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

[ichabod]

For those of you wondering, the cover image has been taken from the UK (probably some other countries too) VHS release.

[dvdjunkie]

If we are so worried about "fake" Song of the South DVD's why are running ads from Google at the top of the page that says "Factory sealed DVD w/8 page insert"?

Don't we have control of the ads that are running on our UD forums? If they don't want us to buy them, why let them advertise the 'Bootleg' copies of the yet-to-be-released Disney classic?

Just thought I would ask.

[Princess Stitch]

I believe the way Google works is by analyzing the content on the website and displaying relevant results from their sponsored links.

I don't think that you have any control at all over which ads Google can and can't show.

[dvdjunkie]

I am sure that Luke can look into some way of blocking things like this, especially since we all know that there is no legal release of "Song of the South" in the US.

How about it Luke, and Aaron and the other mods.

[darth_deetoo]

Impressive? Somewhat. Love that "exclusive to Disneyland Paris" sticker, as well as what looks like a rather interesting insert booklet.

Authentic? No.

Escapay

Well, there were no Song of the South DVD's on sale when I last went to Disneyland Paris.

It always amuses me too how bootleggers make such obvious mistakes, you'd think if they were going to take the time to come up with fake sleeves, they'd do their homework. No way would any merchandise in Disneyland Paris carry a big Disney Store logo like that, and then state Disneyland Themepark Paris in plain type underneath. You'd have thought they'd have taken the proper name of the resort (Disneyland Resort Paris) and lifted a proper logo from the website.

[Escapay]

Impressive? Somewhat. Love that "exclusive to Disneyland Paris" sticker, as well as what looks like a rather interesting insert booklet.

Authentic? No.

Escapay

Well, there were no Song of the South DVD's on sale when I last went to Disneyland Paris.

Which is why I love it. The sticker is so obviously a fake that if someone didn't know SOTS was a vaulted title, the sticker would give it away since it's:

1. Got the old Disney Store logo on it

2. Like you said, incorrectly cites Disneyland Paris (replacing "Resort" with "Theme Park")

and

3. Says it's sold in Paris, but the prices are in US and Canadian dollars, and the wrong way as well, as the Canadian price would be higher than the US price.



Escapay

[shr_fan]

I don't know why, but I find it funny that they are giving away a book on tape with the DVD.

[dvdjunkie]

So, if we were all to buy one of these "Song of the South" DVD's using the Google ad, would that benefit the UD site? If not, why is it there? C'mon either we support the site and ban this ad, or we all buy a copy of SotS and make brownie points with the boss!!!

[Commander-Dan]

Is it a "scam" insofar as they take your money and send you nothing? Or just because they are selling bootlegs?

Quite frankly, I would like to know the picture quality of the boot, which does presumably exist, since it is often sold on eBay. I don't usually condone the purchase of pirated material, but I have been known to buy a boot or two when the filmmaker refuses to make a movie available on DVD.

[DarthPrime]

Its a fake as other have said. I'm not sure how Google ads work, but I don't think the site has control on what is put on the ads.

Anyway I've been using Firefox and didn't know UD had ads until this was mentioned.

[Commander-Dan]

Its a fake as other have said.

What is fake? The Ad itself? Or the DVD?

Even a "fake" bootleg DVD may be worth puchasing, if the picture quality is semi-decent. So, I ask again, if someone sends his or her money, will they get nothing in return, or will they get the bootleg DVD?

[SpringHeelJack]

Its a fake as other have said.

What is fake? The Ad itself? Or the DVD?

Even a "fake" bootleg DVD may be worth puchasing, if the picture quality is semi-decent. So, I ask again, if someone sends his or her money, will they get nothing in return, or will they get the bootleg DVD?

The DVD is a bootleg. The bootleg actually exists. You can send money to the website and purchase said bootleg. You will then get a bootleg DVD. The DVD is not an authentic Disney release, but it is a DVD of "Song of the South". Is everything cleared up for everyone?

[DisneyFreak5282]

It always amuses me too how bootleggers make such obvious mistakes, you'd think if they were going to take the time to come up with fake sleeves, they'd do their homework. No way would any merchandise in Disneyland Paris carry a big Disney Store logo like that, and then state Disneyland Themepark Paris in plain type underneath. You'd have thought they'd have taken the proper name of the resort (Disneyland Resort Paris) and lifted a proper logo from the website.

Wow, darth_deetoo seems to know a heck of a lot about bootlegging. Is there a reason for that? Just kidding!

Seriously though, you're right, darth_deetoo. You would think if they wanted to sell it, they would make it look believable. And the OLD Disney Store logo? Come on! Anybody who has a Disney Store in their mall would be able to recognize that they're totally different!

The other day, I was on eBay looking for a copy of the LI of TJB (I want the fullscreen OAR to go w/ the PE in October), and I saw this one seller who had theirs for sale and they said "Complete! With slipcover and all! I bought this a few years ago and the disc, the case and the slipcover are in great condition." I was thinking to myself "oh, please!".

[Ting Ting]

Even a "fake" bootleg DVD may be worth puchasing, if the picture quality is semi-decent. So, I ask again, if someone sends his or her money, will they get nothing in return, or will they get the bootleg DVD?

Do you realize that when purchasing a bootleg DVD the buyer could unknowingly be supporting terrorism and/or organized crime? Not to mention it completely contradicts the point of being a collector.

[Princess Stitch]

Even a "fake" bootleg DVD may be worth puchasing, if the picture quality is semi-decent. So, I ask again, if someone sends his or her money, will they get nothing in return, or will they get the bootleg DVD?

Do you realize that when purchasing a bootleg DVD the buyer could unknowingly be supporting terrorism and/or organized crime? Not to mention it completely contradicts the point of being a collector.

Fair enough, but I think you get into a bit of a grey area with a movie like Song of the South where half of the world has never had a proper release, and may never get one. I know the only chance of me ever seeing this movie was for me to download it. Either that or spend hundreds of dollars getting a release from elsewhere in the world and the equipment to play it.

[Commander-Dan]

Do you realize that when purchasing a bootleg DVD the buyer could unknowingly be supporting terrorism and/or organized crime? Not to mention it completely contradicts the point of being a collector.

Good Lord! I think in this instance it's far more likely to simply be some guy in Oregon ripping discs to make a buck.

I’m not sure how it contradicts being a collector, however, since a “collector” often collects things that are rare or hard-to-find. Indeed, what could be rarer than a copy of Song of the South on DVD in NTSC? Besides, I’m more interested in simply owning a viewable copy of the movie than “collecting.”

As I said before, I don’t usually condone the purchasing of pirated material. But with that said, I have been known to make a 2 or 3 exceptions when a studio or filmmaker refuses to release a particular movie. In these instances, I often feel such exceptions are morally justified.

Quite frankly, if Disney would get off their rear and release the thing, we wouldn’t even be having this discussion.

[SpringHeelJack]

Do you realize that when purchasing a bootleg DVD the buyer could unknowingly be supporting terrorism and/or organized crime? Not to mention it completely contradicts the point of being a collector.

Good Lord! I think in this instance it's far more likely to simply be some guy in Oregon ripping discs to make a buck.

I’m not sure how it contradicts being a collector, however, since a “collector” often collects things that are rare or hard-to-find. Indeed, what could be rarer than a copy of Song of the South on DVD in NTSC? Besides, I’m more interested in simply owning a viewable copy of the movie than “collecting.”

As I said before, I don’t usually condone the purchasing of pirated material. But with that said, I have been known to make a 2 or 3 exceptions when a studio or filmmaker refuses to release a particular movie. In these instances, I often feel such exceptions are morally justified.

Quite frankly, if Disney would get off their rear and release the thing, we wouldn’t even be having this discussion.

Word. This a really solid poitn you're making, and I agree with this. If Disney had released this movie, I wouldn't even consider buying a bootleg. But given that they've made no attempt to really do so, what else am I to do if I want to see this movie? It's a shame that Disney won't be getting my money though (well, I'm sure they feel it's a shame).

[Anne]

Hello everyone!

I need your opinion on a couple of DVDs I got from the Internet which I believe are bootlegs! I just want a second opinion to be sure! I would like to know what your authentic copies of those DVDs look like compared to mine! Fortunately, I didn't pay a big amount for them and can still get refund! None of them has a code bar that looks like the one usually found on authentic Disney DVDs so I highly suspect them to be bootlegs!

Here are the DVDs and their descriptions:


Pinocchio Limited Issue:
Covert art and insert are ok. No code bar on the back of DVD.

The Jungle Book Limited Issue:
Covert art and insert ok. Colors are ok on covert art of the DVD but it has what looks like a printing error in the title (a little black line on the letter U). There's a code bar under DVD but really doesn't look like the
ones that usually are on Disney DVDs (squares are larger!). The case is Amaray.

101 Dalmatians Limited Issue:
Covert art and insert Ok. Small code bar under DVD (smaller than usually) and a few numbers.

The Little Mermaid II:
Colors on the DVD are weird. Lips of Melody look paler than expected! A bit of the blue sky is paler.

The three caballeros:
Everything looks perfect but there is no code bar under DVD.


Thank you so much for your help!

[Pluto Region1]

Hello everyone!

I need your opinion on a couple of DVDs I got from the Internet which I believe are bootlegs! I just want a second opinion to be sure! I would like to know what your authentic copies of those DVDs look like compared to mine! Fortunately, I didn't pay a big amount for them and can still get refund! None of them has a code bar that looks like the one usually found on authentic Disney DVDs so I highly suspect them to be bootlegs!

I think its kind of hard to evaluate from your descriptions and I don't own most of these DVDs, so I can't help authenticate them. But pictures would probably help of the cover art that you mentioned had a mistake on it. Also the inner circles of the flipside of the actual DVDs should all have the Disney serial numbers, from what I've been told. It was one of the definite "tells" on the Snow White bootleg I ended up inadvertently buying. The flipside of the DVDs was missing the Disney barcodes and looked like someone had taken a dremel to them to erase the DVD's true origin.

have you done a search of the forums for "bootleg?" We've got several threads here on this subject and if no one with these DVDs comes back to help you, I'd do that search and read up on some of the things that have been discussed on spotting the fakes.

[Jungleprince_55]

The Little Mermaid II:
Colors on the DVD are weird. Lips of Melody look paler than expected! A bit of the blue sky is paler.

I always found the actual Disc Art on TLMII to be slightly pale looking on the official DVD.