Don't Copy That Floppy
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Don't Copy That Floppy was an anti-
The video for the campaign, starring M. E. Hart as "MC Double Def DP", was filmed at
The groups distributed the film for general viewing through VHS tapes that were mailed to schools. In later years, the film became a viral video sensation through websites such as YouTube, where the official video has had over 2 million views as of January 2022[update].[2][3]
In May 2009, the Software and Information Industry Association (formed in 1999 when the Software Publishers Association merged with the Information Industry Association) released the trailer for a follow-up to Don't Copy That Floppy, called Don't Copy That 2, released on September 9, 2009. The sequel features MC Double Def DP as he continues his crusade against "piracy" in the digital age.[4]
Synopsis
Two teenagers, Jenny (played by Marja Allen) and Corey (played by Jimmy Todd[5]), are playing a game on a classroom computer. Corey is exuberantly pushing keys to show the viewer that he is heavily immersed in the game action; Jenny is winning.
Frustrated, he asks for a rematch, but she has an upcoming class and must leave. He decides he will copy the game so that he can play it at home. Upon inserting his blank
The point of the video is the message that
The rap video portion is interspersed with interviews of
- Craig Dykstra – America Online – Developer Support
- Dave Butler – America Online – Software Development
- Janet Hunter – America Online – Senior Systems Analyst
- Ilene Rosenthal – Software Publishers Association– Attorney
They explain how games are made, indicating that creating a game can involve 20 to 30 people integrating the various parts, and working on documentation, technical support, and marketing. The point they try to raise is that if sales are low, the authors may decide that the game is unpopular and stop making it.
At the end of the video, the DP fades away, leaving Corey and Jenny to decide for themselves whether they will copy the game — they decide against it. Corey, who has some money left over from his summer job, decides that he will buy the game. Jenny agrees and jokes that Corey's game will even come with a manual.
Criticism
The major criticism of the campaign came from educators and the press, who criticized the campaign for only promoting one point of view, instead of a broader scope of the issue of copyright online. That point of view, they argued, was biased because it benefited a specific group (the software publishing industry), and failed to present alternative views such as the
Popularity online
In the mid-2000s, the popularity of the video was revived, but this time as a meme. Since the creators have always allowed noncommercial copying of the film, it became a viral video after video-sharing sites such as Google Video and YouTube went online in the mid-2000s. The video first gained popularity on the site YTMND in 2004 and then gained (and regained) widespread YouTube popularity in 2005, 2006, and 2008, sparking user-generated remixes and parodies, and is now considered a popular internet meme.[7]
A piece of the video was sampled for the 2016
Sequel
In May 2009, the
Criticism
Since its release, Don't Copy That 2 has been criticized by the press for being out of date, referencing material like the
See also
- Beware of illegal video cassettes
- Criticism of copyright
- Copyfraud
- Copyleft
- Copyright alternatives
- Criticism of intellectual property
- Home Recording Rights Coalition
- Home Taping Is Killing Music
- Internet freedom
- Knock-off Nigel
- Piracy is theft
- Public information film (PIF)
- Public service announcement
- Sony Corp. of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc.
- Spin (public relations)
- Steal This Film
- Who Makes Movies?
- You can click, but you can't hide
- You Wouldn't Steal a Car
References
- Future Publishing. December 2003. p. 91.
- ^ a b "Don't Copy That Floppy". Retrieved April 29, 2013 – via YouTube.
- ^ a b LaVallee, Andrew (September 8, 2009). "'Don't Copy That Floppy' Dusts Itself Off for the '00s". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved December 23, 2009.
- ^ a b "Piracy and Copyright Educational Resources". The Software & Information Industry Association. Archived from the original on March 20, 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
Start with this fun and educational video starring anti-piracy hero MC Double Def DP (Digital Protecter) of 1992's "Don't Copy That Floppy" fame.
- ^ "Jimmy Todd". IMDb.
- ^ Stuebe, Alison. "The Struggle to Teach Virtual Ethics". The New York Times. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
- ^ "Know Your Meme". June 14, 2009. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
- ^ AntiSoftwarePirates. "Trailer for Don't Copy That 2 - See the video on 9/9/09". Archived from the original on December 21, 2021 – via YouTube.
- ^ Summers, Nick. "Why Rap, Klingons, and Jailhouse-Rape-by-Broomstick Aren't the Best Way To Teach Kids About Piracy". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on August 28, 2013. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
- ^ Masnick, Mike (July 7, 2009). "SIIA's Sequel To Don't Copy That Floppy Lies About Criminality of Copying". TechDirt.