| EmmaRiddle | 11-20-2008 06:46 PM |
Reports on pirated Harry Potter CDs & DVDs
Two new reports have emerged about pirated Harry Potter CDs and DVDs.
The first involves a scam concerning supposed blu-ray versions of the films. These versions of films, including Harry Potter, are cheaper and still in high-definition, however they are not up to the regular standard of official blu-ray disks. Quote:
The pirates rip the movies from Blu-Ray disks by conventional means then re-encode them. The lower resolution means they can then be put on ordinary blank DVDs instead of more expensive blank Blu-Ray. The method is therefore quite profitable for pirates, says the MPA, which has made it its mission to battle piracy on behalf of studios owned by Walt Disney Co., Viacom Inc., Sony Corp., News Corp., Time Warner Inc., and General Electric Co.
"We are concerned and are assigning priority to this issue," said Mike Ellis, the Asia-Pacific managing director for the MPA.
| Last month a raid was carried out in Shenzen, China where 800 copies were found, including DVDs of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. They were deceptively packaged to look genuine.
The second story involves a man in Derby, England being jailed for selling pirated audiobooks including Harry Potter. Andrew Sloper, 42, now faces 21 months in prison. He is said to have made around £85,000 over a five-year period, costing the publishing industry more than £1m. | 