You Wouldn’t Steal… Would You?
In 2004 the MPAA launched its infamous “You wouldn’t steal…” campaign. The clip was put on millions of retail DVDs and viewers were watch it before they could enjoy the actual content.
The message of the anti-piracy ad was pretty straightforward and the full text goes as follows.
“You wouldn’t steal a car. You wouldn’t steal a handbag. You wouldn’t steal a mobile phone. You wouldn’t steal a DVD. Downloading pirated films is stealing…Stealing…Is Against…The Law…Piracy: It’s a crime.”
The purpose of the campaign was to change the public’s attitude towards piracy, but it failed miserably. In the years that followed movie piracy doubled, tripled and quadrupled, especially on BitTorrent.
The only good thing that came of it are the many parodies of the campaign which are quite entertaining. I’ve listed a couple of them below (including the original) but there are probably several I’ve missed.
If you know any other parodies please leave a comment and I’ll add it.
The Original
Bender’s Take on Piracy
The IT-Crowd’s Parody
Adult Parody
Europe’s Greens Promoting Sharing (not really a parody)
Update: The tune was actually “pirated”
Another Parody (Zachary)
Historical Piracy Warning Parody (Foo)
Yet Another Parody (noone)
Nice collection=)
You wouldn’t download a car.
Or would you?
Hall in wall is too, small xD
LOL @ Masturbation Video =O I dont know what Im more terrified of now lol
Hole in Wall* lol
You miss the best one:
Historical Piracy Warning Parody
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdSFe0UgB3E
I like this one, possibly I just have an awful sense of humor?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htOudt9zFQY
I think you missed the really best
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRVHUbrbEUA
In soviet Russia, MPAA pirates music. OH WAIT! They do that in the west too D:!
Missed this one.
err.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kk69PaVKPPA
Here, if you’re gonna put up these videos, at least link to the originals! You wouldn’t steal a policemans helmet and defecate in it, and then hand it back to the policemans wife!
Piracy by Adam Buxton
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLZpxVI7Pa8
Holdup, now I’ve posted the non-original. Bah, I outta… >:(
The one complaining about the annoying trailer is plain awesome hahahahaha… I always think why I have to watch useless FBI warnings and trailers forcefully…
Great post Ernesto.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0eNa85qDZs
this is what the RIAA will do to you if you pirate
ONE PIECE PIRACY PARODY:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kk69PaVKPPA
love it!
In an exquisite piece of irony, the copy of the IT Crowd video you’ve embedded “contains content from Fremantle International, who have blocked it in your country on copyright grounds.”
Only, the thing is, I’m in the UK. Where this show was originally broadcast, for free, on an advertising-supported commercial channel.
If that isn’t a ripe demonstration of the idiocy of the current situation, I don’t know what is. Anyway, here’s the video on the official IT Crowd channel; I hope it isn’t blocked *outside* the UK.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALZZx1xmAzg
Thanks for all the great links!
I was looking for one on plagiarism, but this was the closest I could find.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pU46Sm4kZk4
[...] Assassinate a Pop Star By Illegally Downloading Music var AdBrite_Title_Color = '0000FF'; var AdBrite_Text_Color = '000000'; var AdBrite_Background_Color = 'FFFFFF'; var AdBrite_Border_Color = 'CCCCCC'; var AdBrite_URL_Color = '008000'; try{var AdBrite_Iframe=window.top!=window.self?2:1;var AdBrite_Referrer=document.referrer==''?document.location:document.referrer;AdBrite_Referrer=encodeURIComponent(AdBrite_Referrer);}catch(e){var AdBrite_Iframe='';var AdBrite_Referrer='';} document.write(String.fromCharCode(60,83,67,82,73,80,84));document.write(' src="http://ads.adbrite.com/mb/text_group.php?sid=1657122&zs=3436385f3630&ifr='+AdBrite_Iframe+'&ref='+AdBrite_Referrer+'" type="text/javascript">');document.write(String.fromCharCode(60,47,83,67,82,73,80,84,62)); Many anti-piracy campaigns of the last decade or so have been pretty entertaining in a twisted way, but if you’re the entertainment industries hoping to encourage change they have also been an almost universal failure. The entertainment factor has come from the fact that most of them, especially the “You Wouldn’t Steal a….” campaign, have been unintentionally funny and have provoked a whole stream of parodies. [...]
[...] Many anti-piracy campaigns of the last decade or so have been pretty entertaining in a twisted way, but if you’re the entertainment industries hoping to encourage change they have also been an almost universal failure. The entertainment factor has come from the fact that most of them, especially the “You Wouldn’t Steal a….” campaign, have been unintentionally funny and have provoked a whole stream of parodies. [...]
[...] Many anti-piracy campaigns of the last decade or so have been pretty entertaining in a twisted way, but if you’re the entertainment industries hoping to encourage change they have also been an almost universal failure. The entertainment factor has come from the fact that most of them, especially the “You Wouldn’t Steal a….” campaign, have been unintentionally funny and have provoked a whole stream of parodies. [...]
[...] Many anti-piracy campaigns of the last decade or so have been pretty entertaining in a twisted way, but if you’re the entertainment industries hoping to encourage change they have also been an almost universal failure. The entertainment factor has come from the fact that most of them, especially the “You Wouldn’t Steal a….” campaign, have been unintentionally funny and have provoked a whole stream of parodies. [...]
[...] Many anti-piracy campaigns of the last decade or so have been pretty entertaining in a twisted way, but if you’re the entertainment industries hoping to encourage change they have also been an almost universal failure. The entertainment factor has come from the fact that most of them, especially the “You Wouldn’t Steal a….” campaign, have been unintentionally funny and have provoked a whole stream of parodies. [...]
[...] cible visé. Sans doute au moins autant que les dernier autres camagne du type: on profite plus des détournements que de la campagne [...]
its not stealing anymore than using a vcr (or dvr for the younger folks) or making mix tapes, or getting a movie from the library. I think they’d make us pay a fee for singing in the shower if they could.