DVD Piracy in China - A Closer Look at Black Market Trade
Digital piracy and fake products is a problem throughout the developing world but nowhere to the scale seen in China. The problem isn’t likely to be solved through diplomacy, litigation or law enforcement – business is forced to come up with creative solutions of its own. Could techniques used in China aimed at combating piracy be carried worldwide?
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So Warner Bros. and Paramount are selling $1.50 DVDs in China. Think about what would happen if they sold them for the same price here?
1) They'd sell more, and Netflix would go out of business. - Not that I don't like Netflix, I do, but I bet Warner & Paramount would rather have us own than rent.
2) No more DVD piracy - cheaper/easier to buy than copy.
3) No need for DRM & HDMI. Their product could work on older displays with component & DVI inputs.
Would a Warner or Paramount exec like to chime in here & explain their pricing policy?
It all boils down to one thing: competition. Ironically the studios are competing against themselves, the pirates taking the role of the independent "middle-man," outselling the competition. What they need to do is out compete the pirates, cut prices to make it unprofitable for the illegal street vendor, what the studios lose in the front door with low prices, they'll make up out the back door with volume. Simple economics.
China has unorthodox business practices to say the least, I have a friend in the window/impact glass industry, he manufactures. He's been doing business in China since the mid 80's, he's told me some stories that are so outrageous, that if I didn't know the man so well I would say he's a liar at best, delusional at worst.
Anyways, I have a good friend whose family friend (someone I've never met) is Chinese, and every time she visited extended family, she would always buy a bunch of cheap pirated movies. At customs, they found them after searching, and she was prosecuted to the hilt. She in fact had to sell her home.
I forgot the # of movies she had, but it wasn't outrageous I think, less than a small luggage bag's worth (I know that's subjective). They charged her for intent to sell, when the only motive was personal use. Careful folks!
*I've also heard sad stories with lobster diving, etc, when the underwater current pulls you into an illegal zone with person caught totally unaware, and the charges are so great, they'll take your boat, and more...
Did she know the movies were pirated copies? I've been to the Far East and even the stuff you buy in the "stores" is bootleg. In Thailand and Singapore, the guy managing the shop is selling the same "boots" around the corner. I remember going to see Good Will hunting in Singapore and after the movie, there were tables outside the theater selling the movie I just saw.
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What I find incredibly amazing is how people think it's OK, here in the U.S. to just rip off people.
I wrote an editorial article in reaction to the Wolverine movie being leaked to the Internet and the comments flew high and fast.
Sadly, most seem to find some way to justify stealing content.
It brings wonderful expletives to the surface that I am resisting using!
If you want to see the post, or the comments, check out ScreenRant.com. I'm just amazed. tinyurl.com/dfdgsc
The wacky part is that the post hit the front page of DIGG, but DIGG buried it!! (tinyurl.com/c4mvxs) So it lost its momentum there. Pickle butts... That's what I have to say.
I have yet to see any connects from StumbleUpon, but I'm not holding my breath!
It just amazes those of us on the movie side of the world how people see this!
What amazes me is how studios will spend millions in research and development to come out with some brand new encryption to beat bootlegging, yet some 14 year old with a laptop will conqour the encryption in a few hours. It took the heackers of Bluray less than a month to hack that encryption when the execs at Bluray said it couldn't be beat. Kinda makes me wonder why they even bother. Heck you don't even have to buy the DVD itself, there are many sites on the net where you can watch streaming movies that just came out that day in the theaters.
Studios need to realize that no matter what they do, someone is going to break their protection; period. It's not a matter of it, it's a matter of when, and usually it's sooner than later. The studios need to work on making it more convenient for a regular person to legally get a copy of a movie, than to download it. Once they've created a convenient and inexpensive delivery method, piracy for normal users will go down. Having said that, there will always be some people that choose to pirate.
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DVD Piracy in China - A Closer Look at Black Market Trade
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