Home Video Anti-Piracy Advices (Oceania)

Australia

1985–1988 (RCA/Columbia/Hoyts) (A)

Bumper: In a white area, we see a VHS with a red spine (has the RCA/Columbia/Hoyts logo next to the words "RCA/COLUMBIA PICTURES/HOYTS VIDEO") on it, rotating. Later, it stops. Then we see a stack of these VHS tapes and on the top we see the front and we zoom to the plastic mark on the reel. The screen moves to the right to reveal another stack of VHS tapes in front of the other, but with a Beta cassette on top. The screen pivots to the left to a close-up of a different, rounded hologram seal on the Beta reel which is shown to be violet with the alternative version of the RCA/Columbia Pictures International Video logo in white. The screen flips to the blue-black gradient background, we see the RCA/Columbia Pictures/Hoyts print logo, then it moves to the top of the screen, and the AFaVSO phone number fades in below.

FX/SFX: Live-action, the transitions.

Music/Sounds/Voiceover: A quiet man says "RCA/Columbia Pictures/Hoyts has introduced an innovative concept to ensure that you receive full value each time you hire a video program. All VHS video cassettes carry a red spine; this is your guarantee of first class audio video presentation. If your VHS cassette does not look like this, then it's likely you're viewing an inferior pirated copy. Your Beta cassette does not carry a red spine, but a similar protection of your investment is guaranteed by the exclusive polarized seal, as shown here. If this is not the case, you're not getting your money's worth in picture, quality, and sound."

Availability: Extremely rare. Seen on early Australian RCA/Columbia VHS tapes that have a red spine on it, such as Cherry 2000. Later releases don't have this bumper and have a grey casing added.

1988–1991 (RCA/Columbia/Hoyts) (B)

Home Video Anti Piracy Advices - Redux Australia

(Skip to 1:35)

Bumper: We start with a still of the 1985 RCA/Columbia/Hoyts cube logo, then on a black background, we see a gray VHS with a red spine, a pinkish tape label on the case, and an RCA/Columbia/Hoyts logo sticker on the left reel side. We start with the front, then it fades to the spine, and a diagonal version of the first shot, then it splits into 9 screens, all but the top right corner having the same shot. The top right corner has a shot of the front and spine, which has the same red spine as the previous bumper. (Alternatively, this would fade to the same still with the same angle as the last square of the tile.) Then on a white background, we see a Beta cassette that uses the same pinkish tape label as the VHS, and the same hologram as a bove. This fades to the reel where we can see the hologram on it for clarification. Afterward, we see both of them on a black background. Finally, it cuts to the same AFaVSO screen from the previous bumper.

FX/SFX: The fading, the zooming.

Music/Sounds/Voiceover: A deep, serious man says "RCA/Columbia Pictures/Hoyts Video has developed the special grey casing and red spine for all VHS cassettes, as your guarantee of first class audio and video presentation. Beta cassettes do not feature the grey case, but the exclusive polarized seal, as shown here, is a similar protection of your investment. If your cassettes do not have these safeguards of quality, it is likely you're viewing an inferior pirated copy. If you suspect your imposition of a pirated video cassette, please phone the Australasian Film and Video Security Office, on the toll free number: Double 08 251-double 96."

Music/Sounds/Voiceover Variant: Sometimes, another voiceover was used, which says "RCA/Columbia Pictures/Hoyts, in an effort to ensure that YOU receive full value each time you hire a video program, has introduced this special grey casing, and red spine, for all VHS video cassettes. This is your guarantee of first class audio video presentation. If your VHS cassette does not look like this, then it's likely you're viewing an inferior pirated copy. Your Beta cassette does not feature the grey case, but a similar protection of your investment is guaranteed by the exclusive polarized seal, as shown here. If this is not the case, you're not getting your money's worth in picture, quality, and sound."

Availability: Rare. Seen on Australian RCA/Columbia VHS tapes from 1988-1991 that have the grey casing and red spine on it, such as Death Wish IV. Early releases with only a red spine on the tape use the previous bumper instead.

1988 (CBS-FOX Video) (A)

Home Video Anti Piracy Advices - Redux Australia

(Skip to 2:14)

Bumper: On a red gradient background with a yellow grid, we see a VHS with a blue spine, a white label (black text and CBS/Fox Video logo), and a CBS/Fox logo sticker on the left reel side. About 10 seconds later, the VHS and grid move up (revealing the CBS/Fox logo next to the words "CBS/FOX Video" on the spine) so we can only see the top. Then we see a Betamax tape (which has the same tape label as the VHS) on the same background (only without the grid), where we see a pink/red-tiled hologram seal with a transparent blue CBS/Fox logo shown on the reel, and the hologram zooms in for clarification. It goes back on the tape, then we see both of the tapes together on the same background, and the Australian Film and Video Security Office phone number is shown below.

FX/SFX: The cheap CGI of the VHS tape and the zooming in of the polarized seal.

Music/Sounds/Voiceover: "To ensure you receive the best possible sound and picture quality in video entertainment, CBS/Fox Video have introduced a new blue spine on all VHS cassettes. If the VHS cassette you're watching does not look like this, it's possible you're viewing an inferior pirated copy. Beta cassettes do not have a blue spine; Beta program quality is guaranteed by this polarized seal. If your cassette does not carry these guarantees of quality, phone the Australian Film and Video Security Office. Help stop video pirates."

Availability: Rare. Seen on some Australian CBS/FOX VHS tapes that have a blue spine. Examples include Less Than Zero, The Last Innocent Man and The Pick-Up Artist. For tapes with a yellow spine, the next bumper is used.

1989–1990 (CBS-Fox Video) (B)

Home Video Anti Piracy Advices - Redux Australia

(Skip to 2:51)

Bumper: Same as last time, except it's on a blue gradient background with no grid, the VHS has a yellow spine, and the VHS starts from the top then moves down to the front.

FX/SFX: Same as before. Except the cheap CGI lines were removed from the previous bumper and the CGI of the VHS cassette is less cheap now.

Music/Sounds/Voiceover: Mellow funky elevator music plays and a different stoic-sounding man says "If the VHS cassette you're watching does not look like this, it's possible you're viewing an inferior pirated copy. Beta cassettes do not have a yellow spine. Beta program quality is guaranteed by this polarized seal. If your cassette does not carry these guarantees of quality, phone the Australian Film and Video Security Office. Help stop video pirates."

Availability: Rare. It was mostly seen on some Australian CBS/FOX VHS tapes that have a yellow spine. An example is Alien Nation. Later 1991 releases brought back the blue spine, and the next CBS-Fox bumper was debuted around that same time.

1989–1999 (CIC Video)

Home Video Anti Piracy Advices - Redux Australia

(Skip to 1:01)

Bumper: Same as the 1989-1991 CIC Video UK anti-piracy warning.

Variant: On 1992-1999 titles, the text is in lowercase. The background is also a black-blue gradient with no stars.

FX/SFX: Same as the 1989-1991 CIC Video UK anti-piracy warning.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Seen on Australian CIC Universal/Paramount/DreamWorks releases until 1999. The variant is used on the issues of Tom and Jerry: The Movie and True Lies.

1990–2006

Have You Got What You Paid For?

Nickname: "Have You Got What You Paid For"

Bumper: Against a background featuring a black waterproof silicone flooring, an upside-down VHS tape with a(n unrealistic) wavy sticker label on it reading the bold gold text "VIDEO PIRACY" shifts into view, and the "VIDEO PIRACY" sticker zooms in onto the screen. It then moves out of view to the text, bringing forth the following giant gold text with tiny white text below it:

HAVE (Have you ever been sold a Pirate Video?)
YOU (You may not have got what you paid for.)
GOT (Got a few moments? Make a visual check)
WHAT (What to look for - 1. Poor programme quality 2. Incorrect labels)
YOU (You probably wouldn't get this message on a Pirate Tape)
PAID (PAID A PIRATE?...If you think you may have, let us know)
FOR (For confidential assistance contact us now)

After all the text has slid in, some more text finally fades in, such as "PHONE", two phone numbers next to it, reading:

(1990-early 1993) 008 251996
999 78011

(1993-1996) 008 251996
or 02 997 8011

(1996-1999) 1008 251996
or 9997 8011

(post-1999) 1800 251 996
or (02) 9997 8011

And the address of the Australasian Film & Video Security Office.

Variant: Over the years, the phone number was changed repeatedly, with the different numbers seen above.

Trivia: This bumper was designed to be read even when fast-forwarded through.

FX/SFX: The sliding, the fading.

Music/Sounds/Voiceover: "Have you ever bought or rented a videotape that wasn't quite right? It may have been a pirated copy, an illegal and inferior copy for which you paid good money. Pirated tapes are recognizable by poorly presented or photocopied jack-heads, poor sound, and/or picture quality; the lack of sensor and other labels on the face and spine on the tape, and the absence of warnings, such as this at the beginning of the tape presentation. Pirated tapes rob artists and studios of their rightful income, and add to the cost of a video to the consumer. Video piracy is a major problem in Australia; please help us stop it. If you buy or rent a tape which you believe is not the genuine article, please phone the toll-free number for advice, or write to Post Office box 515 Mona Vale New South Wales, 2103. This message is brought to you by the Australasian Film and Video Security's Office."

Availability: Seen on various videos by Australian companies (usually at the beginning of the tapes), such as Warner Home Video, CIC Video, Roadshow Entertainment, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Network Entertainment, and Columbia TriStar Home Video/Entertainment, and its subsidiaries Video Box Office and First Release Home Entertainment. Examples include Batman and Robin, Mission Impossible, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School, Prehysteria!, Pokemon 3, Tom & Jerry: The Movie, Pontiac Moon, Sleepless in Seattle, The Santa Clause 2, The Sixth Sense, Tommy Boy, Volcano, Without Warning: Terror in the Towers, Murder by Numbers, The River Wild, Drop Zone, America's Sweethearts, Daddy's Day Care, Michael Collins, Banjo the Woodpile Cat, Mystery, Alaska, Pay It Forward, Drowning Mona, Final Destination, Next Friday, Fight Club, Gossip, Autumn in New York, Flipper and Lopaka videos, The Man Who Sued God, Liar Liar, Rules of Engagement (2000), Babylon 5 videos, Sphere, Charlie's Angels, Get Carter (2000), Dr. T & the Women, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Swordfish, The Long Kiss Goodnight, Secret Window, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Contract for Murder, The Man from Snowy River II, The Phantom, Jurassic Park, The Fugitive, 12 Monkeys, Addicted to Love, Australian Rules, The Boxer, Bye Bye Love, City of Angels, Cliffhanger, Contact, Coneheads, Congo, Crazy Hong Kong, Dr. Dolittle, End of Days, The Firm, Free Willy, The Full Monty, The Gingerbread Man, Jimmy Hollywood, Killing Zoe, Leave it to Beaver, Lorenzo's Oil, Mercury Rising, Mr. Saturday Night, The Nutty Professor, Out of Sight, The Pelican Brief, Perfect Crime, Plato's Run, Pokemon 2000, Posse, Senseless, Shine (1996), Sliding Doors, Something's Gotta Give, Splitting Heirs, The Tiger Woods Story, U-571, Village of the Damned, When in Rome, and Contract for Murder (where it's been moved to the end).

1991 (CBS-Fox Video) (C)

Home Video Anti Piracy Advices - Redux Australia

(Skip to 3:19)

Bumper: On a striped background similar to the Kartes Video Communications logo, we see a flashlight light move in from the bottom and highlights a VHS tape with a blue spine. The VHS has the same animation from the 3rd bumper. Then it turns into the animation for the 4th bumper and zooms out, where we see the AFaVSO number below in a serif font.

FX/SFX: The CGI of the VHS tape, the spotlighting of the tape, and the fading in of the phone number.

Music/Sounds/Voiceover: "If the VHS cassette you're watching does not look like this, it's possible you're viewing an inferior pirated copy. All CBS/Fox Video VHS cassettes have a colored customized spine, which is your guarantee of audio and video quality. If your cassette does not carry this guarantee of quality, phone the Australian Film and Video Security Office. Help stop video pirates."

Availability: Rare. It can be seen on later Australian CBS/FOX Releases from 1991 that have a blue spine on it.

1991–1993 (Fox Video)

Home Video Anti Piracy Advices - Redux Australia

(skip to 3:46)

Bumper: On a blue marble background, we see two VHS's with a blue spine, one with its face down, and one with the front of it on top of it. One has a blue spine, the same CBS/Fox tape label (but with Fox Video's print logo replacing the CBS/Fox one), and a Fox Video logo sticker on the left reel side, and the other has a blue spine showing the Fox Video logo next to the word "FoxVideo". As the voiceover gets to the hotline part, the tapes zoom out to reveal the AFaVSO number in a different serif font.

FX/SFX: The zooming.

Music/Sounds/Voiceover: Same as before, except when the voiceover gets to "All CBS/Fox Video VHS cassettes", the "CBS/" is left out.

Availability: Same as before. This is the last anti-piracy bumper produced by AFaVSO. Seen on And You Thought Your Parents are Weird!, Hot Shots, and Alien 3.

New Zealand

1992–2006

Video Piracy New Zealand

Nickname: "It's ILLEGAL to Copy This TAPE"

Bumper: The stacked words "VIDEO PIRACY" zoom in on a black background, which turns into a blue diamond floor background. The text then moves out of view, bringing forth the following giant text with white italicized text appearing below it via wipe up effects:

IT'S (A World-wide problem and its happening here)
ILLEGAL
ILLEGAL
ILLEGAL (It's illegal to copy a pre-recorded tape without authorisation)
TO (to copy a pre-recorded tape can result in severe penalties)
COPY (A Copy for home use only means just that)
THIS (This problem affects you, please help us stop it)
TAPE

After all the text has slid in, it slides away and pulls in a phone number, which reads:

FREE PHONE
0800 275 0020

Finally, the address of the New Zealand Film and Video Security Office (with "or write to:" above it) appears in italics, with each paragraph wiping up.

Variant: An early version has a different phone number for the NZFaVSO:

(09) 575 7046

FX/SFX: TBA

Music/Sounds/Voiceover: Four seconds of silence, then an announcer says "Video pirates. They're costing you money. In particular, the illegal duplication of pre-recorded video cassettes is causing great concern. The artists lose; the studios lose; and you, the consumer loses. Deauthorized copying of video tape programs is illegal, and carries with it penalties of fines or imprisonment. Remember, tapes bought or rented, for home use only, cannot be played in locations such as clubs, motels, schools or prisons. Video piracy is a major problem in New Zealand; please help us stop it. If you buy or rent a tape which you believe is not the genuine article, please ring this number for advice. Or write to Post Office Box 68041 Newton, Auckland. This message is finished by the New Zealand Film and Video Security Office."

Music/Sounds/Voiceover Variant: On the early variant, the voiceover is longer, with the announcer saying the following: "Video pirates. They're costing you money. Worldwide, in 1991, more than a billion US dollars was lost in the industry, through all forms of piracy. In particular, the illegal duplication of pre-recorded video cassettes is causing great concern. The artists lose; the studios lose; and you, the consumer loses. Deauthorized copying of video tape programs is illegal, and carries with it penalties of fines or imprisonment. Remember, tapes bought or rented, for home use only, cannot be played in locations such as clubs, motels, schools or prisons. Video piracy is a major problem in New Zealand; please help us stop it. If you buy or rent a tape which you believe is not the genuine article, please ring this number collect for advice. Or write to Post Office Box 68041 Newton, Auckland. This message is finished by the New Zealand Film and Video Security Office."

Availability: Seen on various video companies in New Zealand, such as Warner Home Video, CIC Video, Roadshow Entertainment and Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment. Examples include (in alphabetical order) Aces: Iron Eagle III, The End of the Golden Weather, Every Which Way but Loose, Freejack, Man Trouble, The Nightman, Scent of a Woman and Shattered.