Facts

X Men 2 - First Movie to Feature New Copyright Notice.

The Federation Against Copyright Theft Ltd (FACT) is working with Twentieth Century Fox to protect forthcoming Hollywood blockbusters from being copied, by pirates using camcorders in UK cinemas. As a new preventative measure, a 20 second copyright warning is being introduced as a trailer, the first of which appeared on screens nationwide when ‘X Men 2’ was released on 1 May 2003.

The warning message is the latest advancement in FACT’s drive against video and DVD piracy and serves to educate film viewers that cinema camcording is a crime. It also provides a hotline number to FACT investigators for those who wish to report illegal activities. The text will appear in static form across two screens, following the British Board of Film Classification censorship notice and read as follows:

WARNING FROM THE FEDERATION AGAINST COPYRIGHT THEFT LTD (FACT) "IT IS A CRIMINAL OFFENCE TO COPY OR ATTEMPT TO COPY ANY FILM, OR FILM RELATED ARTICLE, SHOWN OR DISPLAYED IN THIS CINEMA. PUNISHMENT OR CONVICTION IS AN UNLIMITED FINE AND IMPRISONMENT UP TO A MAXIMUM OF 10 YEARS. YOU ARE NOT PERMITTED TO BRING ANY CAMERA OR RECORDING EQUIPMENT INTO THIS CINEMA. THIS WILL BE TREATED AS AN ATTEMPT TO BREACH COPYRIGHT. ANY PERSON DOING SO CAN BE EJECTED AND THE POLICE MAY CONFISCATE SUCH ARTICLES. WE ASK THE AUDIENCE TO BE VIGILANT AGAINST ANY SUCH ACTIVITY AND REPORT ANY MATTERS AROUSING SUSPICION TO CINEMA STAFF. THANK YOU."

Spencer Mott, director of operations at FACT comments: "Other than the obvious illegality of using camcorders to copy films screened in the UK, the counterfeit products produced will be sub-standard and in most cases unwatchable. Whichever way you look at this, inevitably it will be the consumer who is defrauded as a result.

"The aim of the copyright warning trailer is to act as a deterrent to potential offenders and also to provide witnesses with the means to report such illegal activity. We expect a significant decrease in the number of perpetrators as a result of this new measure."

FACT estimates that UK counterfeiters are currently costing film retailers and distributors a combined loss of £400 million per year in sales, with a piracy infiltration rate of 20-30 per cent.