History Main / DigitalPiracyIsEvil

* [[http://xkcd.com/488/ This strip]] of ''Webcomic/{{xkcd}}'' explains how even if you do buy online music legally, you could still [[MortonsFork end up as much of a criminal as someone who pirated their music]], thanks to the [=DMCA=]. This information in that strip regarding iTunes having DRM protection on its songs is outdated, as acknowledged by a [[http://xkcd.com/546/ later strip]]. Furthermore, it actually points towards a flaw in the DRM (i.e. inability to move the file to a new system) rather than anything else.
* In ''Webcomic/{{Yamara}}'', [[http://www.yamara.com/yamaraclassic/index.php?date=2006-02-09 Glathheld claimed skull as his trademark]] and made people pay for 'lease' -- [[http://www.yamara.com/yamaraclassic/index.php?date=2006-02-23 when he could]]. Since he forgot about another entity with the right of prior use ([[AC:[[Literature/{{Discworld}} Not the Taxes]].]]), HilarityEnsues [[http://yamara.com/yamaraclassic/index.php?date=2006-03-13 shortly afterward.]]

** It has gotten to the point where Nintendo purposely refuses to launch their services and Android games in countries that has black marks for piracy, for example, VideoGame/AnimalCrossingPocketCamp - a freemium Android game of all things. When asked why the game wasn't launched in Malaysia among many others, for example, Nintendo got their spokesperson to go on a long tirade about how the country's home to piracy and unauthorized modding and gloating that they will launch the game in those countries when the people stops pirating[[note]]While it is undeniable that piracy exists in the country, it's mostly confined to the older generation with their nationalist anti-western, anti-Japanese attitude who feel it fair to give The Man the finger for treating them like slaves during the British colonial and Japanese rule, and this generation are dying out. In the meantime, the younger generation who're much more well educated go all out to buy original, which is clearly reflected in many polls and researches held in the country[[/note]]. Naturally, the true fans of the franchise who has never ever illegally downloaded the games are very angry, especially [[AnalogyBackfire since piracy is also happening in other countries that the game is launched in]][[note]]Very notably in Italy where music from the game were stolen wholesale and put into kiddie rides, and the Americas where all the "unauthorized modding" (ie cracks to get unlimited leaf ticket) originates[[/note]]. It's also hurting the sales of their hardware in the countries that were accused of piracy and thus denied of their services.

* [[https://youtu.be/_-Vm-Xwg0MA?t=24 An Malaysian promo]] has a spy trying to get a DVD. Then the scene cuts to a guy holding a DVD on a DVD vendor, which the spy segment turns out to be an ImagineSpot, and the DVD vendor claims that the DVD is a very good one, and it turns out that the DVD the guy is holding is a fictitious DVD with a man imprisoned behind bars on the cover with the text "THEIF" on it, and he then [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou throws the DVD to the camera.]] The same fictitious DVD then appears on the black screen with the infamous "Piracy. It's a Crime" text on it, with the logos of the Motion Picture Association, Malaysian government, and the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (Kementerian Perdagangan Dalam Negeri dan Hal Ehwal Pengguna) appearing below the image.

* [[https://youtu.be/_-Vm-Xwg0MA?t=24 An Malaysian promo]] has a spy trying to get a DVD. Then the scene cuts to a guy holding a DVD on a DVD vendor, which the spy segment turns out to be an ImagineSpot, and the DVD vendor claims that the DVD is a very good one, and it turns out that the DVD the guy is holding is a fictitious DVD with a man imprisoned behind bars on the cover with the text "THEIF" on it, and he then throws the DVD to the camera. The same fictitious DVD then appears on the black screen with the infamous "Piracy. It's a Crime" text on it, with the logos of the Motion Picture Association, Malaysian government, and the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (Kementerian Perdagangan Dalam Negeri dan Hal Ehwal Pengguna) appearing below the image.

-->-- '''Music/WeirdAlYankovic''', [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGM8PT1eAvY "Don't Download This Song"]]

* That really weird {{Anvilicious}} episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheProudFamily'', EZ-Jackster. Penny meets a mysterious, ''[[Film/TheMatrix Matrix]]''-like stranger who upgrades her old computer that can only play Pong into one that can browse the Internet. Then he shows her the stash of illegal music on the Internet. Soon, the whole world knows about it and the music companies don't make any money anymore. The episode also compared downloading music to using drugs.

* That really weird {{Anvilicious}} episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheProudFamily''. Penny meets a mysterious, ''[[Film/TheMatrix Matrix]]''-like stranger who upgrades her old computer that can only play Pong into one that can browse the Internet. Then he shows her the stash of illegal music on the Internet. Soon, the whole world knows about it and the music companies don't make any money anymore. The episode also compared downloading music to using drugs.

See also NewMediaAreEvil, EvenEvilHasStandards, FelonyMisdemeanor, CopyProtection. See UsefulNotes/DigitalDistribution for a form of media which can be tarred with the same brush. For the common catalyst on both sides of the argument, see UsefulNotes/{{DRM}}. Similar arguments are occasionally made against FanFic by authors, complete with the analogy to stealing cars. Also, see InternetCounterattack for one example of what happens when the pirates throw tantrums, as well as FlameWar for what happens when pirates and anti-pirates collide online.

* In a similar vein, in Chile, the pay-TV provider VTR, made a campaign againt people who were ilegally using cable TV without paying using the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KS1NIhc_3uc "don't teaching kids stealing by not using or cable system without paying"]] message.

*** There's also an Spanish version of "Disney is Magic, Disney is Joy" song too. Check it out [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMH91fQGWNo yourself.]]

*** Brazilian home video distributor company Abril Video has made [[https://youtu.be/f9x6w4iMSI8?t=268 two similar]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6UXamTh5Lw animated promos]] help their viewers to recognize an genuine Abril Video VHS.

* Japan has a very famous anti-piracy ad series which is as famous as "You Wouldn't Steal a Car" called "No More Movie Thieves". The ads involve a man with a video camera head dancing while a female voiceover tells about how it is illegal to record movies in theaters and what the consequences are. Many people on the internet parodied the ad by creating costumes similar to the ones used in the ads.

* The American release of the ''Manga/{{Chobits}}'' manga clothes its end-of-volume teasers as conversations between characters in the story, and in one makes sure to take a dig at "fan-scans". "No, I ''bought'' [[FictionalDocument that book you mentioned]] and didn't click your immoral internet link..."

* At the start of one issue of Ellis' ''ComicBook/{{Nextwave}}'', there's a somewhat tongue-in-cheek bit which says "You have just bought a copy of NEXTWAVE (unless you stole it off the internet)"

* Played for laughs in the intro of ''[[ComicBook/GreatLakesAvengers GLA: Misassembled]] #2'', where Squirrel Girl warns readers not to do anything Mr. Immortal does in this issue, "especially on page seven. That's where he downloads stuff off the internet for free."

* Given a wink in ''Film/{{Transformers}}''. "I may have downloaded a couple thousand songs off the internet, but who hasn't? WHO HASN'T?"

* Pre-internet example: In ''Film/NightOfTheComet'', the biggest JerkAss is a movie-theater manager who covertly loans movie reels to an accomplice overnight so they can be copied, then sells the bootlegs. He becomes an AssholeVictim pretty quickly.

* ''Series/TheYoungOnes'' used this trope in regards to TV license evasion, by having Vyvyan [[spoiler:eat the evidence.]]

* ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}''

* In ''Series/{{Caprica}}'', Daniel Greystone invented the holonet, which is exactly what it sounds like--a virtual reality, holographic internet. Greystone Industries had huge problems with digital piracy and people finding all sorts of loopholes to get free access, which they tried to stop to no avail. While on a talk show with his wife, Daniel has an epiphany, and declares that the basic service will now be completely free. When his board tries to vote him out, he explains his reasoning: They were already losing. By fighting the inevitable, they only painted themselves as the bad guys. By making it free, they generated ''massive'' amounts of good will. The board votes in favor of keeping him as CEO.

* Marvelously showcased by Bow Wow Wow in their 1980 single [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_R0Kvk7G9U C30 C60 C90 Go]].

* Done in true tongue-in-cheek gangsta style by Music/IceT :

* "Home Taping is Killing Music" was the pre-internet version of this trope. The cassette of ''In God We Trust, Inc'' by Music/DeadKennedys has this message on side two:

* Music/{{Metallica}} were very hardline on peer-to-peer downloading, to the point of ([[PyrrhicVictory technically succesfully]]) suing Napster. Unfortunately this only led to [[StreisandEffect their songs becoming even more downloaded]], not to mention potshots taken at them for their lawsuit, some of them mentioned on this very page.
* Music/{{Eminem}} has frequently expressed his frustration with piracy of his music, but he's also said he isn't mad at anyone for doing it because "if I'd had the internet as a kid I'd have been all on that shit".

* ''VideoGame/GuitarHero'' - PlayedForLaughs. The description for the pirate (the kind that sails the high seas) themed guitar says "We all love pirates. That is, until they start sending illegal copies of your music throughout the internet."

** It has gotten to the point where Nintendo purposely refuses to launch their services and Android games in countries that has black marks for piracy, for example, VideoGame/AnimalCrossingPocketCamp - a freemium Android game of all things. When asked why the game wasn't launched in Malaysia among many others, for example, Nintendo got their spokesperson to go on a long triade about how the country's home to piracy and unauthorized modding and gloating that they will launch the game in those countries when the people stops pirating[[note]]While it is undeniable that piracy exists in the country, it's mostly confined to the older generation with their nationalist anti-western, anti-Japanese attitude who feel it fair to give The Man the finger for treating them like slaves during the British colonial and Japanese rule, and this generation are dying out. In the meantime, the younger generation who're much more well educated go all out to buy original, which is clearly reflected in many polls and researches held in the country[[/note]]. Naturally, the true fans of the franchise who has never ever illegally downloaded the games are very angry, especially [[AnalogyBackfire since piracy is also happening in other countries that the game is launched in]][[note]]Very notably in Italy where music from the game were stolen wholesale and put into kiddie rides, and the Americas where all the "unauthorized modding" (ie cracks to get unlimited leaf ticket) originates[[/note]]. It's also hurting the sales of their hardware in the countries that were accused of piracy and thus denied of their services.

--> This product is licensed for use by the purchaser only. Distribution by file sharing programs such as P2P, BitTorrent, etc is strictly prohibited and we will send Freesia your way to punch your face into oblivion.

* Parodied mercilessly by a ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'' public service announcement, [[http://roosterteeth.com/archive/?id=112 "The RvBIAA"]]. Church and Sarge are complaining about people pirating ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'' instead of buying the DVD, with the other cast members trying to explain to them that A) it's already on the web for free, and B) they haven't released a DVD yet (which has since happened). In a later ''WebVideo/AchievementHunter'' video Geoff talked about originally having no issue with digital piracy until he discovered an entire series they had produced on torrent. Realizing the lost revenue from something they had put so much work into he abruptly found himself siding with the anti-piracy crowd.

* ''Webcomic/AntiheroForHire'' [[http://antihero.keenspot.com/d/20090420.html mused]] on suddenly being strafed with ''mini-nuclear explosions'':

* Parodied in a viral video by Kid Rock, where he not only states that he's alright with fans downloading his music, but urges them to steal ''anything'' they want so as to "level the playing field".

* Parodied by ''For Tax Reason'''s [[http://www.fortaxreasons.com/animation.html Digital Pirates of Dark Water]].
* ''[[http://www.take180.com/s/1a1394?autoplay=true Dorm of the Undead]]'', a new feature on [=Take180=].com, has a guy download a movie illegally. The movie file contains a virus. The virus turns him into a ''ZOMBIE''. And it's all brought to you by Buena Vista Home Entertainment. Which explains why the "About the Show" page begins with quotes like
--->Downloading fake movies may infect your computer with viruses that can be transmitted while you're downloading. Not only do you risk crashing your computer, but you also risk acquiring malicious spyware which will steal your personal information.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}''

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''

* ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' plays with this trope. One episode involves a guy who sells pirated [=DVDs=] and video games, and Comicbook/BlueBeetle mentions that he will be arrested for it offscreen. While his piracy is depicted as a bad thing, Blue Beetle only got involved in the incident because he thought the guy was involved in [[HumanTrafficking something much worse]], he barely even cared about the pirated merchandise, and it's made out to be small potatoes compared to his status as a {{Domestic Abuse}}r.

* ''WebVideo/MarioPartyDSAntiPiracy'' focuses on the (fictional) CopyProtection of ''VideoGame/MarioParty DS''. Hints show that these measures were added by a rogue employee who believes in this trope to an extreme, to the point of adding an entire character to punish pirates [[spoiler:and who can manifest in the real world to kill them or call the cops to arrest them]].

* Parodied mercilessly by a ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'' public service announcement, [[http://roosterteeth.com/archive/?id=112 "The RvBIAA"]]. Church and Sarge are complaining about people pirating ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'' instead of buying the DVD, with the other cast members trying to explain to them that A) it's already on the web for free, and B) they haven't released a DVD yet (which has since happened). In a later ''WebVideo/AchievementHunter'' video Geoff talked about originally having no issue with digital piracy until he discovered an entire series they had produced on torrent. Realizing the lost revenue from something they had put so much work into he abruptly found himself siding with the anti-piracy crowd.

* Parodied mercilessly by a ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'' public service announcement, [[http://roosterteeth.com/archive/?id=112 "The RvBIAA"]]. Church and Sarge are complaining about people pirating ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'' instead of buying the DVD, with the other cast members trying to explain to them that A) it's already on the web for free, and B) they haven't released a DVD yet (which has since happened). In a later ''WebVideo/AchievementHunter'' video Geoff talked about originally having no issue with digital piracy until he discovered an entire series they had produced on torrent. Realizing the lost revenue from something they had put so much work into he abruptly found himself siding with the anti-piracy crowd.

*** [[https://youtu.be/se3i3dtSwnQ?t=72 And there's also the Greek version of this ad,]] but instead it based off the Taiwanese Chinese version (with the Chinese texts that says "原版" (Original Version) on blue squares removed only), and they also redone the hologram awareness part with new background, and also to showcase another anti-counterfeiting measures that's only exclusive to official Greek releases of Disney VHS and now Mickey Mouse hologram instead featured in the cassette.

*** Abril Video has put a short message [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lostmedia/images/6/68/Bernardo_e_Bianca_na_Terra_dos_Cangurus_propaganda_1992.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/1000?cb=20220104141529 their]] [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lostmedia/images/4/40/Bernardo_e_Bianca_na_Terra_dos_Cangurus_propaganda_1992_3.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/1000?cb=20220421191626 print]] advertisements encouraging readers to check for the hologram, but their video cassette also has a similar message above the copyright warning.

* ''Webcomic/QuentynQuinnSpaceRanger'' had an interplanetary MegaCorp that owned all copyrights up to brain-stripping elderly scientists and artists, at which point an alliance led by [[MarySueTopia Empire of the Seven Systems]] declared war on them and shot their CEO out of a railgun at the moon. The name of that corporation, [[{{Anvilicious}} the R.I.A.A.]] (though it might ''be'' the RIAA; Earth is implied to be part of the Empire).

-->''We get ‘em straight after the yanks, so fuck The Pirate Bay.''\\

* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' treats this trope as seriously as they do everything else. Finn and Jake are in the habit of hosting movie nights for their friends, but when the FBI warning about unauthorized public performance is pointed out to them, they react in horror and refuse to show any more movies, because they can't get permission and heroes don't break the law. The main reason they can't get permission in the first place is because they just so happen to live on a [[AfterTheEnd post-apocalyptic Earth]], several ''thousand'' years after the civilization that made those movies (and the FBI warnings) was destroyed, and they've been finding the tapes in the rubble of old cities.

*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9gBePiuERY And there's even also the Chinese VCD version of this ad,]] featuring clips from ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'', ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing''.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-Vm-Xwg0MA An Malaysian promo]] has a spy trying to get a DVD. Then the scene cuts to a guy holding a DVD on a DVD vendor, which the spy segment turns out to be an ImagineSpot, and the DVD vendor claims that the DVD is a very good one, and it turns out that the DVD the guy is holding is a fictitious DVD with a man imprisoned behind bars on the cover with the text "THEIF" on it, and he then throws the DVD to the camera. The same fictitious DVD then appears on the black screen with the infamous "Piracy. It's a Crime" text on it, with the logos of the Motion Picture Association, Malaysian government, and the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (Kementerian Perdagangan Dalam Negeri dan Hal Ehwal Pengguna) appearing below the image.

* An 1998 Argentinean anti-piracy promo surprisingly contains an English swear word on VHS player after a man trying to play an VHS (with Spanish words "El Maraja de San Telmo" on label) several times but explodes. See [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bPYBlR6oWw here.]] Also shockingly enough, this promo also can be seen on Argentinian children's VHS (including an ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' VHS. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTOrogS4ISQ We're not joking about that.)]]

* An 1998 Argentinean anti-piracy promo surprisingly contains an English swear word on VHS player after a man trying to play an VHS (with Spanish words "El Maraja de San Telmo" on label) several times but explodes. See [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bPYBlR6oWw here.]] Also shockingly enough, this promo also can be seen on children's VHS that released by Argentina. (Including an ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' VHS. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTOrogS4ISQ We're not joking about that.)]]

* A Hong Kong anti-counterfeit VCD promo has an Asian man using the concretes to fill a stack of counterfeit [=VCDs=], with a Cantonese pop-song playing on the background. It turns out that he built a prison for himself to close in. [[https://youtu.be/LDaCHUm6R30 You can see the promo here.]]

* Richard Simmons' videotape programs, namely his ''Sweatin' to the Oldies'' series as well as the Deal-a-Meal diet, are infamous for their ''unique'' FBI warnings. These include [[https://youtu.be/A35IEhyHIsw a gun shooting at the viewer]] as the ''Series/{{Dragnet}}'' theme plays, a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CUiEP87Dq0 dramatic black-and-white courtroom scene]] where a man is convicted for copying videotapes, and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhSc_DvaHY4 a comedy sketch]] where Richard's mom gets caught illegally copying his program.

* Richard Simmons' videotape programs, namely his ''Sweatin' to the Oldies'' series as well as the Deal-a-Meal diet, are infamous for their ''unique'' FBI warnings. These include [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A35IEhyHIsw&t=4s a gun shooting at the viewer]] as the ''Series/{{Dragnet}}'' theme plays, a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CUiEP87Dq0 dramatic black-and-white courtroom scene]] where a man is convicted for copying videotapes, and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhSc_DvaHY4 a comedy sketch]] where Richard's mom gets caught illegally copying his program.

* Richard Simmons' videotape programs, namely his ''Sweatin' to the Oldies'' series as well as the Deal-a-Meal diet, are infamous for their ''unique'' FBI warnings. These include [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moTNNhxU9Hc a gun shooting at the viewer]] as the ''Series/{{Dragnet}}'' theme plays, a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CUiEP87Dq0 dramatic black-and-white courtroom scene]] where a man is convicted for copying videotapes, and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhSc_DvaHY4 a comedy sketch]] where Richard's mom gets caught illegally copying his program.

* VHS tapes and VCDs released by Telaga Biru have a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRd-KXpe5kc warning]] that blames counterfeits for other crimes such as fraud, theft, vandalism, murder, etc., says that purchasing counterfeits might condone, support and promote evil, and says you must only purchase the "halal" original copies. It is followed by a fade into an triangle symbol with the text "ORIGINAL" and the Arabic translation on it, with the green lines with Malay/Indonesian text such as "Cetak Rompak Adalah Haram Di Sisi Islam" (Counterfeit copies are haram on the side of Islam) and "Beli Yang Original" (Buy the Original), and another text below it that reads "Sebuah lagi produk bermutu dari TELAGA BIRU SDN BHD" (Another quality product from TELAGA BIRU SDN BHD).

* Like the Nintendo example above, Taiwan's Government Information Office and National Anti-Counterfeiting Committee have been reported to have once held a public event where a steamroller crushed counterfeit video cassettes lying in the streets.