Oscars Veteran Resigns Over DVD Screener Piracy Threat
Written by enigmax on January 05, 2008Academy member: Sign this legal document. By breaking this seal you agree to our terms. If any unauthorized copies are traced back to you, you risk civil and criminal penalties. FBI. Prison. Interpol. A 17 year veteran of the Academy has had enough of being treated like a criminal. Enough is enough - he resigns.
Successful actor and Academy member Britt Leach says he was “so very proud to be a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences” when he was accepted over 17 years ago. How things have changed.
“I’ve always been very happy to receive these screeners; they have made me feel very important.” says Britt. “The Academy Awards! I would sit in front of our TV and play the tape or DVD and make notes on a legal pad; I would write the name of a film or actor that might deserve to be nominated. And then when the ballots came I would vote.” He admits to taking his “responsibility very seriously” - a great member it seems.
Then people got more paranoid about piracy: “So a legal document was sent out to members of the Academy that we all had to sign. By signing it we promised that we would never allow anybody to take possession of our screeners for any reason, and that we would be very careful with them.” He continues: “Anyway, I signed it even though it made me feel strange, like a criminal or something. Like “Academy Member” equals “criminal.” It was insulting, but I signed it.”
Also, the DVDs and packaging carried threatening messages, mentioning FBI, Interpol “and detailed how the individual screeners were watermarked and how all their ‘industry colleagues’ had better be careful or face severe penalties.”
Here is the rest of the sad tale, in Britt’s own, unique words:
Fear Factor
“I mean what would happen to me and my family if one of my screeners got into the wrong hands and was duplicated and they were able to trace it back to me? Would Interpol, the FBI, come and get me? What about my wife? My cats? It made me very worried. I could go to prison. I mean what if somebody broke into my apartment? Or what if somebody who happened to be working here one day decided to steal one of my screeners? I could go to prison.”
Drastic Anti-Piracy Measures
“I began to explore security measures. Here’s a surveillance camera. It cost around $180.00. I thought about putting it above the étagère where I store my screeners. I would attach it to some kind of video recorder, the kind they have in convenience stores to record robberies. But then I thought what if the power went out and the camera stopped working and a screener thief got in during the power blackout? So it came to me that in those situations I could really use a good guard dog.
The life and tragic death of ‘Screener Dog’
“A really good German shepherd guard dog that is already trained and would kill or seriously maim a screener thief. Such a dog costs about $7000.00 (seven-thousand dollars). The dog itself isn’t that expensive but the training is, and to complicate things the dog understands only German. So I would have to learn German in order to communicate with my screener dog. That’s even more expense—for the German lessons.
But then I thought that a dog can get sick or even poisoned or made very drowsy. I mean what if somebody who knew that I had screeners and knew also about my screener guard dog came to my apartment and broke a window and threw something in, piece of meat, with some dog sleeping stuff on it or even worse, poison? Put my screener guard dog to sleep or killed it, broke in and stole my screeners? So in addition to the trained German Shepherd I thought about a full security system for my apartment.”
Digital locks re-enforced with physical DRM
“A company called ADT is very good I hear so I contacted them and found that their service cost $850.00 for starters. plus the safe they recommended for my screeners. Yes, I forgot to mention that ADT recommended that I buy a safe and keep my screeners in that safe until I wanted to watch one, return it immediately after watching. And a good screener-sized safe costs between five and seven-hundred dollars.
So that’s the cost of a surveillance camera, guard dog, German lessons,a safe, plus ADT, making a total of $8730.00 as an initial, screener-security investment plus my Academy dues of $250 per year. And who knows how much yearly maintenance of all that would cost. Dog food, vet bills.”
DRM Puts Britt on the brink
“That’s a lot of money for us, We live on my actor’s pension and Social Security plus Cathy’s paycheck. So I was thinking that maybe I would need to get a job to support screener security and Academy membership. And it seemed that going back to acting might be a choice, but at my age the only parts open for me are for very sick people or cadavers. And there are already so many old character actors out there looking for those jobs that I don’t think that I could make enough money to support screener security and Academy membership, too much competition. So acting was out.
And anyway we only have one car and Cathy needs it to get to work so it wouldn’t be available to get me to interviews.
$9000.00 for starters plus yearly maintenance. I just couldn’t figure out how to do it. Even if we moved to a smaller apartment. Even if took a job managing an apartment building again; I just couldn’t figure how to do it.”
DRM woes end in misery for Britt, huge loss for the Academy
“And I have reluctantly come to a decision. So that I won’t contribute to film piracy by inadvertently allowing one of my screeners to fall into the wrong hands, pirating hands, thereby costing the film industry millions of dollars (not to mention putting me in prison), I will not renew my membership in the Academy.
It makes me sad, but I’m also happy in a way. Because without those screeners being delivered to my vulnerable little home, with its multiple and human inefficiencies, I know that it will no longer be possible for me to harm the studios, my industry colleagues and the Academy. Yes, so by resigning from the Academy I will contribute to saving the film industry, and I have to be happy about that.”
I guessed they dumped DRM just a little too late to keep Britt.
The full post (it’s quite long!) by Britt Leach is available here.
Previously: When Pirates Pay, They Pay Good
Next: How To Share Torrents With BitTorrent Illiterates
98 Responses
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Man that sure is weird crap….
AS THEY SAY CAN’T WIN EM ALL BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME SH’T HAPPENS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What a load of rubbish!!! Stop wasting the internet torrent freak! Tell us when demonoid is coming back, or something else usefull!!!!
[quote]Tell us when demonoid is coming back, or something else usefull!!!![/quote]
Ignorant little child - how can they tell you something that no one (except maybe Deimos) knows?
Holy shit buddy they made a movie about people like you. Its called ‘Conspiracy Theory’.
A frickn screener security dog rofl gimme a break.
[quote]Holy shit buddy they made a movie about people like you. Its called ‘Conspiracy Theory’.[/quote]
There’s no movie called “doesn’t recognize sarcasm” though - sorry :D
Wow, you guys with the quotes are fucking lame.
Anyways, interesting piece of satire.
What a fucking loser. This guy makes bums look bad!
haahhahaha.
dammmmmmmmm
it’s so funny.
really funny.
specially the Screener Dog part :)
Screener Dog knows only fuckin german.
Shit, having a legal screener is kinda hard to keep. better not to have it :)
these bad ass companies should give screeners after they release DVD-Rs for the public. Less problem for Academy members.
Sad, we just lost probably the #1 screener pirate. RIP.
so now i just hae to rent a movie from blockbuster on a movie pass and rip it then? or just buy it used and return it the next day? and if i really wanted to steal the movies deliverd to screeners i wouldn’t go to their houses. i would just get it in transit. just need a friend in a postal or delivery job. sure its a federal offence but what itsn’t. besides they would still get the movies. just gotta repackage them its not that hard. ever had to print out your own return labels same basic theory. and if you don’t allready have the stuff needed you can find it online or at some office supply store. And as far as the packaging goes just get some from a local delivery or postal office. what are they going to do? sue blockbuster, hollywood video? dhl, ups, usps, netflix? comeon now this just shows that they really dont know what to do. the think they can take a page from the us government and try to scare poeple. um anyone notice that don’t work? whats bushes approval rating 2%? less? they stoped saying it on tv after it went below 9%. whatever back to the topic at hand. screeners will never get in any trouble for anything like this. or any leakes at all for that matter. its good that hes trying to send a message to them but they’ll just keep sueing and we’ll just keep getting and giving. i think im past a few trillion in penaltes and a couple life sentences….please put me in jail id like to not have to pay for anything sure that nothing is crap but it wouldnt cost me a dime. um does anyone have 4.5 trillion dollars i can borrow?
This must of been a joke.
I thought that was quite entertaining. :D
[quote comment="255943"]Screener dog…lol! Good for him, get out before they lynch their own.[/quote]
[quote comment="256240"]This must of been a joke.[/quote]
[quote comment="256240"]This must of been a joke.[/quote]
[quote comment="256240"]This must of been a joke.[/quote]
Some of you people need to get a sense of humor. Except for the asshole above me with his 100 identical posts. Now he needs to be strung up as an example.
You can understand why this happened, hes too scared to fight for freedom, it seems as if the law is on the MPAAs side. There is not justice and freedom anymore, the rich can steal from the poor, but we can’t steal from the rich, damn what an unfair system, too bad I won’t be president of the U.S.A, America will never be a peaceful, happy, and a terrorist-free country.
Credit card companies can abuse, cheat, and steal from people, yet if we rob a bank for that amount we goto prison.
How come the Rich Wins, and the poor loses, well because Satan rules America, believe me people, I have witnessed the evil in America and we need to stop it and make our government small and give the people freedom.
I agreed and I think guy is not overreacting because legal threads exist… and humor + satire both must not forgot, right?
You guys are missing the point of the article. It all comes down with him feeling guilty just opening his screener as soon as they arrive at his front door.
Then to top that off. He signs a threatening contract, he’s now lawyer. He signs onto the internet to read what is going on. He finds out that he can do hard time. Say good-bye to his family life etc.. What’s worse is he pays his $250 member fee. And for what? Just to find out that if “somehow” one gets it’s way onto a P2p application. His whole life can be ruined.
I’d do the exact same thing. Fuck the Riaa and there lobbing BS.
Announce MY terms as why. Let the world know I’m not going to stand for this any longer. And get on with my life. So I, can enjoy the rest of my life with my family.
Get a grip.
G.A.G
The people spamming are more than likely an MPAA company. Who get’s paid to spread false hope. By putting one liners. It’s only to get the user to sway away from reading the article.
So put that in your pipe.
Enjoy the peace of your misery why you can.
Love the security ideas. Probably reads the Onion daily.
Yep, an industry that says it can threaten you if you even think about threatening their profits. Definitely the same as the mafia.
I dont know. I mean I already have the german shepard guard dog and german language. I also have large safe and adt. And I have biometric locks on my house. I think Ill prescribe to this screener thing. Oh wait a minute Im a pirate. Cheers and happy new years!
Guys, for the last time… it’s definitely sarcasm! read the original article!
The satire is directly aimed at the industry’s attempts to thwart piracy. Everything he tries (everything the industry tries) to prevent his screeners from being stolen (to prevent movies from being pirated) is expensive, a hassle, and flawed. Since the consequences of not succeeding in “preventing screeners from being stolen” is utter ruination (according to scare tactics), he may as well quit.
just wanted to give a shoutout to all the illiterate spazzes who don’t know “tongue-in-cheek” when they see it in print…
HOWDY!
[quote comment="256068"]How can anyone be gullible enough to take this satire seriously…I mean, the part about learning German to speak to a German shepherd?[/quote]
Have you seen the horrible grammar and spelling in most of these posts? I don’t think we’re dealing with any Einsteins here…
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