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posted by on Thursday March 16 2017, @05:12PM   Printer-friendly
from the industry-innovation dept.

TechDirt reports

Much of the way the movie industry looks to combat film piracy will seem familiar to readers of this site. It typically involves shakedown threat letters, games of DMCA whac-a-mole, and a paint-by-numbers approach that mostly amounts to film studios shaking their lawyers' fists at the sky. All that produces the status quo, where piracy is still a thing, films still make gobs of money, and regular observers of it all are left scratching our heads wondering how so much noise could be made over it all.

But I will give credit where credit is due as Costa Rican film distributor Romaly deserves some style and creativity points for its new anti-piracy tactic.

Romaly has employed an extremely creative tactic to reach out to would-be pirates. Their work can be seen over at LegalTorrents.net, a site that has clearly been modeled on one of the most famous torrent indexes ever. As the screenshot below shows, it is a semi-convincing KickassTorrents clone with a similar logo, color scheme, and word cloud.

[...] The torrents on the site are actually real, except they aren't torrents for the actual movies in question. Instead, the downloads play trailers for those movies along with messaging about how piracy has a negative impact on the film industry. But the coup de grace is the inclusion of an email address where the downloader can request two free movie tickets for the film they attempted to pirate.

[...] Attempting to build up some goodwill in the form of getting downloaders to the theaters is actually pretty smart.


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  • (Score: 5, Informative) by edIII on Thursday March 16 2017, @07:45PM (4 children)

    by edIII (791) on Thursday March 16 2017, @07:45PM (#479992)

    Well I do avoid theaters because of the $20. That, and they feel it appropriate to charge $6 for a drink that I can get for less than $2 at a gas station. Exactly the same. Same size cup, same quality ice, same bullshit HFCS in it, etc. Then a *small* bag of popcorn is $7. The movies costs more per hour than most people make per hour. That's fucking crazy. Even crazier, they act like they are in an airport with their pricing structures. Extra security and vetting of products? Secured spaces? Nope. They cannot even keep their bathrooms clean to the same standards as an airport. The smell of urine floats out into the hallways.

    While I could smuggle all of the food and drinks in and deal with the facilities, I'm then faced with people who will not shut the fuck up. For anything. Cell phones being used while in the theater by people who literally cannot go 10 minutes without checking FaceFuck, or live tweeting their movie experience. I don't particular enjoy having the cops called because people are afraid that I will kill somebody. I've shut entire theaters and movies down because of the ruckus. I don't look forward to terrorizing some teenage fuckheads that cannot be quiet.

    So what do the movies offer? Big screen? Check. Loud subwoofers and excellent sound? Check. THAT's IT. Nothing else but fuck you, fuck you, fuck you. Except for the very big movies, usually Marvel, that I'm dragged to with family, I avoid the theaters like the plague.

    I have family locally with a 80" 3D TV and decent sound system. While, some of the family cannot always be completely quiet, the bonus is that they will occasionally fetch food and drinks and make something tasty for the movie. All at rock bottom prices compared to the theater, and at much, much, much, higher quality. Plus, I can smoke weed outside, and others can drink. It's a superior experience.

    So I can choose between spending $30-40 (gas included) for two people, or I can get a torrent and use all of that money for snacks and tasties while watching the movie privately, in peace, and with people I love.

    The theaters fucking suck, and have not got better in 20 years or so. The moment we can "paint" a wall with a TV screen roughly the size of a small theater, the movies will be dead. Nearly completely.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 16 2017, @08:38PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 16 2017, @08:38PM (#480016)

    Sticky floors and seats?
    Check.

    People who have kids, pass in front of you to sit in the middle of the aisle and then while the movie is going have to take every one of the kids to the bathroom (and have to pass in front of you, making you squeeze your feet and legs in uncomfortably) ONE AT A TIME!!!
    Check.

    Then you find you paid all that money to watch a fucking terrible movie because family just HAD TO SEE IT!!!
    Check.

    OR:
    Sit at home and torrent the movie that doesn't have all the adverts and anti-torrent and previews and shit that YOU CAN'T FAST FORWARD THROUGH!!!
    CHECK!!!

    Let's see:
    1. Kick me in the nuts over and over and over
    2. Make sweet love to my fine wife all night long.

    Yeah... 'What is "i'll take 2, thanks, for $1000", Alex.'

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 16 2017, @09:47PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 16 2017, @09:47PM (#480047)

    Not only the drinks just as good at the gas station, but some gas stations have video screens now. The oil companies are producing their own content to show at the pumps. If electric cars become the norm, they'll be ready to make feature-length productions. Return of the drive-in cinema?

  • (Score: 2) by Reziac on Friday March 17 2017, @02:56AM

    by Reziac (2489) on Friday March 17 2017, @02:56AM (#480170) Homepage

    Sounds like it's time to bring back the drive-in theatre.

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    And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 17 2017, @08:24AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 17 2017, @08:24AM (#480293)

    I take it you've never heard of projectors or whiteboard paint.

    You're not required to eat food while watching a movie.

    How much does that' 80" TV and sound system cost? The TV itself, the stand, the electricity, the time taken to keep it clean, the cost of the space in your apartment, etc... At least 80 movies ($1,600)? Most people don't watch that many movies, so going to the theaters is still far cheaper for them.