Steed
' Bootleg DVDs becoming commonplace
' Now that the general public have cottoned on to DVD, it seems the bootleggers have ramped up their operations and are causing problems for genuine DVD retailers.
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' A bootleg DVD has usually been filmed in a cinema by someone with a camcorder and then transferred at relatively low bit rates to recordable DVDs. They are available from the far east for as little as 7 pence each and sold in the UK for between Ј10 and Ј15. Titles include Monsters Inc and Harry Potter – neither of which are available on genuine DVDs for some weeks or months. Of course DVD silvers are much lower quality than DVD – or VHS – but the people who buy them either don't know or care about this, and so there is a growing market.
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' AV Forums sponsor West Midlands DVD have ceased operations, they say, because the impact of bootleggers is so big – particularly at some computer fairs where bootleg DVDs are often openly available.
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' I spoke to Spencer Mott, director of operations at FACT, who is well aware of the situation and coordinating regular visits to computer fairs to prosecute the offenders. They are also investigating internet based organisations and are working with ISPs to close down illegal operations. FACT got a lot of stick back in 1999 and 2000 when they clamped down on UK based region 1 importing retailers, but thankfully they are now focussing on the region free bootlegs.
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' The temptation to sell illegal DVDs seems to be so strong that some legitimate retailers have been jumping on the bandwaggon. The DVD Forums had to recently remove adverts from a site sponsor after receiving evidence that they had been selling titles such as Lord of The Rings and Jimmy Neutron (not available on genuine DVD for months) on bootleg DVDs. Check out the thread at The DVD Forums.
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' Bootleg DVDs undermine the business of genuine retailers and are terrible quality. We encourage anyone who sees bootleg DVDs being sold to report the seller to FACT at
' 7 Victory Business Centre
' Warton Road
' Isleworth
' Middlesex
' TW7 6DB
' Tel: +44 (0)20 8568 6646
' Fax: +44 (0)20 8560 6364
' E-mail: contact@fact-uk.org.uk
' http://www.fact-uk.org.uk/
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' Posted by Stuart Wright
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