Skip to main content

Pirated A/V Materials

As streaming services prioritize digital content to attract and retain customers, the availability of popular shows and movies in physical formats like Blu-Ray and DVD has declined. This shift has spurred an increase in counterfeit products sold by third-party vendors on platforms like Amazon, Walmart, and eBay. This page will assist you in preventing the acquisition of these materials, identifying pirated materials in-hand, knowing how to respond if an item is found to be pirated, and additional resources available to you in these efforts.

How to prevent the purchase of pirated materials

Before purchasing from a third-party seller, look for the following things to identify potential counterfeits:

  1. Errors in the artwork, description, or vendor page.
    • Counterfeiters often make spelling or grammar mistakes. Pay attention to the department tag on the listing – is a DVD being sold in the Home & Kitchen section? Descriptions emphasizing “authentic” or “genuine” may be red flags.
  2. Low-quality images.
    • Blurry or bad-quality photos might mean the seller is hiding something or using stolen images.
  3. Incredibly low prices.
    • If the price is too good to be true, it’s probably fake. For example, a $18 box set for three seasons of a popular show is likely a scam.
  4. Pressure to purchase quickly.
    • Claiming a limited time deal can distract you evaluating the website before purchasing.
  5. Unrealistic release timelines.
    • If a movie is still in theaters or if a TV season just ended, it’s probably not available on DVD or Blu-Ray yet.
  6. Reviews.
    • Be wary of overly positive, similar-sounding reviews. Check for negative feedback about product quality or mismatched descriptions. Review the seller’s overall ratings, not just the item’s reviews.
  7. No sales tax applied.
    • Legitimate sellers will charge sales tax on all purchases.

More useful resources for your investigation can be found in the Additional Resources section below. 

 

How to identify pirated items when purchased

As technology continues to advance, pirated materials can be more difficult to spot. If you have an item in-hand and have concerns that it may be fake, here are some things to look for. This is not an exhaustive list:

  1. Errors or oddities in the item’s artwork.
    • Counterfeiters often lack professional editors, leading to spelling or grammar errors in product descriptions. The graphics may also appear low-quality, such as blurry or pixelated copies of legitimate artwork. Additionally, fake items might miss key details like copyright information, licensing, or country of origin, which are typically found on genuine products.
  2. Region code information for DVDs.
    • While not always a sure sign, a region code of “ALL” or “region 1 compatible" on DVDs can be a red flag that calls for further investigation.
  3. The back of the disc.
    • If the back of the disc isn’t silver (e.g., blue, gold, or purple), it’s probably not a mass-produced DVD. A silver ring around the center with a well-known blank disc vendor’s name is also a sign of a counterfeit. Additionally, the front cover art should include copyright details and be evenly applied.
  4. Find this item through different vendors.
    • Search for the item using its UPC. If the cover art doesn’t match other vendors’ listings, or if the UPC shows different titles or no results, it’s likely a fake.
  5. For DVDs, check the disc on your computer.
    • Check for two key things: playback quality and data size. Look for distorted images or poor sounds. Also, most DVDs use dual-layer discs for higher quality, so if your disc is 4.7 GB or smaller, it’s likely a fake.
  6. Consider the holds to copies ratio in SWAN.
    • If only one or very few libraries own the item despite its popularity and you can only find it through third party vendors, it may point to the item being counterfeit. You can also look on OCLC to see if there is a record as well as how many other libraries outside of SWAN may hold the item. 

More useful resources for your investigation can be found in the Additional Resources section.

 

What to do when pirated materials are found

If you believe an item owned by another library in SWAN may be pirated, please submit a ticket to SWAN. If you are the owning library and you find your item to be an unauthorized version, please go through the following steps:

  1. Request a refund from your vendor based on it being counterfeit.
  2. Remove the item from Circulation. If the it has several holds, let SWAN know and we will remove the holds.
  3. Check it out to your DISCARD user.  

 

Additional resources

  • The National Crime Prevention Council has a “Dupe Detector” activity that can help prepare you to identify fake products before you buy them.
  • You can also check websites that have release dates for Movies and TV shows. Both sites listed below check multiple formats, not just the one found in their web address.
  • To see additional information including photos of some of the tips from above, please visit this How to Spot Fake DVDs page.

Cataloging