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Sound and vision giants team up on Blitz
The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) heralded the gift-giving season this week with the launch of a two-month Holiday Blitz – a series of initiatives designed to combat and increase public awareness of film and music piracy. The chief objective of the Blitz is to clamp down on the quantity of bogus DVDs and CDs that will flood the market in the run-up to Christmas.
While the two Associations have made plans for tackling piracy within US shores – deploying extra security at cinemas to crack down on camcording and tracking illegal music distribution networks – they have also issued some universal points of advice on pirated goods:
- You Get What You Pay For: In the majority of cases, a low price equals fake product
- Too New To Be True: DVDs of films that haven’t been released yet or are still playing will almost certainly be pirates
- Too Good To Be True: ‘Dream compilation’ CDs of songs by artists from different labels are likely to be illegal
- Read the Label: DVD or CD covers with no manufacturers’ addresses signify piracy
- Suspicious Packaging: Mis-spelt words, blurry graphics and poor print quality are commonly found on substandard copies
- Sale In Unusual Places: Street-vendors and market stalls are unlikely to sell quality originals
- Trust Your Ear: The sound quality of pirates is either poor or inconsistent
Announcing the Blitz, RIAA executive vice-president, Brad Buckles, said: ‘When consumers buy the real thing, everyone wins.’
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