"movie thieves are criminals" campaign to continue with new TV spots and print advertisements in 2005

(Berlin, 30 November 2004) For the past year, the "movie thieves are criminals" campaign sponsored by the film industry has been receiving much attention, with TV commercials, print advertisements and spectacles such as the "Prison on Tour" road show. The campaign has had considerable success. Thanks to the concentrated efforts of the film industry, illegal copying and downloading - while not stopped entirely - has been kept in check considering the improved technology available to more and more computer users. The campaign "movie thieves are criminals" is scheduled to continue in 2005, with new commercials and print advertisements.

In November 2003, the German film industry joined forces to form the Zukunft Kino Marketing GmbH, which together with the Federal Film Board (FFA, Filmförderungsanstalt) initiated a campaign called "movie thieves are criminals - an Initiative for the Protection of Originals". Drastic but humorous commercial and print advertisements are intended to promote public discussion and sharpen the  sense of injustice among end consumers.

The tone is effective - results of the "burning analysis"

The effectiveness of the campaign is proven in a recently published third study of consumer habits: nearly 38% of those surveyed said that the campaign was at least partly responsible for them refraining from illegal downloads and copying – a development that is also reflected in the latest statistics on illegal copies and downloads of films. Overall, while the actual number of illegal copies and downloads increased, the rise was not as sharp as feared by the film industry in light of the improved technology now readily available on the marketplace. Intensified criminal prosecution, the awareness campaign and the concentration activities of the film industry are credited with this success.

General awareness of copyright laws has increased considerably in the year since the campaign started. For example, 45.6% of the population was aware of the fact that new copyright laws had taken effect in 2003. Particularly in the primary target group, awareness was high: 65.6% of 20-to-29-year-olds knew about the new laws.

"Fairy Tale" for the new year
For these reasons, Zukunft Kino Marketing GmbH made a conscious decision to set a clear tone in the 2005 campaign in order to increase awareness of the problem of illegal copies of films. Compared with the previous motifs, the new commercials, with names like "Happy Birthday!" and "Fairy Tale", place a stronger emphasis on humour. In the "Fairy Tale" spot, an off-screen narrator relates the story of a Bootleg King who is escorted by knights in shining armour (= police officers) to his new, magnificent castle (= prison). "For this second year of the campaign, it was important to us not to repeat familiar themes but to create something new and progress the campaign to a new level,” explained Dr. Elke Esser, managing director of the Zukunft Kino Marketing GmbH.

The danger is not yet past
The further development of the campaign is just one component of the package of measures put together by the film industry. It is still necessary to continue prosecuting copyright violations, as Johannes Klingsporn, managing director of the Association of Film Distributors (Verband der Filmverleiher e.V., VdF), stresses, "In relation to the technology and equipment available, the fact that there was only relatively little growth in the number of bootleg copies can be considered an initial victory, but we mustn’t forget: the number of illegal bootlegs and downloads is still increasing." Zukunft Kino Marketing GmbH estimates the loss to the industry in 2004 at 1.06 billion euros.

In addition to these losses, there are two additional types of damage that are often overlooked: the consequences for our society and our culture. As the number of bootleg copies increases, the value of cinema as a cultural institution, one that in countries like France even enjoys national protection anchored in law, is being systematically demolished. The danger is that the cinema experience will cease to exist as we know it. The fight against copyright theft is thus at the forefront of the battle to secure the ongoing existence of the cinema industry. In fact, current developments are making it necessary to search cinemas and even use night-vision goggles for random checks to ensure no laws are being broken. But not only are the cinemas as a cultural institution threatened, the artistic diversity of films is also at risk. It is becoming increasingly difficult to produce difficult, demanding films, because the only films worth making are those that promise a profit – or at the very least the commercial prospect of breaking even. Thus, filmmaking has become more risky, and cultural diversity is more and more constricted. Likewise, little attention has been paid to the damage to society. For example, illegal copies of films cost the German government 124 million euros in lost tax revenue in 2004. The protection of minors should also receive more attention within the context of bootleg copies of films. Parents are often unaware that their children browse file-sharing sites hoping to download censored or pornographic material. "The film industry will continue to work unabatedly to expand and carry out our package of measures including criminal prosecution, awareness campaigns and technical research. We cannot and will not tolerate the theft of films, now nor in the future," Dr. Elke Esser stressed.

She is supported in this effort by many prominent celebrities. For example Oliver Kalkofe, writer, creative producer and actor of and in “Der WiXXer”, said at the presentation of the film on DVD, "Making illegal copies of films and juggling them to friends is not ‘cool’. It’s just as much a crime as stealing DVDs from a store and selling them at a flea market. There’s no way to justify it, because it’s not like stealing some Hollywood star’s hundredth million. It’s stealing from the people who actually live from DVD sales and the people who finance the films of tomorrow. I hope all the deceitful movie thieves get big itching sores on places where they can’t scratch, because that’s what they deserve. To ensure good films will continue to be produced in the future, it’s necessary to be able to control their profitable distribution in various media at various stages, although I personally would prefer to see stronger growth in the area of video on demand."

Campaign spots and print advertisements will begin appearing in early December 2004 in cinemas, video stores, magazines, newspapers and on television, and will run for approximately one year, accompanied by various public relations and promotional campaigns.

About the Zukunft Kino Marketing GmbH
Responsible for the campaign "Movie thieves are Criminals – an Initiative for the Protection of Originals" is the Zukunft Kino Marketing GmbH, a subsidiary of the Main Association of German Cinemas (HDF Kino e.V.), the Cineropa Multiplex Association e.V. and the Association of Film Distributors (Verband der Filmverleiher e.V., VdF).The Zukunft Kino Marketing GmbH was founded to develop and execute industry campaigns to increase attendance in German cinemas. The current campaign against copyright theft is also supported and subsidised by the Federal Association of Audio-Visual Media (Bundesverband Audiovisuelle Medien e.V., BVV) and the Association of Video and Media Retailers in Germany (Interessenverband des Video- and Medienfachhandels in Deutschland e.V., IVD). In addition, a number of individual companies active in the areas of video/DVD, film distribution and cinema are participating in the project. The campaign is supported by funds from the German Federal Film Board (Filmförderungsanstalt, FFA).