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 THEATRICAL PRINT THEFT
Theft of an actual film print (35 or 16 mm) from a theater, film depot, courier service or other industry-related facility for the purpose of making illegal copies is one of the most serious forms of piracy. This type of theft allows the pirate to make a relatively high quality videotape from the theatrical print, which then serves as the master for the duplication of unauthorized videocassettes. Fortunately, this type of theft is extremely rare due to the difficulty in obtaining the prints illegally and also in transferring the print to another format, such as videocassettes.
SIGNAL THEFT
Signal theft refers to the act of illegally tapping into cable TV systems as well as receiving satellite signals without authorization. In addition, pirates have supplied consumers with illegal cable decoders or satellite descramblers. Internationally, the problem becomes more acute when programs not licensed to a particular country are pirated from satellites and then re-transmitted in that country either by cable or broadcast TV.
BROADCAST PIRACY
Like signal theft, broadcast piracy is piracy involving over-the-air broadcasts. However, instead of stealing signals, the illegal act may be the on-air broadcasting of films or television programs without permission from the copyright holder.
PUBLIC PERFORMANCE
Unauthorized public performances include situations where an institution or commercial establishment shows a tape or film to its members or customers without receiving permission from the copyright owner. This includes "public performances" where an admission fee is charged as well as those that are simply offered as an additional service of the establishment.
PARALLEL IMPORTS
Parallel imports describes the importation of goods authorized for manufacture or distribution in the exporting country but imported without authority of the copyright or trademark owner. (Parallel Importation may or may not be lawful under local laws).
VIDEOCASSETTE PIRACY
Videocassette piracy is the illegal duplication, distribution, rental or sale of copyrighted videocassettes. In recent years, the MPAA/MPA shifted its investigative focus onto the illicit duplicating facilities or "laboratories" that are set-up to create and distribute pirated videocassettes. These facilities are often times capable of producing hundreds of thousands of illegal videocassette copies each year. These copies are then distributed to a variety of outlets including swap meets, co-operating video dealers and street vendors. The pirate product is often packaged in counterfeit videocassette boxes that resemble legitimate packaging.
Camcording: Pirates use hand-held video cameras to record motion picture films off of theater screens and then copy these films onto blank videocassettes and optical discs for illegal distribution. These illicit copies are not only distributed to pirates in the US, but also shipped overseas and distributed through illegal channels even before the film's international theatrical release.
Screeners: Illegal copies are sometimes made from legitimate advance copies used for screening and marketing purposes.
Back-to-back Copying: A "back-to-back" copy is a pirate videocassette made by connecting two VCRs and then copying an original video onto a blank cassette.
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