back to article Copyright nagware accord reaches 30

This month marks the 30th anniversary of the agreement that means legitimately purchased DVD/video owners everywhere have to sit through a minute of footage warning them about piracy. The nagware stems from a resolution against piracy made at a Stockholm meeting of Interpol on 8 September 1977. Fast forward 30 years and we …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Isn't it DAFT ...

    ... that if you pay many many pounds in a shop for a "genuine" DVD that cost pence to produce, you get an unwanted and intrusive advert and the only way to avoid it is to buy a pirate copy at lower price instead.

    Get rid of the silly advert and sell all genuine DVDs for under a fiver. Not only will you sell a lot more of them (and therefore make more profit) but you'll also probably stamp out most of the pirates too.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "a steady hand" ...

    ... or a convenient leak from the studio/distributor/academy etc. Funny how they never mention that in the "piracy funds <scary man> terrorism" claptrap.

  3. Vladimir Plouzhnikov

    Arrogant racketeers

    Few months ago I opened a DVD which I just bought from HMV and found a leaflet inside telling me to stop financing the immigration crime.

    Not knowing that I was, until that point, I read on to find out that

    - some Chinese cockle-pickers have drowned in Morecambe Bay some years ago

    - the cockle-pickers in question were survived by a large collection of pirated DVDs at their last place of residence

    - the pirated DVDs is what allowed the cockle-pickers, who otherwise would have safely remained in China and died there a peaceful death of starvation, to come to the UK and tragically drown in the cold forbidding waters of Morecambe Bay.

    - I must, clearly, be responsible for their deaths because, surely, I must have bought or considered buying some of these pirated DVDs in the past.

    Signed: BPI or FACT or I don't remember who....

    Things like that realy tempt me to stop buying DVDs from legitimate sources and switch to properly pirated stuff. At least there I won't be falsely accused of complicity in murdering innocent Chinese civilians.

  4. Edward Fingleton

    Diamond Jubilee???

    I was under the impression a diamond jubilee was a celebration of a 60th anniversary.

  5. Andrew Shirley

    Re: Arrogant racketeers

    If only they had sold more DVDs and picked less cockles.

    Everyone should, clearly, be helping to save these poor folks by visiting your nearest market or dodgy pub. Or are they perhaps the organised crime/drug dealers/terrorists we hear about

  6. Adrian Williams

    Chinese Cockle-Pickers @Vladimir

    Not wishing to sound too facetious but surely if we bought more pirated DVDs then those poor souls wouldn't have needed to pick cockles as they would be able to make a good wage standing on street corners punting the latest Spiderman flick.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Who's stealing from who?

    I have a substantial collection of DVDs. They are all genuine and the vast majority of them insist on wasting my time at the beginning with these pointless anti-piracy messages.

    I must have spent hours having to sit through this nonsense. It doesn't apply to me. I avoid pirated DVDs (and other goods too). These corporate thieves are stealing MY time whenever I have to watch one of these clips.

    The annoyance is compounded because I've no doubt that pirated copies of DVDs simply cut out these warnings. So the only people that end up being told not to steal are those that aren't stealing in the first place.

    I also agree that corporate greed and overpricing causes the problem in the first place.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I'm sure you've been told already ...

    ... that a diamond jubilee is 50 years ...

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Have to?

    >> This month marks the 30th anniversary of the agreement that means legitimately purchased DVD/video owners everywhere have to sit through a minute of footage warning them about piracy.

    To be fair you have only *HAD* to sit through the notice since the introduction of DVD (and maybe VCDs and LaserDisc, I wouldn't know), with VHS you could fast forward it.

  10. Matt

    eh?

    never seen these messages... Ooooo that's becouse all the stuff I download doesn't include it lol.

    I loved how suddenly pirate dvds supported terrorism after 9/11 that made me lol hard.

    Anyway legit dvds are a pain in the arse, you're forced to watch superior bullshit before getting to watch your film/series/whatever. No such problem on a good pirate.

    Pirates and downloaders, giving people what they want.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Don't get me started

    And if they are worried about punters financing terrorism through buying pirated DVDs, what about their own backyard? What about the terrorism that is financed by purchases of cocaine by Hollywood executives?

  12. Anthony

    Video :(

    The old type you could fast forward. Didn't have to watch the adverts then. Damn this modern technology. If your tape broke you could just sellotape it back together. Ever tried returning a game your xbox has scratched?

    You know this piracy thing though, the industry is forever telling us how much it costs. So, somewhere, there is a really really rich guy isn't there? Because someone must be making all the money they say they lose. Best place to look for pirates therefore is probably on the worlds richest list. Not thinking of anyone in particular of course..

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Diamonds and Gold

    Quote: I'm sure you've been told already ... that a diamond jubilee is 50 years ...

    Sorry Gold for 50, http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page150.asp

    Diamond for 60 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond_Jubilee

  14. Pete Foster

    Pain in the @ss "don't copy me"

    This YouTube just about sums it up:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRVHUbrbEUA

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