FBI busts camcorder pirates responsible for 50% of all bootlegs

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Posted by	Dan Bell
Posted on	29/06/06 02:49
Number of views	919

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FBI busts camcorder pirates responsible for 50% of all bootlegs

This is amazing. Apparently, the FBI has managed to arrest 13 persons, that were involved in an operation running since 1999, that specialized in recording films in theaters on a camcorder. On Wednesday, the FBI broke up two rings in New York City. Industry Officials claim that the scofflaws are responsible for half of all pirated camcorder films!

By using file sharing networks, the pirates were able to quickly distribute their bootleg films to Pakistan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and other countries. Another interesting twist, is these people were into some social engineering and were actually able to gain access to advance screenings and this would lead to even bigger profits for them.

Because counterfeiters sometimes bribe their way into advance screenings, their work can hit the black market before the movies are released in theaters, part of a broader scheme the movie industry says robbed it of an estimated $18 billion in global revenue in 2005.

One of the movies the suspects were conspiring to profit from was "Superman Returns," the highly anticipated film released Wednesday, officials said.

The FBI learned that assistants were used to surround "cammers," people who specialize in covertly filming movies, to conceal their filming and prevent people from blocking the view.

The video shooters were paid several hundred dollars per film by manufacturers who would duplicate and package fake DVDs in counterfeit labels for distribution to street peddlers, the court papers said. The bootlegs sell for up to $19 a piece.

Who in the world would pay 19 dollars for a bootleg movie? Makes you wonder if the whole story isn't concocted by the MPAA!

Source: Seattle PI

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Posted by Zod on Thursday 29 June 2006 03:03

When I was younger i always wondered where one could buy a bootlegged movie, you saw them talked about on the news, or referenced in a tv show, but unfortunately i never figured out where to get a copy.

I would think more people just download them then actually pay for them, with broadband penetration increasing, its not really that hard to get a copy for free.

I see a fair number of movies in the theatre, and buy ones i really like on dvd, but sometimes theres one i really really really like and I need something to tide me over from the theatre date to the dvd release date

Posted by hazel_wu on Thursday 29 June 2006 03:10

It really depends on where you live to get a bootleg. I know that downtown LA has many Mexicans selling bootleg DVDs.

Posted by psychoace on Thursday 29 June 2006 04:13

you can get them at flea markets and if you live in a big city there are lots of street vendors

Posted by leebo on Thursday 29 June 2006 07:12

This is great news!!! Now they wont ever have to enable the copy protect flag in the new HD formats. While they're at it, they can stop showing those stupid "Don't steal movies" commercials at the theater (even though everyone watching has paid for a ticket).

Posted by crustyteacup on Thursday 29 June 2006 13:21

Here in the UK you can find bootleggers in pubs quite a bit. Last weekend in fact a guy came into the pub with a hugh backpack full of copied films (new ones out in the cinema and older ones that you would find on DVD). The landlord didn't give a toss that he was selling copies and he turns up every week. Hell i've known of policeman buying copies in pubs they don't care either.

Posted by Jim Kiler on Thursday 29 June 2006 14:56

Why anyone would watch a movie from a crappy camcorder is beyond me. But I don't live in a 3rd world country making $200 a year.

Posted by psychoace on Thursday 29 June 2006 15:45

hahahah policeman in a pub that would get his fired over here.

Anyway I once went to a liquer store to pick up some booze and I get out of the car and a guy in another car rolls down his window and says "hey yo I got your movies" and then showed some copied movies I thought it was funny cause who would of thought selling pirated video's in front of a liquer store would be a great buisness venture.

Posted by shuma02 on Thursday 29 June 2006 15:52

For once I agree that this is good news. The quality is not worth the money and you find yourself squinting and tired after watching a camcorder movie. I don't see how such a movie is worth even the $5 bucks they cost on the street.

Sad part is, even if you ask them "Is it a DVD copy or a Recorded version?", they will ALWAYS say it's a DVD copy, only to no suprise when you get home it is of course a camcorder recorded version.

Posted by Hypnosis4U2NV on Thursday 29 June 2006 16:22

Knowing that the quality of the movies is so poor, how people buy them is beyond me.. I put one on the other day (someone else had bought it) and I turned it off about 5 mins later.. People standing up walking across the screen, coughing, talking and cell phones ringing.. Of course lets not forget I was squinting the entire 5 mins to make out the picture..

I think I should be paid for watching movies like this, not the other way around..

Posted by punan on Thursday 29 June 2006 16:27

Some of you do talk pure crap..

TELESYNC Cars *XViD* maVen 8.9/8.1/8.2
TELESYNC Click maVen 8.8/8.1/8.1

theres two new cams that you can buy on dvd now the 1st rating is picture quality the second is sound quality and the 3rd is actuall entertainment value..telesyncs are proffesional cams with direct audio,also you can buy/download telecines which are taken off the actuall reel

TELECINE The Breakup *SVCD*
TELECINE Poseidon *SVCD*
TELECINE Cars *SVCD*
TELECINE The Omen *SVCD*

etc etc now whos complaing about crappy bootlegs??? im not

Posted by psychoace on Thursday 29 June 2006 17:08

Not a lot of vendors use online sources. It's not common to see one of these releases on the street your more likely going to get cams that are done by one of the bootleggers or a guy that the bootlegger hires (there is a Seinfeld episode about this). Since most of the sellers are over 30 and probably are never on a computer you can assume they just use the same method they have been for years. Also unlike cam groups they are just trying to make the most money as possible so they have no reason to buy an High Def camcorder when they can easily sell video taken from a webcam or vhs-c. They also don't learn special techniques or spend time recording the audio from the handicap headphone jack and then use there computer to insert it into the movie. They just do a straight line in feed with a capture card device and spit it onto dvd. Then make tons of copies. It's really pathetic.
[edited by psychoace on 29.06.2006 17:12]

Posted by punan on Thursday 29 June 2006 18:57

well these guys must not have repeat business why is the fbi/mpaa going after them??surely if the sold crap theyd go outta business themselves.. plus what about older titles??do you think these people keep running their first crappy cam they used even when its out on retail?

Posted by Waethorn on Thursday 29 June 2006 19:24

AHEM! SVCD??! Good Quality??!? The two terms should not be in the same sentence together.

Also, anybody that's using framerate conversion on a telecine machine should be shot! All these newb cammers can't get that right! Leave it progressive scan and let a DVD player do it if it's required. NTSC allows for 24fps progressive playback and even PAL DVD players will do it properly now.

Posted by neo1918 on Thursday 29 June 2006 20:14

"People standing up walking across the screen, coughing, talking and cell phones ringing.."

Wait a minute! I usually pay $8 to get this same experience live.

Posted by heystoopid on Friday 30 June 2006 05:29

Great statisics in regard to fraud(or is the movie industry deliberately underpaying it taxes by a trillion dollars or so?), for it must mean that these pesky pirates world wide must have a huge production plants that would make the ones owned by EMI UK, pale into insignificance!

I wonder if you could locate these pirate plants, with Google Earth?

Posted by Hypnosis4U2NV on Friday 30 June 2006 16:37

LOL

..

And thats one of the reasons why I dont go to the cinema anymore..

Posted by intercept on Saturday 01 July 2006 10:48

7 years to catch them, what on earth were they doing

FYI Cam copies are not worth the media they are burnt on.

Greetz to all

Posted by intercept on Saturday 01 July 2006 11:02

He He I get to keep my complete arcade rom set (Mame)

Space Harrier is one of the best games.

Some **** grassed me up along time ago I lost the lost except for me PC. Year on and I everything again.

Greetz to all

Off topic in a way.

There is a local market near me and a woman I know has a book stall there. She gets me 1 or 2 dvd's filled with music for nothing all she asks is that I burn some albums of the dvd so no money passing hands.

Posted by intercept on Saturday 01 July 2006 11:05

They do that at Wigan Pier Junction 25 off the M56 here in the UK 2 lads come in every week and flog movies some cam or telescyn

Greetz to all

Posted by debro on Saturday 01 July 2006 11:49

Wow! $20US/$25au for a grainy, hissing copy?

Find a cheaper cinema & take someone with you

Or see an off-peak session, they're cheaper than buying a bad bootleg copy.

You'd have to be crazy to BUY a bootleg copy.

Posted by Shoebedobedoo on Sunday 02 July 2006 13:12

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