NCJ Number
132407
Journal
Security Volume: 28 Issue: 9 Dated: (September 1991) Pages: 26-28,30
Date Published
1991
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Antipiracy task forces represent the home entertainment industry's response to lost revenues due to pirated video cassettes and programming.
Abstract
The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) estimates that about 5 percent of all video stores in the United States deal in illegal video cassettes and that video piracy costs the industry over $150 million annually. The National Cable Television Association reports that the cable industry lost about $3 billion to unrealized revenues in 1990. About 1 in 20 video stores handles illegal tapes, and 50 percent of satellite viewers are serviced by a corrupt dealer. Pirate installers alter circuit boards with a $10 chip, charge the customer $500 or more for a "lifetime subscription," and never submit customer names to programmers. Pirates are in violation of various Federal statutes which carry penalties of up to 5 years or $500,000 for each modified unit. Pirates are busiest in Los Angeles, New York, and Florida. Their proximity to shipping ports easily serves the worldwide demand for inexpensive American films. Of 2,700 MPAA video piracy investigations underway in the United States, 40 percent are in Los Angeles. The MPAA's investigations are largely inspired by calls to its 24-hour piracy hotline. Video store owners, dissatisfied movie renters, and studios initiate most of the hotline calls. The antipiracy task force of the Satellite Broadcast Communications Association (SBCA) has 65 U.S. field investigators and 1,000 investigations currently underway. Like the MPAA, the SBCA maintains a tollfree piracy hotline. Home Box Office (HBO) affiliates serve as the company's eyes and ears. HBO also contracts with a nationwide network of former law enforcement personnel who investigate the commercial theft of high-profile HBO programming such as boxing events and live concerts.