George Lucas at Comdex, "Stop Ripping Us Off!"
 

Filmmaker George Lucas speaks as a guest during a keynote address by Peter Chernin, president and Chief Operating Officer of the News Corporation Fox Group at Comdex Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2002 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Lucas and Chernin asked for cooperation between media and technology companies to end piracy.

"Stop ripping us off" was the impassioned plea from News Corp. President Peter Chernin and "Star Wars" creator George Lucas at a Tuesday COMDEX Fall keynote presentation. "I am here to suggest that technology and media companies form a partnership so we can combat the rash of stealing that threatens us both," implored Chernin. "We have nothing more urgently in common than the escalating theft of our products."

Chernin, who is also chairman and CEO of the Fox Group, noted that the piracy of motion pictures and software is reaching epidemic proportions and destroying the ability of the technology industry to evolve. He added that a partnership between the technology and entertainment industries is beyond question since it can stop "years of robbery in broad daylight and copyright losses of around $8 billion a year."

Master film maker George Lucas added his voice to the call to stop the theft of films, computer software and other intellectual property. "There is no free lunch. No matter how free it seems, someone is paying for it. In the end, when someone gets ripped off or someone is getting something for free, someone else is getting screwed. The big corporations are like cockroaches, they will survive anything. It’s the artists who suffer."

Both Lucas and Chernin emphasized that the real losers in the theft of creative property are the consumers. Great films, like "Star Wars" or "The Lord of the Rings" simply will not be made if the producers, actors and technicians fail to make a fair profit because revenue is deluded by piracy.

Three excuses for piracy
Chernin identified three ways the "pirates" justify their actions. The first is what he called the "Dinosaur" theory, which states that the opposition to piracy is simply a distrust of technology and a knee-jerk defense from a dying breed. "We have been accused of being a lot of things, but by no stretch of the imagination are we anti-technology. We have embraced and pioneered many technological breakthroughs. In fact, the only economic and technological development we haven’t embraced is the option of getting ripped-off."

The "Big Bully" theory," which holds that content providers want to roll back the rights, freedom and privileges of consumers, is another false accusation he attacked head on. "We have no objections to anyone making copies of television programming," Chernin said. "We want a balance between viewers rights that are brought about by digital technology and the creator’s right not to be digitally looted."

Finally, there is the "Screw the Suits" theory which states that illegal downloads are only rebellious slaps at what he called the "rich idiots and slick Hollywood offices who have it coming." The rational is that the corporate drones only care about money and they already have more than they need.

"The stealing of creative products through digital means is a blow to creativity, not to corporate might," countered Chanin. "In other words, there must be better ways to ‘screw the suits.’ Digital copyright theft is less harmful to executives at the highest levels than it is to the countless people at the creative level who use their hands and minds to build motion pictures. These are the people who are truly at the heart of what we do."

He also reminded the audience that broadband has the potential to both expand the creativity of the world or to strike what may be a fatal blow to the industry. "I have not come to COMDEX to stop all digital stealing. I come to this vast showcase of the world’s most advanced technologies to offer the most old fashioned of things -- optimism. I have great confidence that together we can restore to both our industries the explosive growth that is within our reach."

So release Star Wars already, Lucas!

Re: George Lucas at Comdex, "Stop Ripping Us Off!"
 

Damn you, pirates, for playing tricks on my revenues!

Lord of the ring? bootleg? No, it's been release! Who in the right mind would take the bootleg over the official release?


George you can solve the problem and just release a barebones DVD set...that would kill the pirates!

First stop economically censoring independent distributors, and de-corporatize the studios, production companies and media outlets. Then you can start claiming the "moral high ground." -rolleyes-

Re: George Lucas at Comdex, "Stop Ripping Us Off!"
 

You mean if I keep pirating software and movies they'll stop making films like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings? If that's not enough incentive to keep pirating, I don't know what is! ;-)

I'm only half-serious - I liked both films. However, if producers (of films and software) provide consumers with quality products at a reasonable price they have little to worry about. When they (a) rip us off, or (b) fail to release products of which there is a HUGE demand (and you know what I'm talking about), they get what they deserve.

These random quips are interesting, but that does not make piracy any less wrong as it is stealing. Why is there a need to justify our actions (the dvds are not out yet, etc.)?

I saw Lucas today - anyone else here at Comdex? Maybe we can get together?

So let me get this straight..


If lucas releases a BAREBONES version of the trilogy right now, lets say it's released in two months then you will be happy right folks?

So your telling me that you wouldn't say any of the following things:

• Damn lucas trying to double dip on the fans or give out this line "Oh great, another set of the trilogy I HAVE to buy"
• Forget this, I'm buying the bootleg Originals that are not the "Directors" vision
• I'm not going support that luca$ because he destroyed my youth by changing his film

The majority that are trying to justify the bootlegs come down to a few things. First off you say the original trilogy is not going to be released.

Though Lucas has already stated it would not be, there is always a chance he will change his mind. Much like spielberg and E.T. I'm sure at one point or another, Lucas will break and release a collectors edition of the Original Unaltered versions so your childhood wont be ruined and you can see greedo shoot first, and hear Luke yell out "CARRIE" :p Ok, maybe not, but hell If your really that hardcore into it why not just buy the damn LD's of the originals?

Now, on the topic of Double dipping. I can't believe how many folks complain about studios double dipping.. Not only that but I can't believe how many of you want them to double dip on this. Do you want a half fast hack job of a transfer while lucas is working on the third and final installment of the new trilogy (Yes, most of you hate it, fine go away) or would you rather wait for a nice big Directors approved set to be released once they are all done and Lucas can give his 100% into it already?

That also brings up a good point about directors visions. So some, if not most of you hated the new editions with there very small changes and so forth. Fine, you can't please everyone, But how many of you have actually demanded that a directors edition be released? Kind of a double standard if you say the director should have his vision on the movie done right, and yet curcify lucas for doing the Special editions like he did.

Next on the topic of bootlegs in general. Sure there is a lot of boots floating around, You know, I watch a lot of anime that is fan subbed and though the means are the same where someone is taking someone else's product and working with it there is a difference that makes it very much a different ball park. Fan subbers on anime don't get paid, they do the work for free and they distribute it intill the material is bought by someone for distribution. translating the language to subtitles and then distribution which they hope is free to the masses to create awareness of the program. Once someone buys the rights for distribution all the fansubs should stop there distribution at that point. Fan subbers have ethics when it comes to this and they also full heartly support the product when it is released by the Distributors to show that the distributors are doing a good job at the material. So no one takes the loss of cash flow, the material is in a sense advertised and known to the public. Look at my collection of anime, You will see that 90% of them were on my computer before there distribution rights for the states were settled. I was watching Chobits as it was being released and fan subbed, but you know what, once march comes I will be picking up my real versions from pioneer.So, using this logic, sure you have a star wars bootleg right now, thats not going to hurt the market because well there is no legit version out there on dvd. But when it comes to dvd, I sure hope that you support the film makers and buy the official movie.

This where it's important, YOU SUPPORT THE WORK in some shape or form. Lord of the rings was on boot before it was released on dvd. It was all over the place, I saw it at like 10 different LAN's in pretty decent quality, but you know, Once the first dvd came out, I picked it up, and then the gift set came out and I picked that up as well. the moral. sure the boot was there, but you also supported the right person.

With bootlegs, it's not a great quality, they worry that you will not support them by just keeping the boots as the final one you will buy. there is no justification to settle with the boots and not the official stuff.

Blah. just buy the original stuff aswell if your into boots fine, just support the corp. No matter how evil there are.. even if you have to spell there name with an $ instead of an S

Well, sadly a lot of people do buy bootlegs over offical versions, even if offical versions are avalible, some people do download a movie instead of seeing it at theaters...

I personally only see a problem if people are dishonest about it. For example, I have an illegal VCD of the Cowboy Bebop movie. Why? because it came out and wasn't avalible for me to watch, there was NO WAY for me to see it anyway, I wouldn't have been able to. So I downloaded it. When the DVD is released, I'll buy the DVD though. If the movie plays in my local theater, I'll go see it there too. So no one is losing any money here.

I also have some mp3s I don't own the albums for. I have one song from the soundtrack of Me, Myself and Irene... I only like one song from it, I would NEVER buy the CD, ever, because I only like one song. So no one is losing any money here.

Sadly, most people aren't going to be like this. They use bootlegs as a replacement. I know what I do might be illegal, but if no one is losing money off me, then I don't care. I've also downloaded mp3s which have made me like an artist and so I bought their CD.

it's clear I agree with bizrodian.

it is only a problem if the people accept the boots as replacements or ways out of buying and supporting the official releases.

You can tell on the main page with the cowboy bebop thread that some are resorting to the ebay bootlegs as the final version they are going to get with full knowledge that it is a bootleg.

Well, let me start with these...

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Originally posted by Jepthah
First stop economically censoring independent distributors, and de-corporatize the studios, production companies and media outlets. Then you can start claiming the "moral high ground." -rolleyes-

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WORD :thumbsup: Not only that, but show some support or give some incentives for small "Mom & Pop" retail outlets.

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Originally posted by wendersfan
You mean if I keep pirating software and movies they'll stop making films like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings? If that's not enough incentive to keep pirating, I don't know what is! ;-)

I'm only half-serious - I liked both films. However, if producers (of films and software) provide consumers with quality products at a reasonable price they have little to worry about. When they (a) rip us off, or (b) fail to release products of which there is a HUGE demand (and you know what I'm talking about), they get what they deserve.

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I would've pirated EVERY SINGLE DVD I own if it would've stopped AOTC. But I do agree [at least in Luca$$$'s case] that he could SEVERELY cut into the pirate's booty [hehe] if he'd release a barebones disc. Yes, some people will complain [the ones who own every format that SW has been released on so far], but that's to be expected. Hell, i'd be surprise if anyone DIDN'T.*

AFAIC, if I d/l an mp3 or mpeg and don't buy the hard copy, then I wasn't going to begin with. F'rinstance...if I d/l Destiny Child's new disc and didn't buy the disc, there's no way I was going to. There's no loss of $$$ on my end. It's similar to me borrowing a friend's copy or going to the library. Am I making $$$ off of this? No. Is DC losing $$$ because of this? Nope. While on the other hand, if I d/l the new Dave Matthews disc it's usually cuz it's a pre-release and it'll help me kill time until the disc is officially released. Of course I realize this is just me and most people don't think like that.

As far as boot DVDs go...I own two sets. I'm sure you can guess which two. ;) And [as i've said on god knows how many other threads] when they're officially released, i'll be sure to buy those too. What bothers me about boots [particularly on eBay] is that some sellers try to get over on the "casual" consumer who might not know that the Lion King was NOT released on a regionless DVD. [Or for that matter SW or IJ] I remember looking at all the "dts" Scarface auctions and shaking my head with the ridiculous amounts being paid for these things. [Unless they know what they're getting into...]

Oh well...enough rambling from me.

[*As an aside, other than a nonworking disc, has anyone complained about New Line or the LOTR DVD releases? Just wondering & too lazy to find it out.]

What if you hadn't liked the movie after watching the bootleg? Would you still buy the official DVD then?

I am a supporter of bootlegs and fansubs for shows that have not been released in this region and are not scheduled for release.

I also support bootlegging in cases where a film in its original form has been revoked (a la Star Wars). If the studio does not intend to release a specific product, I have no qualms with picking up a copy from someone who will release it - bootlegged or not. Definitely no moral qualms here.

With regards to mp3s - if anything, mp3s have allowed me to experience far more bands and music than I ever would have dreamed beforehand. Considering that my tastes lie in underground Euro-industrial, you just can't discover this stuff easily on these shores. Mp3s have increased my consumer potential - not the opposite. Of course, there are many who abuse the system - but whatever. The corporations out there view mp3s as a deadly virus - when they should realize that electronic distribution is the wave of the future, and a boon to the industry.

Anyway, it does disgust me when people download films that aren't even out in theatres - or VCD's of films that are scheduled for imminent release. I do agree however (to an extent) with the philosophy that some products simply would never be rented/watched/listened to/etc unless it was pirated - but there is no doubt in my mind that bootlegging is waaaaay out of control.

Indeed, consumers need to be honest and responsible - but I think there is an equal honus for studios/artists to provide a quality product at a reasonable price. The beast has two heads methinks...

-matt

Good point, no I wouldn't have... (though the chances of me not liking it would have been 1 in 1000) But I wouldn't have bought the DVD without seeing it first.

But I wouldn't have been able to find out, because the film is foriegn, and wasn't in my country.

So again, no one is losing any money because of me. Now, I guess you could argue that they could have, because if I didn't like it, but had planned to buy it beforehand, they lose my sale because I don't like it, but really, that's getting very far. If I don't like a film, I don't feel any moral need to reward the film maker.

Lucas convinced me I am going to buy a bootleg copy of the trilogy now while I can-

Thanks Lucas :D

I own no bootleg copies of any movies except one which I threw away once I got an official copy(LOTR)

I acquired a divx copy of LOTR and have since bought both the first release and the extended release. I knew I was going to buy both so I had no problems using the bootleg as a temporary LOTR fix.

I would buy an original release of the Star Wars trilogy however since Lucas has said he will never release it I guess I better get a bootleg before he makes it impossible to get.

Rrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhttttttttttt.


That is why I often see those "true Hollywood" story type documentaries where the artits wind up ripped off by the studio, by the "cockroaches" and they actually wind up broke, even though their movie or album has sold millions.

I would be more concerned about what Lucas has to say about piracy if he would just have put out DVDs of the original trilogy already. The digital versions of those films are there, they exist, they can be put on DVD, he just wants to tinker with them some more. And how much money is he losing on those Star Wars bootlegs? Uh, he's causing himself to lose it, because everybody who owns the bootlegs WILL buy the OT when it comes out. Of course, there will be purists who won't want to buy it and stick with their bootlegs if Lucas changes everything on them and refuses to release the OT as seen in the theaters.

If it bothers them, these movie makers could go the Pearl Jam way and get all the bootleg material they can get their hands on and release it offically.

So you want them to get all the bootleg material of movies and release it officially? I don't see how it would be the same considering one Sing and live events were the "bootlegs" and the other is a studio and a live version of that would be just a showing. should they release an official bootleg of it?

And if you think about how much work goes into dvd's sure some sources are there for him, but come on, this guy is stuck between a rock and a hard place, damn if he does and damn if he doesn't.
if he did he would be "money hungry wanting us to double dip" and if he didn't he is just "evil for not wanting the original trilogy out on dvd"

Don’t be foolishly naïve. If the Lucas released a bare bones DVD w/ the original and the SE that would totally stop the bootlegs. Who is dumb enough to think a bootleg is better?

Unlike a copy from VHS tape, a copy from a DVD can be just as good as the original. I think Lucas's fear is that if he released Star Wars DVD, bootleggers would now be able to make perfect copies of his legit Star Wars DVD which will make piracy more rampant.

You obviously haven't seen Joe Six-Pack and Jane Box-Wine on the streets of a major city, looking at someone peddling an obvious VHS bootleg of a kid's film that is already available on video. The response is always the same: "Only $5? Really?" And then the money comes out of the wallet.

Granted, a lot of the bootlegs that are sold "on the street" are for current theatrical releases. But I still see a lot of people buy things that are popular (Monsters Inc., Harry Potter, etc.) even after they are officially released. People want to save a buck, and some of them aren't very bright.



In general response to this topic, I haven't heard Lucas speak at this event, but in recent interviews he has been more concerned about the *future* of pirating, rather than the current state. I'm sure that Lucas isn't a fan of the SW boots on eBay and stuff, but they are not a huge deal in the long run.

What seems to be concerning him is when bandwidth issues fall away and people are able to download an pirate copy of a new theatrical release at home, with no effort. Why go to the theater when you can download a decent copy of the film, burn it onto DVD-R, and watch it in your living room? That's the situation that concerns Lucas, and I can't say I blame him.

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Originally posted by mookiemeister
Unlike a copy from VHS tape, a copy from a DVD can be just as good as the original. I think Lucas's fear is that if he released Star Wars DVD, bootleggers would now be able to make perfect copies of his legit Star Wars DVD which will make piracy more rampant.

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Yep. Lord knows no one would want to pirate TPM or AOTC.

Quote:

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Originally posted by bboisvert
What seems to be concerning him is when bandwidth issues fall away and people are able to download an pirate copy of a new theatrical release at home, with no effort. Why go to the theater when you can download a decent copy of the film, burn it onto DVD-R, and watch it in your living room?

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So what's he going to do? Force us all to get 14.4 modems? ;)

Well if they want to claim things like this then why not let us upgrade our old VHS's for new DVD releases? Sorry but one reason to pirate things is because you already paid for the crap once, i.e. in my dad's lifetime he has bought all the beatles albums on vinyl, some 8-track, cassete, and CD. Now how is it fair that the music he purchased over and over should be repurchased (at full price or above) because it is on a different format? This is why the music and movie industries love technology, they have been doing this very thing to us for many years, and now that technology has finally caught up and we have the power to change this it has become evil.

And don't get me started on the we lose $8 billion dollars per year. Yeah right you really thing that everything someone illegal copies they would have purchased. Personally most people I know only illegal copy the crap that they wouldn'tt want to buy.

...too much anger...

Peter Travers from Rolling Stone slammed New Line and Jackson as greedly bastards for releasing two versions. He also only gave the Extended Edition two stars out of five...

In the process, Travers has revealed himself as one of the most ignorant mainstream critics out there.

Quote:

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Originally posted by Gdrlv
Peter Travers from Rolling Stone slammed New Line and Jackson as greedly bastards for releasing two versions. He also only gave the Extended Edition two stars out of five...

Quote:

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Originally spewed forth by Peter Travers
Yes, Rings came out on DVD in August -- but without the thirty minutes of deleted scenes included on this jumbo four-disc package. In short, the powers behind the scam are forcing Rings fans to buy the movie again. If you're wondering why there's a two-star rating when the movie deserves four, you now have your answer.

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In the process, Travers has revealed himself as one of the most ignorant mainstream critics out there.

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:hscratch: I guess he doesn't know that New Line announced this set from the beginning?? I hope someone calls him on this. But, then again, this is Rolling Stone magazine...-rolleyes-