AfterDawn: News

Oscar screener pirate busted

A man faces up to three years in prison after he admitted to uploading an Oscar Screener copy of the movie "Flushed Away" on the Internet. 27 year-old Salvador Nunez Jr. obtained a DVD Screener copy of the movie from his sister, who is an Oscar voter. The pirated copy of the movie was tracked back to her from watermarking used on Oscar screeners.

Nunez admitted to also uploading "Happy Feet", however, only Flushed Away was found on his Hard Disk Drive when the FBI investigated. Movie screeners regularly leak onto the Internet, especially around Oscar season. Back in 2004, actor Carmine Caridi was fined $300,000 after giving screener copies to a friend, Russel Sprague.



Sprague was busted for uploading several copies of the movies on the Internet but died in prison in March 2005 while waiting to be sentenced.

Source:
Betanews

Written by: James Delahunty @ 23 Feb 2007 14:42

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• 14 comments

• webe123

  I guess these idiots didn't know how to remove watermarks BEFORE uploading them to the net? No wonder they got busted!

  23.2.2007 14:50 #1

• tabletpc

  you cannot remove the watermarks on these dvd's there high encryption most of them are not easly ripped

  23.2.2007 15:36 #2

• tucker001

  MPAA = Movie Pirate Association of America

  23.2.2007 16:12 #3

• Pop_Smith

  Originally posted by tabletpc:you cannot remove the watermarks on these dvd's there high encryption most of them are not easly rippedUmm... actually I am sure you could find something that would remove the watermark. Its probably extremely small and heck, if the movie companies are smart they might only include it on one or two frames so the human eye doesn't notice it.
  
  The movies could easily be ripped as they are often put online for download but, removing the watermark would take a little bit of work.

  23.2.2007 19:47 #4

• arcanix

  Quote:you cannot remove the watermarks on these dvd's there high encryption most of them are not easly rippedIt doesn't matter how good protection it has, you can always record it through a capture card.

  23.2.2007 22:39 #5

• borhan9

  I think that these people did not want to go through the extra effort if getting rid of the watermarks because it was time consuming. Well now they will get so much time. :)

  24.2.2007 10:33 #6

• dubiousmd

  they aren't always visible watermarks.

  24.2.2007 16:45 #7

• tabletpc

  the water mark works like this
  
  they place a watermark in the corner of the dvd then the dvd is ripped and placed on bittorrent and p2p networks with one problem
  
  most oscar dvd's communicate with a server via online so that they can track where the dvd goes to so not only are you dealing with a water mark busting the person they can check the hidden online file to confirm who the dvd was originally linked to to file charges worse if your caught with these water marked dvd's you will face more charges of jail time so it is a good idea not to download oscar dvd's i know several people who had been busted and several stores here in the u.s who have been busted all it took was a search warrent and a search of his computer for the hidden file

  24.2.2007 18:01 #8

• Canucker6

  Are these marks on the ones I buy in like Walmarts and what not and then I back them up????

  24.2.2007 20:00 #9

• veyron

  Anyone with a concise explanation of a "watermark". Visible or not and how to remove, would greatly help this debate.
  Clearly, screeners are given out with great discretion and now more than ever it's important that they be uploaded properly. Jail time for Flushed Away! How embarrassing, sitting next to your celly serving life for multiple homicicides!

  24.2.2007 23:53 #10

• rdmercer1

  depending on where the watermarks are at on the dvd's they can be blurred out, also most of Oscar Screener dvd's have special players that will play the special disks, for theese Screener disks, also once the disk has been copyed the encryption is gone, also pop_smith,you state (if the movie companies are smart they might only include it on one or two frames so the human eye doesn't notice it.) they tryed this years ago it is called sublimitall advertivising and it is against the law, so nice try, also the person who let the screaner out of thier hands get in trouble, and dose not get this again, and as far as stores that have the boot screeners they should know better, so they get what they deserve,

  25.2.2007 00:19 #11

• ZippyDSM

  Originally posted by rdmercer1:depending on where the watermarks are at on the dvd's they can be blurred out, also most of Oscar Screener dvd's have special players that will play the special disks, for theese Screener disks, also once the disk has been copyed the encryption is gone, also pop_smith,you state (if the movie companies are smart they might only include it on one or two frames so the human eye doesn't notice it.) they tryed this years ago it is called sublimitall advertivising and it is against the law, so nice try, also the person who let the screaner out of thier hands get in trouble, and dose not get this again, and as far as stores that have the boot screeners they should know better, so they get what they deserve,If its not produced for the public and is very limited and controled I doubt the subliminal advertising when tis not adverts would count.

  25.2.2007 07:08 #12

• N2DVD

  It appears that this Screener problem is bigger than Hollywood or CINEA wants to admit. I'm willing to bet someone on the inside is leaking these titles to the street circumventing the internet all together. In turn these screeners are purchased on the street and the buyers are ignorantly uploading them to websites were they can be monitored. The reason I say this is because an unbelieveable amount of new movie titles (still in theaters)are out there in DVD format some with menus even? These title don't even have a DVD release date yet and the watermarks have been edited out.
  
  On the topic of watermarks, though it is true that it is nearly impossible to remove them there are titles that I assume have been re-edited reducing the aspect ratio i.e. a movie that has say an annoramic ratio of 1.85:1 with the help of editing software is being altered to be viewed at a letterbox aspect ratio 2.01:1 thus covering the watermark which strangely enough runs along the bottom of the screen instead of maybe the middle and viewable portion of a given film? Add a Menu screen and chapter menu and your left scratching your head as to where these well edited screeners or DVD copies are coming from?
  
  Hollywood has a problem and the problem is companies like CINEA have oversold their capabilities and Hollywood is foolish to trust anyone to privately view its unreleased product in DVD format for any reason as people in general just can't be trusted in this age of internet access and file sharing. Why not not send these select viewers free passes to scheduled private screenings? Sounds too much like right, right. These screeners are a pirates wet dream as they reduce their need to hang out in movie houses or theaters with portable digital movie equipment that produce poor quality copies. Instead the expected DVD quality is being produce and served up by none other than Hollywood themselves in the form of a DVD screener:(?

  25.2.2007 08:26 #13

• DADEO1

  I'll bet someone in Hollywood land wants these screeners to leak out so they have some paths to follow. Leads them right to who their looking for.

  3.3.2007 21:12 #14