The true cost of Hollywood movie ‘piracy’

Mickey Mouse arrested

Today, the New York Times published a chart of annual DVD sales, going back to 1997.  The data was obtained from the Digital Entertainment Group, details here.   The astonishing fact from this chart is the gigantic rise in DVD sales over the past 12 years.

In 1997, when people were already Googling their favorite movies, 5.8 Million DVD’s were sold.  Since then, 10,000 million were sold (10 billion).  According the this data, almost 300 times as many DVD’s are sold in 2008 than in 1997.  The MPAA (Disney, Sony, Viacom, Fox, Universal, and Warner Bros) has never been in better shape.

As a disclaimer, I should tell you what is NOT included in these numbers:

1) Money collected through 12 years of tracking, harassing, spying, and suing of their constituents.

2) The profits from movie theater box offices, which continue to rise over the same 12 years, despite crappy recycled movie themes.

3) Obscene profits from control of television broadcasts by the MPAA (Disney, Sony, Viacom, Fox, Universal, and Warner Bros)

4) Money spent to pressure congress to pass laws giving the MPAA (Disney, Sony, Viacom, Fox, Universal, and Warner Bros) more money and power.

5) The dire financial situation of people from whom the MPAA (Disney, Sony, Viacom, Fox, Universal, and Warner Bros) has greedily pirated money.

Iz Dizznee, gimme booty!

Cinderella, Mickey Mouse, and Peter Pan arrested at Disney

lol cat pirate