FBI Proposes Warning On All Entertainment, Software Products
The FBI's seal is designed to deter individual piracy and aid in prosecuting piracy rings.
By Tony Kontzer, InformationWeek
Feb. 19, 2004
The FBI says it will give the movie, music, and software industries a digital anti-piracy seal, an analog to the FBI's warning displayed at the beginning of videotapes.
Joined by execs from the Motion Picture Association of America, the Recording Industry Association of America, the Software and Information Industry Association, and the Entertainment Software Association, FBI officials said during a Thursday press conference that the seal not only will deter individuals engaging in piracy, but that it would aid in the prosecution of piracy rings by ensuring a particular work's status as copyright-protected could not be disputed.
How the seal would be used and when it will begin to appear remains undetermined. But it could be embedded on the surface of disks or printed on packaging, or it could also be deployed as a pop-up screen during software installation. The seal, marked by the "FBI Anti-Piracy Warning" label, is accompanied by a statement that criminal copyright infringement is punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of $250,000.