Those pricey Blu-ray DVDs that we like to watch on our high-def TVs are about to get a new feature. Unfortunately it’s we could live without: two piracy warnings. Not only that, but the new warnings are “unskippable.” Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) – I’ll call them the “Vanilla” of enforcement agencies – has been cracking down on pirated movies and makes a cameo in both new warnings. Ars Technica reports that the first warning is kind of an update to the one we’re used to seeing with the FBI logo.
The second notice shows the logo for the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center, which involves 20 different US government agencies. It features one extremely angry eagle who would probably pluck your eyeballs from your sockets if he could get those talons near you. “Piracy is not a victimless crime,” says the notice. “For more information on how digital theft harms the economy, please visit www.iprcenter.gov.”
Both warnings will run back to back and last 10 seconds each. The kicker is that these will appear on legitimate copies (read: non-pirated) of the Blu-rays, so now that $28 you just spend on the special edition of Mad Max earns you the right to an extra 20 seconds of shame. (It also earns you the right to enter the Thunderdome, but we don’t need another hero so stay out!)
An ICE representative says the reason the warnings are on legit copies is because, “Law enforcement must continue to expand how it combats criminal activity; public awareness and education are a critical part of that effort.” Can’t we all just stop, collaborate and listen?
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