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Here is a direct link to the Press Release (PDF) http://mpaa.org/press_releases/2006_05_09.pdf

No, it's an official MPAA thing... see the PDF linked from the bottom: http://mpaa.org/press_releases/2006_05_09.pdf

It doesn't make sense to try to sue your customer

Oh really?

Saying things like (in effect), "ha ha, they are so stupid they think me making a backup copy of something I bought is a loss!" is funny and all, but it's not very intellectually honest. We're all pretty smart here, so I think we all understand that they don't actually think this."

I don't think you can make such a definitive statement. I was only able to find summaries of the study here:
http://www.mpaa.org/press_releases/2006_05_03leksu mm.pdf

If you read the definition of illegal copying they say "Making illegal copies for self or receiving illegal copies from friends of a legitimate VHS/DVD/VCD". They do not define what an illegal self copy is. Since it is poorly defined in the report there is no way to know if backups are included in that number. Decrypting a DVD with certain programs is illegal even if it is for backup purposes. Why would you assume they would omit a group of people that the MPAA has previously sued under the DMCA or Copyright and Related Rights Regulations 2003 in the EU?

From MPAA site http://www.mpaa.org/researchStatistics.asp
> Worldwide box office held steady at $23.24 billion in 2005.
> Although down 7.9% from 2004, the worldwide box office
> reflected a 46% growth over 2000. (Refer to page 5 of the
> 2005 Theatrical Market Statistics Report)

$6.1 / $23.24 - seems like they just went for 25%

Excuse me where are my manners... Have you met the RIAA and the MPAA yet? So how about that internet, talk amongst yourselves.

More with your mouse over the bottom of each page in the press release: http://www.mpaa.org/press_releases/2006_02_21_raze r.pdf
You will vind a hidden registration link.
You guys have now stolen so much, the MPAA cannot afford anymore to pay a $30 registration fee to Iteksoft. http://www.iteksoft.com/modules.php?op=modload&nam e=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=4

I agree. The record labels would have us think that every downloaded song equates a lost CD sale. The movie studios could even say that every downloaded movie is a lost movie ticket AND a lost DVD sale. That's not the case at all, and any rational person understands that most people don't go see a movie a week, yet I know of people who download far more than that.

From 1995 to 2005, movie ticket sales rose 100,000,000 units. And that includes a very sharp decline from almost 1.6b in 2002 to under 1.4b in 2005. A similar period of time--1983 to 1995, shows half the rate of growth (I added two years because 1985 shows a larger drop in ticket sales than 2005 and skews the numbers a bit).

Movie ticket sales are going up. DVD sales are going up. They just aren't going up fast enough for the movie industry. These figures make it clear that not every download represents a lost sale.

Straight from the horse's mouth: http://www.mpaa.org/researchStatistics.asp

eases....

the mpaa uses pirated pdf tools for their pressreleases

also see

http://www.slyck.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=19476& postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=75

(check the posting of the nxm dude in that thread)

check their pdf at:

http://www.mpaa.org/press_releases/2006_02_21_raze r.pdf

(wonder why its named razer.pdf when the site they took down was called razorback2. are they as dumb as shit?)

This movie just made my must see list

Yeah, same here. It isn't publically available right now, though. However, I hear that these guys may be able to hook you up with a copy ;)

No more perfect way to quash piracy but to report it to the MPAA. http://www.mpaa.org/ReportPiracy.asp

You can report the suspected piracy to the mpaa here:
http://www.mpaa.org/ReportPiracy.asp

--AC

Quick! Report them to http://mpaa.org/ReportPiracy.asp

http://www.mpaa.org/movieratings/about/index.htm

http://www.riaa.com/issues/parents/advisory.asp

The major problem with the legislation is that its not necessary. For this to work, all you need to do is convince the retailers to embrace it. For example, any five-year old can legally buy a porno, but any retailer will refuse them, legally.

> does the MPAA have a site like that of the British Board of Film Classification?

MSN Search (or that other engine) not working for you?

http://mpaa.org/movieratings/about/index.htm

"Valente" was neither MPAA nor RIAA. Jack Valenti, however, was the former head of the MPAA.

http://www.mpaa.org/jack/

Q: Some computer users say they only want to use DeCSS to view their DVDs on computers that use the Linux operating system. Windows- and Macintosh-based computers can play DVDs, so is it fair to deprive the Linux community?

A: The Linux argument is a false issue. It has always been in the interest of the Motion Picture industry that there be as many legitimately licensed DVD players as possible, including those using non-Windows operating systems. However the argument that DeCSS was written for Linux players is simply false. The De-CSS utility was written for Windows-based software, not Linux.

Also, the development of two, separate, licensed DVD players for Linux systems - which use the CSS system - were recently announced. Sigma Designs (www.sigmadesigns.com) and InterVideo Inc. (www.intervideo.com) both announced the roll-out of LICENSED, LEGAL Linux-based DVD players.

Do you plan on supporting Linux?
There are no plans to support the Linux OS.

So then I look around http://www.intervideo.com/ and all I can find are windows only DVD software. WTF?

So I'm at a loss here.. Where are the liscensed linux DVD players the MPAA is referring to?

I think the problem (from their perspective) is that Linux users don't want to play DVDs in the way the RIAA wants to let them. Also, most Linux users will reject any proprietary / non-Free solution and worship the ground "DVD-John" walks on. On the other hand, many Linux users don't have a problem using the NVIDIA binaries, so maybe there is a place for proprietary dvd playback software on Linux.

That may or may not be the case, but how can they possibly know? There is *STILL* no sign of legal DVD Player software for linux that can be purchased by anyone. The MPAA DVD FAQ uses the excuse that there are two legal DVD players that have been "announced" giving links to SigmaDesigns and InterVideo [The makers of WinDVD]. I challenge you to find and purchase a copy of DVD Player software from either of those websites. A google search for "legal linux dvd player" comes up with some news items from November 2000 mentioning the announcement of LinDVD from InterVideo. But as you can see from the link, it is still not available to be purchased by end users. Gee, it's only been FIVE FARKING YEARS PEOPLE!!!

So until there is a legal Linux DVD player available for me to purchase at a reasonable price [if a hardware DVD player only costs $29 at Walmart, I should be able to get some software for quite a bit less than that], the MPAA will just have to deal with me using deCSS. They have no excuse and no choice in the matter.

(BTW, the MPAA says two companies released players, but there is no mention of players on either company's site. Either they were never there, or the MPAA hasn't updated their FAQ in a long while.)

It's more likely that the Linspire people know that all the legal might of the MPAA is moving to fight bigger issues like resurrecting the Broadcast Flag, implementing HDCP over HDMI, and protecting HD-DVD/Blu-Ray content. Does the MPAA really want to try to put the DVD cat back in the bag at this point, or work to keep the high-def cat in the bag?

MPAA DVD FAQ

[quote]
Some computer users say they only want to use DeCSS to view their DVDs on computers that use the Linux operating system. Windows- and Macintosh-based computers can play DVDs, so is it fair to deprive the Linux community?

The Linux argument is a false issue. It has always been in the interest of the Motion Picture industry that there be as many legitimately licensed DVD players as possible, including those using non-Windows operating systems. However the argument that DeCSS was written for Linux players is simply false. The De-CSS utility was written for Windows-based software, not Linux.

Also, the development of two, separate, licensed DVD players for Linux systems - which use the CSS system - were recently announced. Sigma Designs (www.sigmadesigns.com) and InterVideo Inc. (www.intervideo.com) both announced the roll-out of LICENSED, LEGAL Linux-based DVD players.
[quote]

SO they claim the purpose of DeCSS is for copying movies on windows, not for simply viewing them on Linux, intersting..

That's nothing.

There's evidence of grass consumption by various species of dinosaurs in north america. I'm not sure they eat it, though.

Even if the idea is not new, it still requires courage to copy it. There is also a good chance that they came up with the idea themselves, There are so few companies in the entertainment industry with corporate ethics. Anybody who ever looked at a DVD and wonders why only the distributing company is listed as copyright owner may soon figure out that there is something badly wrong with the entertainment industry. To pursue a business model which does not suck every cent out of an artist can be a risky attempt. I like to compliment Comic Genesis and Seven Seas Entertainment!

I don't think you want these asshole ruling you [...].

First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew.

Woe to the goyim when they release millenia of unabated ressentiment with the aid of our government.

Unfortunately, both the ??AAs and those opposed to DRM can be described as Luddites, can't they?
BTW, what use will googlebombing that bunch of Luddites serve?

_V_

Dear hey!

Your recent slashdot comment is infringing on my patented storyline. I will sue you for 100 BEELLION dollars.

Regards

A bunch of ludites

In South Korea... only old people have analog holes.

--
This Slashdot meme was brought to you by a bunch of Luddites

Like this: A bunch of Luddites

Can start here, complete with a nice color photo. Apparently got nailed by a pie at one point, but I imagine a couple spindles of blank DVD's would hurt a whole lot worse. Not that I would advocate such a thing.

No more of this MPAA, let people know who is behind it, which artists are in cahoots with this.

Well, this took a whole lot of effort...

If you're too lazy to click, here's the meat of it:
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution;(The Walt Disney Company)
Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.;
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.;
Paramount Pictures Corporation;
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation;
Universal City Studios LLLP; and
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

I may be wrong, but it does look like S. Korea is known for a major amount of piracy
Correct! You are wrong. South Korea is definitely not known for a major amount of piracy.

And is my opinion that we (United States) are no way as close to the piracy in other countries like South Korea as we tend to fear repercussions and law suits more then other countries do...

Excuse me while I don't trust your opinion. You project $27mill "piracy losses", meanwhile the RIAA projects "billions" annually from music piracy alone. I wouldn't trust the RIAA so much except that you used one MPAA link.

I didn't read variety.com and news.com.com because those aren't exactly the places I would go to get statistics. The mpaa link is specifically on South Korea. That's misleading. Read the following press release on piracy in general and see that South Korea doesn't even make the list.

http://www.mpaa.org/anti-piracy/press/97/97_3_12.h tm

Hong Kong & China mentioned.

Quote:
Italy remains a significant video piracy problem in the region with an estimated loss to the U.S. based motion picture industry of $294 million per annum.

Here's MPAA on anti-piracy mission:
http://www.mpaa.org/anti-piracy/

South Korea not even mentioned. Just because Google returned a link when you searched for something doesn't mean that result set contains valid links proving your point.

Cheers.

I may be wrong, but it does look like S. Korea is known for a major amount of piracy
Correct! You are wrong. South Korea is definitely not known for a major amount of piracy.

And is my opinion that we (United States) are no way as close to the piracy in other countries like South Korea as we tend to fear repercussions and law suits more then other countries do...

Excuse me while I don't trust your opinion. You project $27mill "piracy losses", meanwhile the RIAA projects "billions" annually from music piracy alone. I wouldn't trust the RIAA so much except that you used one MPAA link.

I didn't read variety.com and news.com.com because those aren't exactly the places I would go to get statistics. The mpaa link is specifically on South Korea. That's misleading. Read the following press release on piracy in general and see that South Korea doesn't even make the list.

http://www.mpaa.org/anti-piracy/press/97/97_3_12.h tm

Hong Kong & China mentioned.

Quote:
Italy remains a significant video piracy problem in the region with an estimated loss to the U.S. based motion picture industry of $294 million per annum.

Here's MPAA on anti-piracy mission:
http://www.mpaa.org/anti-piracy/

South Korea not even mentioned. Just because Google returned a link when you searched for something doesn't mean that result set contains valid links proving your point.

Cheers.

I did a simple google search (piracy in south Korea) and found the following interesting articles. I may be wrong, but it does look like S. Korea is known for a major amount of piracy And is my opinion that we (United States) are no way as close to the piracy in other countries like South Korea as we tend to fear repercussions and law suits more then other countries do...

http://www.mpaa.org/PiracyFactSheets/PiracyFactShe etSouthKorea.pdf

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117907504?catego ryid=1009&cs=1

Piracy losses (US$ millions) $27 million
Seizures (all items) 231,514
Piracy level (Video & Optical Disc) 25%

"Piracy has been on the rebound in South Korea since the economic downturn in 2001 and 2002. Historically, piracy of high quality, counterfeit videocassettes has been the most prevalent in the market. However, in 2003, there has been a significant increase in the number of DVD imports and optical disc burner operations in South Korea. In addition, duplication facilities of videocassette plants and now burner labs have become larger, more secretive and more sophisticated with technology. This signals a shift from the historical trend where piracy duplication facilities had small and medium capacity.

South Korea's cat-and-mouse with piracy

"With a piracy rate of 40 percent to 50 percent, according to various estimates, South Korea has become one of the hot spots for cracking down on illegal software."

Again I may be wrong but it seems that your statement is unfounded. - Cheers!

If I'm bitter about anything, it's the market manipulation.

No one who's seen 1/10th of the internet can honestly say "the market" wants "family-friendly" content. Maybe you're thinking the market only wants adult content in privacy, not in the BnM world. Then why do studios always make
movies that push the edge of the ratings,
NC-17 films that only make it to R
after a healthy bout of resubmissions,
sometimes without changing a thing?

Besides, if the market really wants content to be produced within these arbitrary boundaries, why do we need centralized ratings at all?

So what could explain this apparent disconnect? Maybe it's because rating boards are supported by nothing more than industry-wide collusion. Collusion makes the baby market cry.

Someone who respected capitalism would prefer an open market of ratings systems that compete fairly with one another, as I advocate, rather than propping up these coersive cartels.

So why not make the "official" ratings system incredibly permissive, and let people who disagree with it consult one of the free alternatives that already exist? All this does is kill the chilling effects of a centralized system. This lets you keep your ratings system for your kids, letting me choose differently for mine. Why is that such a threat? Why do you need everyone else to follow the ratings system you happen to prefer, when it's supported by neither a free market nor democracy?

and corporate lobby groups are always right?

i don't particularly care for the law, but...

the bill was voted on by those elected to office by the people of california. if you do a little research, you'll find that the bill was passed by quite a large margin. if the people in california don't like the law, then they should elect different officials. that's the way government works. i don't like the idea of corporate groups deciding what should and should not be law. hell, i suppose you'd like to elect someone like Mitch Bainwol (http://www.riaa.com/about/leadership/default.asp) or Dan Glickman (http://www.mpaa.org/about/dan/index.htm) as president to tell us what to do.

No shit, Sherlock. That's because she's a Senator, not a Representative.

Be assured that she is firmly in the pocket of the Hollywood fat cats on this. In fact, she co-sponsored the bill in the Senate.

Democrats have historically been more servile than Republicans to the entertainment industry moguls, despite their pious declarations of support for the interests of the little guy, and their campaign donations reflect this.

-ccm

Straight from the horse's mouth: http://www.mpaa.org/jack/99/99_10_28b.htm

"Or, you could by an Xbox and support Microsoft. Which is worse?"

And Sony is any better? Last I checked Sony wasn't just in the console, PC hardware and PC software (games) business, but they are also into music, video, movie production etc etc etc.

Sony has a huge hold in many different areas, and is also a part of the RIAA and also the MPAA.

Sony V.S. Microsoft isn't comparing apples to oranges, its comparing apples to apples.

Why do you think all the manufacturers are hellbent on pushing stuff like digital TV, new audio and video standards (BluRay and this)? Because of DRM, of course. Analog is being killed on purpose and DRM is coming. There's nothing you can do about it, so get ready for DRM'd computer hardware (goodbye home-built computers and open software), speakers, TVs, monitors and stereos.

Don't think that the customer's will allow this? Just wait and see. Analog TV broadcasts will end here in 2007 and you can bet that most of the stuff will be flagged with the broadcast flag.

Well, the actual purpose of this law is to stop stores from carrying 'M' rated games, much as they do not carry 'AO' rated games currently. They don't carry 'AO' games because if they do, they open themselves up to legal problems, and if this law sticks, retail stores in Illinois will stop carrying 'M' rated games.

I'm not sure that I follow you. This measure will not stop stores from carrying anything. It will require a label on certian games (similar to explicit lyrics labels on music) and it will require stores to check ID's to ensure that they're not selling games to kids. While I think it's a little excessive, it will not stop stores from doing anything other than selling to minors. If this is the beginning and end of the video game legislation, I'll be pretty content.

Stores who do not carry AO games are generally the same stores who do not carry NC-17 videos...like Walmart and Blockbuster who want to retain a middle-america 'family' image. Have you noticed the parallels between the ESRB and MPAA rating systems? They're practically identical, except that they have an EC rating (for Early Childhood). Their E (everyone) is synomous with G (General Audiences). E10+ is synomous with PG. T=PG-13, M=R, and AO=NC-17. The only difference (in this case) is that video games are a new enough media that legislators can beat up on them and issue legal mandates for the rating system (unlike the MPAA/movie industry, which is a self-imposed watchdog service) until a federal court case settles the legal and constitutional issues. In this case, IL is making a law which says that "R" rated games can't be sold to kids. Again, I think that it goes just a little too far (in not letting the industry regulate itself), but it's not the end of the world.

"Miami lawyer Jack Thompson is at it again, this time with something above and beyond absurd. Gamestop is reporting that Thompson has accused The Sims 2 of contain obscene material."

I suddenly asked myself this morning: what's in a rating?

The MPAA says theirs is a "Voluntary Movie Rating System", and they are assigned solely at the MPAA's discretion. G, PG, PG-13, R, NC-17 ... it's all a voluntary ratings system. AFAIK, it's not really enforced by law. That is, I don't know that federal law has anything that prohibits a 16-year-old from seeing an R-rated movie. Certainly, if the theater chooses not to let you to see it, you can pick it up 6 months later as a rental.

The TV ratings are TV-Y, TV-Y7, TV-Y7-FV ("fantasy violence"), TV-G, TV-PG, TV-14, TV-MA. These are all assigned by the TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board, and the ratings were (originally?) intended to be used together with the V-Chip to keep children from seeing inappropriate content.

The ESRB (as we are all aware by now) assigns game ratings based on responses to questionaires by those evaluating the games (usually, adults in & around New York.) Games can be rated EC, E, E10+, T, M, AO.

Why am I listing all this? Because I started to ask myself when the madness will stop about game ratings, and how it's all about protecting the children and making it easier for parents to pick content appropriate for their kids.

Why has no one argued to apply the same standard of ratings to books? Some argue that video games should be treated differently than, say, books because video games are more interactive while books are passive entertainment. But television and movies are passive entertainment.

If the argument is that game ratings help make sure kids "aren't exposed to indecent depictions" then why not use book ratings to ensure the same thing? Just like games, books can be rated EC (Little Golden Books), E ('Peter Rabbit'), E10+ ('Harry Potter' 1-4), T ('Harry Potter' 5-6), M (Stephenson, Gibson), AO (pr0n). Why wouldn't a book ratings system like this work?

Because it feels too much like censorship, that's why. It's not censorship, but too many people would think it crosses the line.

Just a thought..

As funny as that comment is, it's also a bit sobering. Just because shipping companies don't have as much sway, we're not paying attention to them. Check this: http://www.mpaa.org/anti-piracy/content.htm The movie industry loses less than a quarter of the money a year to web-pirates as the country does to sea-pirates

No, it is rated Mature 17+. It carries the same requisite as an R rated movie. You should be 17 or older to play the game unless a parent or guardian allows you to play the game. Just as you should have to be accompanied by an adult to watch an R-rated movie under the age of 17. Really the game contains less than what you would see in an R rated movie. I can understand the social panic, but this game has been out for a year now. Movies don't generate this kind of buzz, because of deleted nude scenes on the DVD a year after their original release. That is really what this is about deleted content on a DVD.

Maybe if the rating were R more parents would understand.

car.tel

• Home Theater: Cost of home theater system = $10,000 to achieve theater quality sound/picture quality (digital theater).
  Theater: $8.75 where I live.
• Home Theater: Cost of movie = $3 for a rental or $19.99 if I buy it. Since the legality of downloading movies of the Interweb is questionable at best I'm not even going to include that in my calculations.
  Theater: cost of movie was already covered.
• Home Theater: Cost of electricity = $ per Kilowatt hour to power all that hi-tech equipment.
  Theater: cost of gas to get to movie theater = ((Cost per gallon of gas/MPG)*(# of miles to theater))*2 = 2($2.19/35mpg)(2miles) ~ $0.25 of fuel.
  
  So, if let's do some math now. According to the MPAA, the average American goes to the theater 5.3 times per year MPAA report. So, that would be 5.3*$8.75=$46.38 per year on movie tickets. Let's assume you have a significant other or friend that accompanies you on a regular basis. So that's $92.75. Add our fuel costs of $0.25 per movie and we have $94.08. Now let's calculate the approximate annual costs of our all-digital home theater entertainment system. I'm not going to add in costs like a house or food because those are necessary, assumed expenses that you would have even if you were not to view movies. A decent HDTV is $2000. Add in $1000 for surround sound, $150 for a good DVD player, $300 for an amp, and then the $20 per movie purchase. We have a total of $3556.
  
  So, divide $3556 by $94.08 and we get ~38. How many people do you know that have owned an entertainment center for 38 years? How many systems will even last that long?
  
  Granted, there are things like fluctuating fuel and electricity costs. However, I just can't justify the expenses of a home theater system.

Who says downloads don't kill? The MPAA thinks that they do!

MPAA: International Copyright Piracy: Links to Organized Crime and Terrorism

Coming up next in Bizarro World: the Campaign for Safer Streets will be launching a 30 second ad segment pushing the claim that jay walking encourages terrorism.

The US takes $10 billion per year in ticket sales alone, and that's not counting DVD rentals & sales.

In Mother America, the marketing reps club you.

http://www.mpaa.org/MPAAPress/
it can't be a hoax, unless the hacker also hacked the MPAA website. check out the first press release on the mpaa website.

Today is a strange day to do it, considering that EliteTorrents just got shut down by the FBI and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Inital breaking story where the webpage appeared to be hacked: http://www.slyck.com/news.php?story=801
FBI Release: http://www.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel05/bittorre nt052505.htm
ICE release: http://www.ice.gov/graphics/news/newsreleases/arti cles/starwars052505.htm
MPAA Release: http://mpaa.org/MPAAPress/2005/2005_05_25b.doc