How to Tell if Your Dvd is Fake/Bootleg or Is This Dvd Real?

[Jules]

I recently tried getting the OOP versions of "Fantasia" and "Sleeping Beauty" from eBay. They were both pirate copies. Not only did it show in the picture and sound quality, but it was also obvious from the cover art as it was dark and not crisp, like Pluto Region 1's. The back covers also had multiple mistakes, like "Dolby Didital" instead of "Dolby Digital", and claimed that Fantasia is in Widescreen. Honestly, the pirates spend so much time trying to make them look authentic, but they give themselves away with their ignorance. I got refunds for the DVDs without problem. The sellers didn't even dare argue.

Looking back, I was really stupid with the seller of Sleeping Beauty. I acted really nice and politely, constantly thanking him/her for their prompt refund and helpfulness. Apparently there wasn't just one seller...more like a company of pirates. The DVD was meant to come from the UK, but the seller informed me later that he would be shipping it to me from Malaysia. Ya...the cook pot of pirate DVDs.

I finally did the stupidest thing ever by informing the sellers that I was leaving them neutral feedback on eBay as they had been helpful, despite the DVD being a copy. They told me if I would kindly leave NO feedback and if it was alright with me, and being the naive and inexperienced idiot that I am, I obliged.

Of course! I later found out these people take advantage of you by selling you copies! Most inobservant people won't notice anyway, but those who do are treated with respect and saccharine sweetness and immediately refunded so the seller is not reported. The sellers don't give you problems when you notice the copies, they are helpful and make sure they blind you with their service, and say that they will be very angry with their supplier and will report him (as they told me).

OH! Man why was I so stupid!!? They must have been laughing their asses off reading my e-mail replies. Oh! I even scanned a picture of the cover art (full of errors) of my copy of Sleeping Beauty and sent it to them so that they could compare that to the real thing. I'm sure they really appreciated that.

PS: As I am underage, I don't use my credit card, but someone else's with their permission. I'm still 17 years old.

[Jules]

Pluto Region 1, I think he will refund you. To find out why, read my above post.

[Pluto Region1]

I finally did the stupidest thing ever by informing the sellers that I was leaving them neutral feedback on eBay as they had been helpful, despite the DVD being a copy. They told me if I would kindly leave NO feedback and if it was alright with me, and being the naive and inexperienced idiot that I am, I obliged.

Most inobservant people won't notice anyway, but those who do are treated with respect and saccharine sweetness and immediately refunded so the seller is not reported. The sellers don't give you problems when you notice the copies, they are helpful and make sure they blind you with their service.... I even scanned a picture of the cover art (full of errors) of my copy of Sleeping Beauty and sent it to them so that they could compare that to the real thing.

Wow, Julian, thanks for posting your experience here. So did you already leave them the feedback and you couldn't change it later? Is there any way to report pirates to Ebay? I think it is almost a crap shoot no matter if you use Ebay or Amazon.

This helps me a lot because I am in the process of drafting a "demand for refund" letter. At least with Amazon, I can get reimbursed either way, but their rules are that first you have to try to get a refund via the seller. If not, I will report this person to Amazon as part of the request for refund process they have. The only problem with this no-problems money back guarantee from Amazon is that it has a life-time limit of 5 refunds. But I would think that after too many refunds to various duped buyers, Amazon would suspend the sellers. This particular seller I went through had a very high positive feedback rating; I had to go back about 5 pages in feedbacks to find a complaint of a bootleg, and that was the only one I saw (but I didn't dig further).

BTW, Enchantress posted this link at Ebay about pirated Region 2 Disney DVDs; it seems a bit absolute in its advice but it could be helpful so I thought I would cross post the link here.


http://reviews.ebay.co.uk/DISNEY-PIRATE ... 1:SEARCH:1

[musicradio77]

I have "Sleeping Beauty", "Cinderella 2", "Peter Pan", "The Jungle Book", "Valiant" and "Dumbo". All 5 of them are VCD's, but not the DVD's. The "Dumbo" VCD is sort of a bootleg since I didn't get the "Big Top Edition" DVD, but it plays fine on all DVD players compatible with the VCD format. That's the one I have including a few Disney movies that are out of print all on a VCD format. I'm not selling bootleg copies on either Ebay or Craigslist.

[Jules]

So did you already leave them the feedback and you couldn't change it later? Is there any way to report pirates to Ebay?

This particular seller I went through had a very high positive feedback rating; I had to go back about 5 pages in feedbacks to find a complaint of a bootleg, and that was the only one I saw (but I didn't dig further).

I simply didn't leave feedback, and I informed them by e-mail. I don't know if it's possible to report pirates to eBay. Personally, I think there probably is a way.

Regarding the high positive feedback... I practically don't trust feedback at all any more, it's fickle. As you said, there will be a couple of people who report pirate copies, but the rest report positive feedback probably because they don't even notice. Why, the 2 sellers I bought Sleeping Beauty and Fantasia from on eBay both have a 99+ % positive feedback, and both are Power Sellers! Normally, when buying from a Power Seller, you would have peace of mind that the seller is reliable.

I don't know how it works on Amazon.com with refunds. If it helps, this is how I was refunded. I simply complained to the sellers via email. I did that because that's what it said on the eBay guidelines of how to act when you need a refund. It said to be polite and not aggressive. Anyway, eBay wasn't even involved. The sellers refunded me immediately, and it showed up on my PayPal account, though it's more reliable to look on the statement to make sure.

What's more? Thay even told me to keep the DVDs! I was wondering whether to use them until they are rereleased, but the copies are not good. Fantasia is totally pixelated. On the front cover of Sleeping Beauty, it says that it has DTS Surround, and it really does, but the there's so much HISS to the soundtrack that it's unbearable. It sounds like some old magnetic tape. The picture is not too bad, though you can see some pixelation around the edges of moving figures. It would have watchable, had it not been for the sound.

PS: Why does everyone here refer to a Pirated DVD as a "bootleg"? I've come across it several times here and on eBay, but have never heard anyone use that word here in Malta. We simply refer to them as "copies" or "pirate copies". Could it be that it's an American originated word for "copied DVD", so that's why I only come across it on the internet?

[Pluto Region1]

Regarding the high positive feedback... I practically don't trust feedback at all any more, it's fickle. As you said, there will be a couple of people who report pirate copies, but the rest report positive feedback probably because they don't even notice. Why, the 2 sellers I bought Sleeping Beauty and Fantasia from on eBay both have a 99+ % positive feedback, and both are Power Sellers! Normally, when buying from a Power Seller, you would have peace of mind that the seller is reliable.

Wow, isn't that incredible - Power Sellers and 99% positive! Well that gives me pause once again....

I have received a response from the seller who says they will give a full refund and wrote a very long and apologetic letter. My husband who was most skeptical of the innocence of the seller. The seller says they may have forgotten to check the discs. The seller said they will send me a self-addressed stamped envelope to me to mail back the bootleg. The seller suggested I mark up the discs and packaging to show where the mistakes were and mail it AFTER I receive the refund. To me, that seems honest or at least a seller who cares dearly about his/her feedback.

Why does everyone here refer to a Pirated DVD as a "bootleg"? I've come across it several times here and on eBay, but have never heard anyone use that word here in Malta. We simply refer to them as "copies" or "pirate copies".

The term came from bootleg alcohol. (The US outlawed the sale/consumption of alcohol between 1920 - 1933. It was repealed in 1933 due to all the problems created by making it illegal). In the 1960s/70s it widely referred to illegally pressed albums of famous rock music recording artists. The excerpt below can be found here <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bootlegging">Wikipedia "bootlegging"</a>:

From Wikipedia:

Bootlegging is a term to describe smuggling. While originally the term described illegal transport and sale of alcoholic beverages on which excise taxes had not been paid, it now refers more broadly to the sale or transport of many types of goods either illegal or grey market.

It is said that the term originates from the method of hiding alcohol in flasks on the legs of sellers, above or under the boot. The term is sometimes used to refer exclusively to the production of untaxed alcoholic products; however, that is more accurately called "moonshining." Most bootleg liquor is not "home-made" by a moonshiner but, instead, bottled by professional distillers.

The illegal sale of many consumer products other than alcohol is often termed Bootlegging as well. Goods such as compact discs, DVDs and other Intellectual Property are considered to be "bootleg" if they are replicated without permission of the copyright holder.

[Jules]

Wow! Thanks Pluto Region 1 for that intricate description! Now I see that the origins of the name actually comes from where the alcohol was transported: in the boot next to your leg!

Yay! I can now add it to my vocabulary, and can simply write "bootleg" instead of the longer "pirated DVD".

[Pluto Region1]

Yay! I can now add it to my vocabulary, and can simply write "bootleg" instead of the longer "pirated DVD."

Your welcome! Its kind of a fun word because of its history.... my pirate reenactment name is "Rumrunner," which refers to transporting of alcoholic beverages illegally (during prohibition) over water; over land it is commonly referred to as bootlegging.

History of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rum-runnin ... unning:</a>

Rum-running: The term most likely originated at the start of Prohibition in the United States (1920–1933), when ships from the nearby island of Bimini transported cheap Caribbean rum to Florida speakeasies. A fellow named McCoy was the most famous Rumrunner. Whereas many rumrunners would water down their booze to stretch their profits, McCoy became known for never doing that and having quality product, this is the origin of the term "the real McCoy." McCoy is credited with the idea of bringing the large rum cargo-holding ships to just short of the 3-mile line ("the Rum Line") and then selling the wares to smaller faster boats. These high-speed boats were often luxury yachts and speedboats fitted with powerful aircraft engines, machine guns, and armor plating..... Rum Row was completely lawless, and many crews armed themselves not against government ships but against the other rum-runners, who would sometimes sink a ship and hijack its cargo rather than make the run to Canada or the Caribbean for fresh supplies. (eg. pirates!)


I know... way off topic!

[brotherbear]

Well, I'm back!! (I've not had much time lately....i've been pretty busy!)

Anyway, I thought I'd tell you guys that after buying Snow White and looking it over and looking specifically for the defects listed that that copy was........AUTHENTIC!!! Mine didn't have the "Mirro!" defect, nor any repeats on the back cover. It had the metalic banners, etc. I even checked the disks to see if the serial numbers were on them..and they WERE!! there were even the serial numbers and barcodes on the bottom of the disks....and they were gold tinged and everything! So, i'm pretty sure its authentic. The only thing that I saw that was on your list that i'm not sure about is the lable of the "Aramay" on the case. (although i can definately tell that its a double layer case...I had no idea it was that thick though! I like it! ) What I really liked about it, was that despite buying a used copy, I recieved litterally ALL inserts...which made me happy.

Anyway, I then proceeded to check the disks themselves to be sure they played alright. And they're fine. So, i'm a VERY happy camper with a very good condition SW:PE!!! (oh, and btw, for those of you that are planning to buy Snow White through Gamestop/EBGames, they have apparently raised the price of Snow White in the stores....all the stores i called that had SW in a 200 mile radius of where I live told me that they were selling their copy for $19.99.....I asked my store about the raised price though, and they said that there is a difference from the store and online. But they gave me a $2 discount anyway...so I wound up paying $17.99 for an authentic used copy of Snow White!! I'm so happy!)

Anyway, Pluto Region1, I really wish you the best of luck with purchasing your copy of SW!! Believe me, I know how hard it is to find a real copy....I actually found a bootleg SW in another Gamestop in the town I live in...and it dissapointed me. In short, it has taken me around 3 months to finally get a copy! Anyway, again, best of luck!

-BB

[Pluto Region1]

Anyway, I thought I'd tell you guys that after buying Snow White and looking it over and looking specifically for the defects listed that that copy was........AUTHENTIC!!!....

Anyway, Pluto Region1, I really wish you the best of luck with purchasing your copy of SW!! Believe me, I know how hard it is to find a real copy....I actually found a bootleg SW in another Gamestop in the town I live in...and it dissapointed me. In short, it has taken me around 3 months to finally get a copy! Anyway, again, best of luck!
-BB

Wow, congratulations! I'm still hoping to get a copy; didn't know you could search Gamestop; do they forward to your local gamestop? You said you searched a 200-mile radius?! I had just discovered the trade area (after all of this nightmare!) wondering why more forum members don't just buy/trade with a fellow member. I guess there is probably more demand than there are discs usually available from fellow members? I think I will go this route.

What is sort of surprising in all the bootleg threads that I've read here; most of the posts concern very few Disney titles - usually SW and that is about all I can remember being frequently mentioned.... what about Pinocchio, BATB, Fantasia, Peter Pan, etc? Maybe there is not much interest amongst forum members in acquiring those titles or they are rarely bootlegged?

[Tony J Case, Super Genius]

3.) They are illegal. There are those people in this world that like to stay on the right side of the law because it is the moral thing to do.

I wish I lived in a world where laws and morality were the same thing.

***edit***
A point of clarification - I'm not condoning bootlegs, or anything. I'm just saying that sometimes Law and Justice are not the same thing.

[Pluto Region1]

Most of the bootleg talk has been about SW and how to authenticate that particular release. Has anyone bought any of the OTHER OOP titles like BATB, Sleeping Beauty, Peter Pan, Pinocchio and found they have a bootleg? I suppose there is no need to bootleg a recent OOP title such as Lion King but wondering if anyone has seen a bootleg of that yet, for example? What are some of the telltale signs for finding some of these?

Some of these titles have been repacked several times by Disney probably making it exceedingly difficult for people to know the telltale signs for each edition that was released.... you've got Peter Pan, for example, which was released as a Limited Issue DVD, then repackaged and titled "Special Edition" etc. I've never even seen what a "Special Edition" looks like or what a "Limited Edition" looks like, so one would be hard-pressed to try and discern an authentic copy from a bootleg.

However, at this point I am assuming all Disney DVDs come with bar codes and serial numbers on the flipside of the discs around the inner circle? If so, this could be the one foolproof way to know for sure... The producer of the bootleg SW I bought went to a lot of trouble to make this look like an authentic copy - the cover inserts were perfect, the case looked very good, the only mess up was the misspelling on the back cover art and the repeat type on the cover art, but mostly on the discs. The cover art on the discs didn't look as crisp as one would think it should look, i mean, it almost looked like a color Xerox... but the big giveaway was the dremel marks (burn marks) on the flipside of the discs and the lack of any of Disney's bar codes and serial numbers - maybe bootleggers can't reproduce that.

Any comments on this?

[PixarFan2006]

i just got beauty and the beast from gamestop for 12.99 and i am worried a bit because it has the slipcover and it only has the title one one side of the spine the other is blank. but the dvd inside has all the inserts

[Pluto Region1]

i just got beauty and the beast from gamestop for 12.99 and i am worried a bit because it has the slipcover and it only has the title one one side of the spine the other is blank. but the dvd inside has all the inserts

Did you check the readable side of the disc and see if the Disney Serial numbers and bar codes are there? You could have a legit disc with inserts but previous owner has lost some of the packaging. If there are NO Disney serial numbers or bar codes, I'd be highly suspicious.

Did you do a search here for "beauty and the beast AND bootleg? there's about 18 threads that come up under bootleg, and you may have to comb through them. Also, I suggest you repost this as a separate topic "help authenticating BATB" so you can get people's attention.

[PixarFan2006]

On the back of the disc i could see the bar code on in the small circle. Plus the copy I bought had the slipcover with the stickers on it. and the top and bottom banners are shiny.

[brotherbear]

i just got beauty and the beast from gamestop for 12.99 and i am worried a bit because it has the slipcover and it only has the title one one side of the spine the other is blank. but the dvd inside has all the inserts

It sounds authentic to me....at least, mine's the same way, and it has all the barcodes/serial #'s on the underside of the disks, and it has the shiny banners and "stars" (if you will) around the rose (on the slipcover). I would think if it has the stickers, no typo's on the back, and definately the serial numbers on the undersides, as well as clear sharp diskart, then I would assume it's authentic.

-BB

[Pluto Region1]

I'm pretty sure this Gamestop purchased Fantasia is a bootleg but wondering if anyone can confirm based on the discs:

The most suspicious thing is a lack of any bar codes or serial numbers on the reverse side, at least none that I can see with the naked eye. Did Disney put barcodes and serial numbers on the Fantasia 60th? I put it in my computer and the file name is "Fant 1940" when you click on that there is a folder called "Video_TS" says "Created Sunday October 8, 2000 10:03:06 PM" I am assuming that Fantasia 60th was released way prior to the year 2000, since that was the year the 3-disc anthology was released, correct?

Here are some photos:





The white part around the inner circle is the back side of the disc artwork showing through because this part of the disc is see-through.

In contrast, this is what Ruben's copy looked like when he posted on this topic some time ago.



I think this cover art is real, however. Across the top of the cover art it has a gold banner which did not show up in the scan (It says special 60th Anniversary Edition"). The cover art was creased and damaged and appears old:

[BrandonH]

It looks exactly like the copy I own from the Anthology set, and it matches Amazon.com's cover art and spine as well. The gold banner is correct, and the creases are probably from use or shelf wear. GameStop probably just sold you Fantasia from the Fantasia Anthology, so the 2000 date is correct.

[FantasiaMan]

The file/name thing is kinda suspicious, but my copy is the same way, right down to the writing on the inside edge of the disc. It's most likely genuine.

[musicradio77]

I don't have "Fantasia" on DVD, but I do have it on VHS only.