Draft:Home Video Anti-Piracy Notices

From the Audiovisual Identity Database, the motion graphics museum




"Piracy. It's a Crime" Bumper

Bumper (2004-2013)


Visuals: There is a woman on a computer downloading a film, then it cuts to the animated stripes background with the words "YOU WOULDN'T STEAL A CAR" in a thin grungy font, then it cuts to a man carjacking a car in a street, then it cuts to the same background with the words "YOU WOULDN'T STEAL A HANDBAG", then it cuts to the same man stealing a woman's handbag, then it cuts to the same background "YOU WOULDN'T STEAL A TELEVISION" then it cuts to a guy handing the man a television before he walks off with it, then it cuts to the same background with the words "YOU WOULDN'T STEAL A MOVIE" then it cuts to the man stealing a DVD. Then the clips reverse until it cuts to the same background with the words "DOWNLOADING", "PIRATED", "FILMS" and "IS STEALING" appearing one at a time. Then it cuts to the same woman waiting for the film to download, then it cuts to the same background with the word "STEALING" and it cuts to the woman canceling the download, then it cuts to the same background with the words "IS AGAINST", then it cuts to the close up of the computer, then it cuts to the same background with the words "THE LAW" then it cuts to the woman having canceled the download. She grabs her bag and walks out of her bedroom, then it cuts to the same background with the words "PIRACY IS A CRIME" until it cuts to black.

Trivia:

  • This bumper was created by the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT), the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS). Despite this, both the outdoor and interior scenes look like they were recorded in the United States.
  • As mentioned below, the Big Six members of the MPA that used this bumper in the United States were Paramount Pictures, MGM, Twentieth Century Fox, and select DVDs and Blu-rays released by Disney (usually under the Touchstone, Hollywood Pictures, and Miramax labels, although some Blu-rays of some Disney-branded films used this bumper as well). While the "Downloading" variant appears on some DVDs released by the former three, the "Buying" variant appears on other DVDs released by them and Disney titles. Sony Pictures, Warner Bros., and Universal Studios DVDs contained this bumper in overseas territories.
  • The MPAA Illegal Downloading rating bumper was based off of the MPAA rating boxes, and originally appeared on their "You can click, but you can't hide" posters.
  • Among the top 10 list in the download catalogue as revealed in the "Downloading" variant were:
    • Return Of The King
    • The Cat In The Hat
    • The Matrix Revolutions
    • Paycheck
    • Cheaper By The Dozen
    • Peter Pan
    • Cold Mountain
    • Master And Commander
    • The Last Samurai
    • Mona Lisa Smile
  • Among the new releases in the download catalog were:
    • The Matrix Revolutions
    • Return Of The King
    • Cold Mountain
  • The celebrity spotlight in the download section was Nicole Kidman.
  • The subcategories in the "Download Your Favorites" list were:
    • Trailers
    • Featurettes
    • Movie Posters
    • Celebrity Photos
  • Options in the Celebrity Poll:
    • Steven Spielberg
    • Martin Scorsese
    • Clint Eastwood
  • Subcategories in the Genre category:
    • Drama
    • Comedy
    • Action
    • Horror
    • Western
    • Thriller
  • This bumper was parodied in an episode of The IT Crowd.

Variants:

  • On Australian VHS and DVDs, the red word "CANCELED" on the computer screen is spelled as "CANCELLED" and at the end, it cuts to "REPORT IT." and an anti-piracy hotline number and URL. On most VHS, it instead cuts to black, and fades to the text (on a black background). The former change is likely due to the spelling of "canceled" being different in Australian English.
    • A rare version (seen on Universal VHS tapes) has "DON'T BUY INTO IT. MOVIE PIRACY: IT'S A CRIME." instead for the "Downloading" variant.
  • Sometimes, there is a different thievery scene that takes place inside an office, and a cell phone being the item that you would not steal (this scene replaces the thievery scene for the television); as a result, "MOBILE PHONE" replaces "TELEVISION". Also, the beginning/end scene is replaced with people trying to sell pirated movies, and another group of people (including the female teenager) trying to buy them, until they find that they are trying to buy pirated movies and therefore reject the offers, walking away in the process. Along with these things, "DOWNLOADING" is replaced with "BUYING".
  • On U.S. prints of VHS, DVDs and Blu-rays, "DVD" replaces "MOVIE". Also, the MPAA Illegal Downloading rating bumper appears in white when the bumper cuts to black.
  • There is a rare U.S. version of the bumper that looks identical to the above mentioned variant, except "VHS" replaces "MOVIE". It is unconfirmed which American VHS tapes used this variant.
  • Sometimes, on British VHS and DVDs, "MOVIE PIRACY" replaces "DOWNLOADING/BUYING PIRATED FILMS".
  • On some United Kingdom DVDs, the screen cuts to black slightly earlier, and some VHS static is slightly visible.
  • On titles released in some international countries, such as the Philippines, some of the words in this bumper are altered; "MOVIES" replaces "FILMS", "PURSE" replaces "HANDBAG", and "CELL PHONE" replaces "MOBILE PHONE".
  • The translation of the text may vary, due to the languages of some international countries.
  • On UK/European/Australian Universal and Warner Bros. DVDs, the "Buying" variant is used, except there is a British U rating with "Trailer" underneath shown on the bottom right of the screen during the first scene.
  • A prototype American version of the "Downloading" variant exists where "TV" replaces "TELEVISION", "PIRATED" is replaced with "PIRATED MOVIES", "FILMS" is replaced with "FROM THE INTERNET", and "PIRACY. IT'S A CRIME." is replaced with "PIRACY IS STEALING". At the end, it quickly sequels into the MPAA Illegal Downloading rating bumper. It is unknown if a prototype American "Buying" variant exists as well.

International Variants:

  • Argentina (Pirateria. Es un crimen): The text is noticeably smaller, and the MPA and UAV logos appear when the bumper cuts to black. Warner DVDs have "Pirateria. No vale a la peña." instead, some of the text is different and the MPA and UAV logos are removed.
  • Brazil (Pirataria. E crime): Similar to the Argentinian version, but in Portuguese. When the bumper cuts to black, the MPA and ADEPI logos appear, along with logos of companies supporting the campaign, and it later cuts to the ADEPI logo alone, with info about reporting piracy and ADEPI’s website. So far, this version only appears on Brazilian Warner DVDs.
  • Chile (Pirateria. Es un crimen): Same as the Brazillian version, but it uses the Argentinian version, the second screen is removed, and different logos appear. On VHS, both the "Downloading" and "Buying" versions are shown.
  • Croatia (Piratstvo je kriminal): Uses a different font for the text. When the bumper cuts to black, it cuts to text saying "uz pokroviteljstvo Državni zavod za intelektualno vlasništvo Republike Hrvatske". An MPA copyright notice fades in on the lower right.
  • Czech (Pirátství je zločin)
  • Dutch (Piraterij is een misdrijf): Has the filmdiefstal.nl logo under the text. Another version exists which lacks the logo.
  • French (Le piratage, c'est du vol)
  • Greek (Η Πειρατεία είναι Έγκλημα): The non-live action scenes are re-done with a different background and font. At the end it cuts to Greek text on the same background.
  • India (Piracy. It's a Crime.): The "Buying" variant is used, and seems to be (ironically) camera-recorded. On some VCDs, it fades to text saying "TO REPORT PIRACY LOG ONTO www.filmpiracy.com" on a static background.
  • Korean: The text is all on one line, and the bumper cuts to black at the end. Then, info about the campaign in Korean pops up. On VHS, it segues into the 2004 South Korean VHS Warning Bumper.
  • Portugal (Punível até 3 anos de prisão): Two versions exist: a 30-second version or a 1-minute version.
  • Spain (La piratería es un delito.): When the bumper cuts to black, "AHORA A LEY ACTUA" slides in, and then the ICAA, MJUS, and FAP logos fade under the text. Another version exists which lacks the logos.
  • Turkish: The non-live action scenes are (cheaply) redone with a different background and font. If you can watch closely, you can see the same text, but with the original background and font. At the end, it cuts to a white background with logos of companies supporting the campaign in Turkey.

Technique: Live-action, the animations of the letters.

Audio: A rock theme, which sounds similar to "One Man Army" by The Prodigy.

Audio Variant: On the "MOVIE PIRACY IS STEALING" variant, the music is sped-up by 4% with a +0.68 pitch increase. As a result, the audiovisual sync is noticeably improved compared to the regular version.

Availability: Common in foreign countries, but uncommon in the United States. This bumper can be viewed on VCDs, VHS tapes, DVDs, HD-DVDs, and Blu-rays released worldwide.

  • In the USA, this bumper can be found on numerous DVDs from Paramount, MGM, 20th Century Fox (from 2005-07), Touchstone, Hollywood Pictures and Miramax (from 2006-08), as well as American Paramount High Definition HD-DVDs/Blu-rays from 2006-07 and American Buena Vista Home Entertainment Blu-rays from 2006-08. In the States, the "Buying" version debuted on the 2005 DVD release of Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story and made its final appearances on the 2008 DVD/Blu-ray releases of Golden Door and Con Air; on the other hand, the "Downloading" version debuted on DVDs beginning with the 2005 DVD releases of Garfield: The Movie and Fat Albert (2004) and ending with the 2007 DVD release of Porky’s Revenge.
  • In international countries, a handful of home video companies use this bumper on their titles; these include 20th Century Fox, Disney, Warner, DreamWorks, Sony Pictures, and Universal Studios.
  • Despite being discontinued in the United States in 2008, this bumper was still shown on titles released overseas until 2013.
  • Also shown theatrically as a bumper.

Legacy: This bumper is rather infamous for annoying many people with its aggressive anti-piracy stance, and became a source for a number of parodies and memes.

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