FIVE YEARS IMPRISONMENT AND FINES OF UP TO $50,000 PER OFFENCE FOR INDIVIDUALS AND $250,000 PER OFFENCE FOR CORPORATIONS.

Variant I:: On later years, different font, similar to Helvetica, was used.

Variant II:: On later releases with the certain tapes, the text is replaced by the following: WARNING The Copyright Proprietor Has Licensed The Picture And Soundtrack Contained In This Video Cassette For Private Home Use Only. It Is An Infringement Of Australian Copyright Laws To Copy, Reproduce, Show In Public Including Hotels And Motels In Whole Or In Part. Violators Are Subject To Criminal And Or Civil Prosecution.

FX/SFX:: The text scrolling up.

Music/Sounds:: None.

Availability:: Seen on PolyGram releases in Australia, such as It's Fun to Learn with Spot Colors and Shapes, Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels, Out of Africa (Universal) and Hard Target (Universal).

5th Warning (1993-1997)
Warning: On a black background, we see the word " WARNING " in the same font as the 1993 PolyGram logo in white, and below is the following text (also in white): The copyright proprietors have licensed the cinematograph film and sound recording contained in this videogram for private home use only. All other rights reserved. Any unauthorised use including copying, editing, exhibiting, renting, lending, diffusion, hiring, public performance, radio or television broadcasting or otherwise dealing with this videogram or any part thereof is strictly prohibited.

FX/SFX: The fading of the text.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Seen on British PolyGram Video releases from 1993-1997, as well as some American releases.

6th Warning (1997-1999)
Warning: On a black background, we see the word "WARNING" in white, and below is the white warning text from the previous warning.

FX/SFX: The fading of the text.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Seen on British PolyGram Video releases from 1997-1999.

(1993?-1999)
Warning: On a black background, the 1993 PolyGram Video logo animates as normal, however, once it's done, the following text in begins scrolling up as the logo fades out:

Der Copyright-Inhaber hat das Programm auf dieser Videocassette ausschließlich zur privaten Nutzung freigegeben. Er verbietet die vollständige und teilweise anderweitige Nutzung, insbesondere die Kopierung, Vervielfältigung, Überspielung, die Öffentliche Vorführung und den kommerziellen Verleih.

Following the scroll, publish info scrolls up and settles on the center of the screen.

Translation: The copyright holder has released the program on this video cassette exclusively for private use. It prohibits the complete and partial other use, in particular copying, duplication, dubbing, public performance and commercial rental.

Variant: Some releases have the text in a more plain blue color and in a slightly different font. The publishing info also varies depending on the release.

FX/SFX: The logo animating, the text scrolling.

Music/Sounds: For the first few seconds, just the sounds of the logo. Afterwards, it's silent.

Availability: Seen on German PolyGram releases including Barney's Insel der Fantasien (Barney's Imagination Island).

Legacy On the regular variant, where is the year of publishing, and why are "PolyGram GmbH" and the publish symbol spaced so far apart?