# Why do DVD makers force me to look at the FBI warning? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 29, 2006, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dvd-makers-force-me-to-look-at-the-fbi-warning/342129 "2006-01-29T23:09:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dvd-makers-force-me-to-look-at-the-fbi-warning/342129/21 "2006-01-30T16:15:55Z")
> [@fishbicycle](#): > > Everybody hates the FBI warning. In “Amazon Women On The Moon” there’s a sketch called “Video Pirates”. Pirates sailing the open seas looking to steal video from passing ships. So they find one, and kill the crew and break into the cargo boxes of video masters. The head pirate guy has a look at them and exclaims, “Alright, boys, Make all the illegal copies you want!” Then he takes out a tape and puts it in the player. The FBI warning comes on. And in the greatest mocking voice you can imagine, he says “I’m soooooooooo scared!!!” and they all have a great laugh. I think of that every time I see the FBI warning. If there are other people in the room who’ve seen the movie, I say it out loud. ---
**Author:** ![kellner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c2a13f/32.png) [@kellner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kellner)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dvd-makers-force-me-to-look-at-the-fbi-warning/342129/22 "2006-01-30T16:26:35Z")
> [@Mindfield](#): > > Why would it be illegal? As long as A) You’re not selling or giving out copies of the movie, and B) you own the original from which the copies/shrunk version was made, why should they care? And what rights would they have to enforce things otherwise? In some jurisdictions - including Germany and IIRC the US - circumventing the copy protection is the critical point. For example, here you have the right to make copies for your own use (and even give them away in a very limited fashion) _unless_ you circumvent a copy protection measure. So ripping your own standard CDs is fine, even making a mix CD for an individual friend is ok but copying a DVD is not, because pretty much all commercial DVDs are copy protected. ---
**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dvd-makers-force-me-to-look-at-the-fbi-warning/342129/23 "2006-01-30T17:10:58Z")
> [@kellner](#): > > So ripping your own standard CDs is fine, even making a mix CD for an individual friend is ok but copying a DVD is not, because pretty much all commercial DVDs are copy protected. That’s the rub (which is why I’m a little surprised that this thread is still active, it has folks discussing what “seem” to be illegal activities) IANAL, but AFAICT, the DMCA as written, does NOT have the traditional “fair use” exemption included in it. > **[DMCA](https://www.eff.org/issues/dmca)** > > Digital Millennium Copyright Act The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) contains two main sections that have been a source of particular controversy since they went into effect in 2000. The "anti-circumvention" provisions (sections 1201 et seq.... There are ongoing court cases that are examining this very issue of “fair use” (see the cases involving 321 Studios) ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2006, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dvd-makers-force-me-to-look-at-the-fbi-warning/342129/24 "2006-01-30T21:23:34Z")
> [@bluethree](#): > > What really irks me is that I have to have a big red, yellow, and black sticker stuck to both of my car’s visors warning me not to put a baby seat in the front seat of the car. I expect never ever ever to have a baby in the car at all, and these stupid ugly stickers are still there. And if I take them off, as I did with my last car, it leaves a sticky, gummy residue there. > > I mean, sheesh, I can see putting some cardboard inserts in a new car, but really. Put your damn warnings on the baby seats, not on the cars. If your visors have a smooth surface, a product called “Goof-Off”, which I think is just kerosene, will remove the gummy residue. (But better test it someplace inconspicuous first.) ---
**Author:** ![filmyak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@filmyak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmyak)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2006, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dvd-makers-force-me-to-look-at-the-fbi-warning/342129/25 "2006-01-31T01:34:01Z")
From what I can tell through casual, non-scientific observation, it is heavily studio based. Universal seems to be the worst as far as cramming previews at the start of a disc. Usually 3-4 in a row. I don’t mind them in the extras menu, but as auto-plays at the start of a DVD? I agree. Just pisses me off as a customer. While the FBI warning is frequently unskippable (another irked customer on that count), I’ve found that skipping the previews can usually be done by one of the following methods: hitting the menu button, or the title button, or skip-to-next-chapter button. It’s a crap shoot which one will work for a particular disc, but I’m very much of the mind that a purchased disc should be viewable in any damn order the customer wants to watch it in without having to put up with all the crap the studio wants to throw in up front. FBI warning included. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2006, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dvd-makers-force-me-to-look-at-the-fbi-warning/342129/26 "2006-01-31T02:38:27Z")
Am I evil because I made my parody FBI warning non-skippable on one of my own discs? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![CrazyFoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@CrazyFoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyFoo)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2006, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dvd-makers-force-me-to-look-at-the-fbi-warning/342129/27 "2006-01-31T04:53:54Z")
As an avid and long time movie collector, the studio practices of “cramming” the previews down your throat pisses me off to no end. I can tolerate it if I’m able to skip past the adverts, but I’ve seen it where I can’t ff or skip past them, leaving me forced to watch their spam. When I purchase the DVD, I believe they are over stepping their boundaries by forcing me to watch their commercials. I bought the movie, not the adverts. As a result, I like many, now immediately make a “back-up” copy of my DVD, and put the original away for safe keeping. I leave out all the extra and adverts during the burn, so when I insert the disc into the player, only the movie begins to play. Anyone check out the Wedding Crashers DVD? There were about 7 previews before the feature, and it would not let me ff or skip past them. To hell with these companies for their unscrupulous practices. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dvd-makers-force-me-to-look-at-the-fbi-warning/342129.md?page=1)