Federation Against Copyright Theft
Encyclopedia
The Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) is a trade organisation in the UK established to represent the interests of the its members in the film and broadcasting business on copyright and trademark issues. Established in 1983, FACT works with law enforcement agencies on copyright-infringement issues. Its sister-organisation the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft has a similar focus in the Oceania
Region, taking over the responsibilities of the Australasian Film and Video Security Office in the early 2000s.
capabilities against those involved in the manufacture, distribution and sale of copyright material both online and in hard copy format".
Also in 2007, FACT, in collaboration with UK police, took down well known hot-linking site Tv-links.co.uk. FACT makes the claim that the 26 year old man from Cheltenham was arrested in connection with offences relating to the facilitation of copyright infringement on the internet whereas the arrest was over a matter of possible trademark infringement. While arrested under Section 92 of the Trade Marks Act 1994 he has now been released 'pending further investigation' with no charges filed against him as of 25 October. Section 92 of the Trade Marks Act 1994 deals with falsely applying signs to goods that may be mistaken for a registered trademark.
In June 2009, FACT brought a lawsuit against the company Scopelight and its founders for running a video search engine called Surfthechannel.com. The organisation accompanied a police raid on the Scopelights owners homes, they collaborated with the police in the initial investigation and they allowed FACT employee's to inspect confiscated computers and the information on them. After a few months the police decided there was not enough evidence to prosecute the owners for criminal charges. Scopelight's owners requested their property back to which FACT refused claiming they were holding onto the equipment to be used for a civil case against the owners. The issue was brought to court and it was ruled that FACT's actions were improper and the equipment should have been returned the moment police decided not to prosecute the owners of Scopelight.
(and its successor, Paramount Home Entertainment
), Warner Home Video
, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
and others. Versions for each studio depicting their respective security label (generally a hologram of the studio logo) were created, and the warning was placed at the beginning of practically every rental released VHS tape in the UK (as well as many retail tapes), analogous to the FBI Warning found on tapes in the United States. Since late 1996, this warning was followed by a public information film
featuring a man attempting to return a pirate video purchased from a market after discovering that the sound was garbled and the picture unwatchable, ending with the tagline "Pirate Videos: Daylight Robbery." The public information film has been parodied by certain websites and can be seen online.
through peer-to-peer filesharing and less on counterfeit
copies. The spot related the peer-to-peer file sharing
of movies to stealing a handbag, a car, and other such items (similar to the US FAST "Piracy is theft
" slogan of the 1990s). This was parodied in an episode of The IT Crowd
The advert has been criticised by the general public and TV personalities alike: the most common complaint being that the advert only appears on genuinely purchased DVDs and cannot be skipped by fast forwarding or pressing the DVD menu button. More recent spots have included Knock-off Nigel
, where a man is ridiculed by his friends and colleagues for buying counterfeit DVDs and downloading films from Bit Torrent along with ads that say "Thank You" to the British public for supporting the film industry by either buying a ticket and seeing a film in the cinema or purchasing a genuine DVD/ Blu-ray.
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
Region, taking over the responsibilities of the Australasian Film and Video Security Office in the early 2000s.
Recent Activity
In 2007 FACT reported seizing over 2.8m pirate DVDs and states it has "enhanced its enforcementPolice power
In United States constitutional law, police power is the capacity of the states to regulate behavior and enforce order within their territory for the betterment of the general welfare, morals, health, and safety of their inhabitants...
capabilities against those involved in the manufacture, distribution and sale of copyright material both online and in hard copy format".
Also in 2007, FACT, in collaboration with UK police, took down well known hot-linking site Tv-links.co.uk. FACT makes the claim that the 26 year old man from Cheltenham was arrested in connection with offences relating to the facilitation of copyright infringement on the internet whereas the arrest was over a matter of possible trademark infringement. While arrested under Section 92 of the Trade Marks Act 1994 he has now been released 'pending further investigation' with no charges filed against him as of 25 October. Section 92 of the Trade Marks Act 1994 deals with falsely applying signs to goods that may be mistaken for a registered trademark.
In June 2009, FACT brought a lawsuit against the company Scopelight and its founders for running a video search engine called Surfthechannel.com. The organisation accompanied a police raid on the Scopelights owners homes, they collaborated with the police in the initial investigation and they allowed FACT employee's to inspect confiscated computers and the information on them. After a few months the police decided there was not enough evidence to prosecute the owners for criminal charges. Scopelight's owners requested their property back to which FACT refused claiming they were holding onto the equipment to be used for a civil case against the owners. The issue was brought to court and it was ruled that FACT's actions were improper and the equipment should have been returned the moment police decided not to prosecute the owners of Scopelight.
Anti-piracy warnings
FACT has produced several adverts which have appeared at the beginning of videos and DVDs released in the UK, as well as trailers shown before films in cinemas.1990s
During the 1990s, FACT created a 30 second anti-piracy warning called "Beware of Illegal Video Cassettes", reminding customers to check whether they have a genuine video and how to report questionable copies. They appeared on many different video cassettes by home video companies including Columbia-TriStar Home Video, Buena Vista Home Video, CIC VideoCIC Video
CIC Video was a home video distributor, owned by Cinema International Corporation , and operated in some countries by local operators...
(and its successor, Paramount Home Entertainment
Paramount Home Entertainment
Paramount Home Entertainment is the division of Paramount Pictures dealing with home video founded in late 1975.-History:...
), Warner Home Video
Warner Home Video
Warner Home Video is the home video unit of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., itself part of Time Warner. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video . The company launched in the United States with twenty films on VHS and Betamax videocassettes in late 1979...
, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is the home video distribution arm of the 20th Century Fox film studio. It was established in 1976 as Magnetic Video Corporation, and later as 20th Century Fox Video, CBS/Fox Video and FoxVideo, Inc....
and others. Versions for each studio depicting their respective security label (generally a hologram of the studio logo) were created, and the warning was placed at the beginning of practically every rental released VHS tape in the UK (as well as many retail tapes), analogous to the FBI Warning found on tapes in the United States. Since late 1996, this warning was followed by a public information film
Public information film
Public Information Films are a series of government commissioned short films, shown during television advertising breaks in the UK. The US equivalent is the Public Service Announcement .-Subjects:...
featuring a man attempting to return a pirate video purchased from a market after discovering that the sound was garbled and the picture unwatchable, ending with the tagline "Pirate Videos: Daylight Robbery." The public information film has been parodied by certain websites and can be seen online.
2000s
With the advent of DVD, FACT developed a new anti piracy spot, which concentrated more on copyright infringementCopyright infringement
Copyright infringement is the unauthorized or prohibited use of works under copyright, infringing the copyright holder's exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work, or to make derivative works.- "Piracy" :...
through peer-to-peer filesharing and less on counterfeit
Counterfeit
To counterfeit means to illegally imitate something. Counterfeit products are often produced with the intent to take advantage of the superior value of the imitated product...
copies. The spot related the peer-to-peer file sharing
Peer-to-peer file sharing
P2P or Peer-to-peer file sharing allows users to download files such as music, movies, and games using a P2P software client that searches for other connected computers. The "peers" are computer systems connected to each other through internet. Thus, the only requirements for a computer to join...
of movies to stealing a handbag, a car, and other such items (similar to the US FAST "Piracy is theft
Piracy is theft
"Piracy is theft" was a slogan used by UK non-profit organization FAST . It was first used in the 1980s and has since then been used by other similar organisations such as MPAA.-See also:* Property is theft!...
" slogan of the 1990s). This was parodied in an episode of The IT Crowd
The IT Crowd
The IT Crowd is a British sitcom by Channel 4, written by Graham Linehan, produced by Ash Atalla and starring Chris O'Dowd, Richard Ayoade, Katherine Parkinson and Matt Berry...
The advert has been criticised by the general public and TV personalities alike: the most common complaint being that the advert only appears on genuinely purchased DVDs and cannot be skipped by fast forwarding or pressing the DVD menu button. More recent spots have included Knock-off Nigel
Knock-off Nigel
Knock-off Nigel was an anti-piracy campaign in the United Kingdom.The campaign included a series of television advertisements in which the eponymous Nigel was described as having bought pirated DVDs, illegally downloaded films, and so on, to the accompaniment of a derisive song: "He's a knock-off...
, where a man is ridiculed by his friends and colleagues for buying counterfeit DVDs and downloading films from Bit Torrent along with ads that say "Thank You" to the British public for supporting the film industry by either buying a ticket and seeing a film in the cinema or purchasing a genuine DVD/ Blu-ray.
External links
- FACT homepage
- Trade Marks Act 1994 http://www.ipo.gov.uk/tmact94.pdf (pp46–47)
- Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1988/Ukpga_19880048_en_1.htm