Crappy FBI warnings to be included at the start of games

Retr0gamer · 20-02-2004 1:06pm #1

The FBI warning at the beginning of our DVD and VHS movies will soon spread to CD?s and Video Games. Several trade groups who represent the U.S. entertainment industry has announced that new CDs DVDs and video games will carry a very clear message by the FBI regarding the penalties for unauthorized duplication. The new strategy is part of an industry wide effort to combat piracy. The new label is designed to make it very clear that violators can serve up to five years in federal prison and receive a fine up to $250,000.

Lets hope they put a fast forward button on games controllers so we can skip these annoying bastids. Games take long enough to load with all the corporate plugs at the beginning but thankfully these are skippable.

DiscoStu · 20-02-2004 1:14pm

Dont you remember when the fbi told us "Winners dont do drugs" when quite clearly the entire world of athletics and sport as a whole is more riddled with them than fatima mansions.

"Winners dont do terrorisim, they bomb from 50,000ft"

elmer · 20-02-2004 1:14pm

there are 1 or 2 poxy games where you have to wait for all the logos - I think Project Gotham 2 is one of them GRRRR !!!

Retr0gamer · 20-02-2004 1:18pm

Dont you remember when the fbi told us "Winners dont do drugs"

I remember that at the start of Mercs.

It's not entirely true. Micko used to shoot up before games of street fighter 2 and beat us all.

Stephen · 20-02-2004 1:48pm

I assume these warnings would only be placed in games destined for the US market? I don't see the point of putting warnings from the FBI, an organisation with no authority over this side of the atlantic, in games sold here.

BluE-WinG · 20-02-2004 2:31pm

Originally posted by elmer
there are 1 or 2 poxy games where you have to wait for all the logos - I think Project Gotham 2 is one of them GRRRR !!!

Nein, youre wrong... No real waits on PGR2

regeneration · 20-02-2004 2:39pm

Well it's irrelevent if it affects PC games, seeing that there's more than enough ways to hack/edit games and remove those warnings.

But yeah, the FBI have no authority here, so it doesn't affect us, especially as in Europe, console games are made for PAL systems anyway - so it'll only affect importers

BlitzKrieg · 20-02-2004 3:16pm

a tad off topic but the pirate addes in the cinemas and on tapes make me laugh esp the line "Piracy funds terrorisim" Which as far as i can see is generally untrue as the average piracy person i have met is either

-for games 14-20 with burners and cracks of the net and only sells if your not a good mate of them.

-for vhs 28-100 in the car boot at market sales.

I dont think OSama bin ladin paid for al queda with pirate copies of windows XP...

Syth · 20-02-2004 6:04pm

but the pirate addes in the cinemas and on tapes

The ads about Copyright 'theft' are also misleading. Copyright is what the author owns. Only the owner of the copyright for a work can copy the work (they have the right to copy, geddit?), except for reviews or something like that.

If you copy a game/book/film/whatever without the copyright owners permission, then you are infinging on the copyright. If you could somehow steal the copyright (ie commit copyright theft) they you could become quite rich, as only you would be entitled to the royalties.

It's all part of the propaganda they try to force on us. The publishing companies are trying to make people think that if you copy a film or game then you are stealing from the author, that every time you copy a game, god kills a kitten. Ignore the propoganda.

I dont think OSama bin ladin paid for al queda with pirate copies of windows XP

Exactly. He probably paid them with drugs, which due to the 'War on Drugs' means that terrorists are the only ones that can supply the druggies. The 'War on Drugs' creates the 'War on Terrorism-that-we-don't-like-as-opposed-to-our-own-terrorists'

segadreamcast · 20-02-2004 8:26pm

Originally posted by BlitzKrieg
a tad off topic but the pirate addes in the cinemas and on tapes make me laugh esp the line "Piracy funds terrorisim" Which as far as i can see is generally untrue as the average piracy person i have met is either

-for games 14-20 with burners and cracks of the net and only sells if your not a good mate of them.

-for vhs 28-100 in the car boot at market sales.

I dont think OSama bin ladin paid for al queda with pirate copies of windows XP...

Still though, that doesn't make piracy right now, does it?

The publishing companies are trying to make people think that if you copy a film or game then you are stealing from the author, that every time you copy a game, god kills a kitten. Ignore the propoganda.

Propoganda my eye. For every copy that exists - someone out there who deserves money is losing it. Whether it be lower wages for the developers or cancelled niche projects within companies, piracy hurts gaming across the board. As well as that, piracy seems to have gained an air of arrogance in its mature age, just recently I came across someone selling pirate DVD's. 10 euro? I could go see it in a cinema for 4.50...

Deadwing · 20-02-2004 8:41pm

Originally posted by DiscoStu
Dont you remember when the fbi told us "Winners dont do drugs" when quite clearly the entire world of athletics and sport as a whole is more riddled with them than fatima mansions.

"Winners dont do terrorisim, they bomb from 50,000ft"

*L* Thats classic

I remember that from the start of final fight. ?If only the FBI knew most of the arcades these games were played in were so awash with drugs you were getting monged from the second hand smoke while you stood there playing.

BLITZ_Molloy · 20-02-2004 8:53pm

Originally posted by Deadwing
*L* Thats classic
I remember that from the start of final fight. ?If only the FBI knew most of the arcades these games were played in were so awash with drugs you were getting monged from the second hand smoke while you stood there playing.

Was it the FBI used also deliver the "Stay in school, kids!" message on games as well or was that another government body?

Syth · 20-02-2004 9:14pm

Propoganda my eye

Yes piracy is illegal. Yes the author of a work has the right to (some) control how it's copied. But there is a difference between not paying for a game and breaking into someone's house and stealing their telly. In one instance you are depriving someone of something they already own and benefit from, in the other you are depriving someone of something they deserve.

I think there should be laws allowing the authour to have some control on copying, but I think that the authors themselves should be nice about it. I also think they shouldn't try the whole 'It's like you are breaking into someone's house and stealing from them' arguement because it's wrong. I'm not badmouthing the 'Piracy is wrong' argument, I'm bad mouthing the 'You are theives' arguement. If they say it often enough, people will believe it and agree to more unethical laws such as the EUCD and DMCA.

Deadwing · 21-02-2004 12:26am

Originally posted by BLITZ_Molloy
Was it the FBI used also deliver the "Stay in school, kids!" message on games as well or was that another government body?

I've no idea, the only one i remember was winners dont do drugs, and boy, that message had a profound effect on me.
*has spliff smoke coming out of his drug end*
To quote someone elses sig..a winner is me

po0k · 22-02-2004 1:26am

rolf DiscoStu

Don't Copy That Floppy16Mib

Syth:
The ads about Copyright 'theft' are also misleading. Copyright is what the author owns. Only the owner of the copyright for a work can copy the work (they have the right to copy, geddit?), except for reviews or something like that.

If you copy a game/book/film/whatever without the copyright owners permission, then you are infinging on the copyright. If you could somehow steal the copyright (ie commit copyright theft) they you could become quite rich, as only you would be entitled to the royalties.

You were talking sense up that point but...

Syth:
It's all part of the propaganda they try to force on us. The publishing companies are trying to make people think that if you copy a film or game then you are stealing from the author, that every time you copy a game, god kills a kitten. Ignore the propoganda.[/b]

...is bullshit.
You ARE stealing from the author(s), they lose out on the royalties from their creation, and they don't get to "become quite rich".

Syth:
In one instance you are depriving someone of something they already own and benefit from, in the other you are depriving someone of something they deserve.

They only benefit if you BUY THE PRODUCT and if they spent time, money and enegry creating it, THEY DESERVE TO BE PAID FOR YOUR USE OF THEIR CREATION.

You seem to be reasonably intelligent, or at the very least are able to accurately articulate your opinions in English, but the substance of your above quoted points are rubbish and self-conflicting.

You're right about the DCMA though.

Celt · 22-02-2004 8:02pm

syxpak, you are not stealing from the authors, you are depriving them of potential income, but there is a difference and the english language backs that up.

DiscoStu · 22-02-2004 8:10pm

Originally posted by Celt
syxpak, you are not stealing from the authors, you are depriving them of potential income, but there is a difference and the english language backs that up.

ive said it before and ill say it again, there can be and usually is a vast gulf between a real world and a legal definition.

po0k · 22-02-2004 11:50pm

Originally posted by Celt
syxpak, you are not stealing from the authors, you are depriving them of potential income, but there is a difference and the english language backs that up.

It's all in the wording, but my point still stands in the context of Syth's posts on "copyright theft"/"taking money from the pockets of developers".
If you procure their Intellectual Property, you legally have to pay them for it.
If you procure it illegally you're in effect not paying them what is owed.
Is it so very different compared to buying something in a shop on credit/Invoice and leaving the country/avoiding payment/fraud?

eyerer · 23-02-2004 1:07am

these things are so stupid, and i agree fbi statements shouldn't be over here anyway
but piracy warnings are so foolish, they dont deter piracy and they annoy people that actually buy the stuff
i bought a dvd which has a fully 20 second still text screen with anti pirate threats, it then goes on to show a gimp in his costume with a branding iron for god knows how long, both of which are unskippable :mad:
gah, they love to annoy the people that pay them

po0k · 23-02-2004 2:52am

Originally posted by eyerer
these things are so stupid, and i agree fbi statements shouldn't be over here anyway
but piracy warnings are so foolish, they dont deter piracy and they annoy people that actually buy the stuff
i bought a dvd which has a fully 20 second still text screen with anti pirate threats, it then goes on to show a gimp in his costume with a branding iron for god knows how long, both of which are unskippable :mad:
gah, they love to annoy the people that pay them

The irony is that the actual pirate copies will more than likely have the warnings cut-out

jonhate · 23-02-2004 3:00am

Originally posted by SyxPak

The irony is that the actual pirate copies will more than likely have the warnings cut-out

Your probably right there!

Crappy FBI warnings to be included at the start of games

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