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.
Tuesday, May 20, 2003
Five Years of DVD
Cannes 21 May, 2003 - Commemorating the DVD format’s highly popular first five years in the marketplace, the DVD Entertainment Group Europe (DEGE) has released some ‘DVD at Five’ celebratory facts and figures.
The DVD phenomenon shows little sign of abating as increasing sales for both DVD software and hardware across Europe have confirmed its position as the home entertainment medium of customer choice (there was a 64% increase in software titles sold in Western Europe during January-March 2003 compared to the same quarter last year, according to GfK).
DVD is the fastest selling consumer technology of all time and these DVD Top Five Facts* prove it:
1. Sales of DVDs in Western Europe were nearly 3 times greater than sales of music CDs at the equivalent point in their history
2. After just 5 years on the market, the number of DVDs sold in Western Europe will actually overtake sales of pre-recorded VHS cassettes this year
3. Spending on DVD software has already overtaken spending on VHS software. VHS software spending in Western Europe last year (2002) totalled 3.5bn Euros compared to 5.5bn Euros spent on DVD
4. European DVD player owners are buying more than 3 times as many discs as VCR owners bought tapes at the peak of the VHS tape business
5. The number of DVDs sold grew by over 100 per cent last year in Europe
“DVD has revolutionised the home entertainment market. It is also giving life back to many movies with a number of classic films being restored and released on DVD,” said Jeff Brown, President, DVD Entertainment Group Europe and Senior Vice-President, Co-Managing Director, Europe, Middle East and Africa, at Warner Bros.
According to a pan-European consumer survey conducted by the National Research Group** the Top Five DVD Attributes are:
1. Picture quality
2. Sound quality
3. Special features available,
4. Durability of DVD discs
5. DVD disc size.
Cannes 21 May, 2003 - Commemorating the DVD format’s highly popular first five years in the marketplace, the DVD Entertainment Group Europe (DEGE) has released some ‘DVD at Five’ celebratory facts and figures.
The DVD phenomenon shows little sign of abating as increasing sales for both DVD software and hardware across Europe have confirmed its position as the home entertainment medium of customer choice (there was a 64% increase in software titles sold in Western Europe during January-March 2003 compared to the same quarter last year, according to GfK).
DVD is the fastest selling consumer technology of all time and these DVD Top Five Facts* prove it:
1. Sales of DVDs in Western Europe were nearly 3 times greater than sales of music CDs at the equivalent point in their history
2. After just 5 years on the market, the number of DVDs sold in Western Europe will actually overtake sales of pre-recorded VHS cassettes this year
3. Spending on DVD software has already overtaken spending on VHS software. VHS software spending in Western Europe last year (2002) totalled 3.5bn Euros compared to 5.5bn Euros spent on DVD
4. European DVD player owners are buying more than 3 times as many discs as VCR owners bought tapes at the peak of the VHS tape business
5. The number of DVDs sold grew by over 100 per cent last year in Europe
“DVD has revolutionised the home entertainment market. It is also giving life back to many movies with a number of classic films being restored and released on DVD,” said Jeff Brown, President, DVD Entertainment Group Europe and Senior Vice-President, Co-Managing Director, Europe, Middle East and Africa, at Warner Bros.
According to a pan-European consumer survey conducted by the National Research Group** the Top Five DVD Attributes are:
1. Picture quality
2. Sound quality
3. Special features available,
4. Durability of DVD discs
5. DVD disc size.
New Interactive Freeview Player
New free keyboard, new software, new functionality - at an all-new market-beating price...
Netgem's i-Player, the only set-top box which plugs into Freeview AND the Internet, is now available at a new price and with new software options - and a free wireless keyboard too! A one-off cost of only £129.99 gives you access to Freeview TV and radio, as well as to a host of online options.
The market-beating new Netgem i-Player package comes with a stylish cordless infra-red keyboard, so you can go online while watching TV and without even leaving the sofa!
The new software lets you:
- filter TV channels to create a 'personal favourite' list
- perform manual scanning and background scanning in stand-by mode
- enter your own ISP parameters for Internet access
- use your own existing email address
- connect to a home network and share a broadband ADSL connection via a USB-Ethernet adapter.
What's more, an optimised USB port provides connection to a range of storage devices, allowing the viewing of files and the playing of MP3 files or video clips stored on PCs or other devices. The port also increases support of webcams and other devices from leading manufacturers.
The i-Player's new user interface provides background images and semi-transparency, supports VCR programming, and offers new diagnostic pages to assist with trouble-shooting.
"We've put an awful lot of functionality into this box. This is our best-ever package, and the best deal you'll get anywhere!" said Joseph Haddad, CEO of Netgem.
In particular, the i-Player package is a must-see for the 60+% of Internet users who have unmetered access. They can now watch Freeview and access their favourite services simultaneously, using their own regular service provider and their own regular email address - and the free wireless keyboard gives them more interactive freedom and mobility.
Existing i-Player users will be able to download the new software release for free.
Joseph Haddad added, "The new software and the new keyboard that we are offering - and at a fantastic new price, too - makes the i-Player the best deal around. If you're an Internet user who wants to get more out of Freeview than TV and radio, this is definitely the box for you."
To order, call the freephone number 0870 366 7055 or visit www.netgem.com
New free keyboard, new software, new functionality - at an all-new market-beating price...
Netgem's i-Player, the only set-top box which plugs into Freeview AND the Internet, is now available at a new price and with new software options - and a free wireless keyboard too! A one-off cost of only £129.99 gives you access to Freeview TV and radio, as well as to a host of online options.
The market-beating new Netgem i-Player package comes with a stylish cordless infra-red keyboard, so you can go online while watching TV and without even leaving the sofa!
The new software lets you:
- filter TV channels to create a 'personal favourite' list
- perform manual scanning and background scanning in stand-by mode
- enter your own ISP parameters for Internet access
- use your own existing email address
- connect to a home network and share a broadband ADSL connection via a USB-Ethernet adapter.
What's more, an optimised USB port provides connection to a range of storage devices, allowing the viewing of files and the playing of MP3 files or video clips stored on PCs or other devices. The port also increases support of webcams and other devices from leading manufacturers.
The i-Player's new user interface provides background images and semi-transparency, supports VCR programming, and offers new diagnostic pages to assist with trouble-shooting.
"We've put an awful lot of functionality into this box. This is our best-ever package, and the best deal you'll get anywhere!" said Joseph Haddad, CEO of Netgem.
In particular, the i-Player package is a must-see for the 60+% of Internet users who have unmetered access. They can now watch Freeview and access their favourite services simultaneously, using their own regular service provider and their own regular email address - and the free wireless keyboard gives them more interactive freedom and mobility.
Existing i-Player users will be able to download the new software release for free.
Joseph Haddad added, "The new software and the new keyboard that we are offering - and at a fantastic new price, too - makes the i-Player the best deal around. If you're an Internet user who wants to get more out of Freeview than TV and radio, this is definitely the box for you."
To order, call the freephone number 0870 366 7055 or visit www.netgem.com
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