Have You Got What You Paid For?

Nowadays, it's "piracy funds terrorism", "you wouldn't steal a handbag" and "what are you really burning?" But when VHS was king in Australia, most tapes would carry this anti-piracy message, designed to be read even when fast-forwarded. I'm surprised this hasn't been put on YouTube already! This is one of the first things I've digitised now that I've hooked up my VCR (well, DVD/VCR combo actually, you can't get VCR-only these days) to the analogue input of my digital TV card. More VHS stuff like this coming soon!

Transcript:

"Have you ever bought or rented a videotape that wasn't quite right? It may have been a pirate copy: an illegal and inferior copy for which you paid good money.

Pirated tapes are recognisable by poorly-presented or photocopied jackets*; poor sound and/or picture quality; the lack of censor and other labels on the face and spine of the tape; and the absence of warnings, such as this at the beginning of the tape presentation.

Pirate 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 this 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 Securities [sic] Office."

*as is Daryl Somers

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• vhs
• australia
• have
• you
• got
• what
• paid
• for
• afvso
• afact
• afa©t
• copyright
• piracy
• warning

[MotleyBitch]

Ooooh! ZING at Daryl Somers! Very nice!

I remember this ad so well... I actually knew it off by heart, to my friends amusement :P Thanks for putting this up... brought back LOTS of memories :D

[danielgonline]

@MotleyBitch Not my zinger, unfortunately; the credit for the Daryl Somers joke must go to one Tony ("Martin/Molloy", "Get This") Martin.

[thebuffmister]

can someone put a video of what use to be before this, it was like a series of clips from movie, it had back to the future 3 than termintator, i havent seen that in years.

[danielgonline]

Try "Ratings Advice - VHS Rating Trailer (1995)" from YouTube user pelepollo.

[MisterSenseless]

Isn't it now FACT instead of the Australian film and video security office?

[danielgonline]

Yes, nowadays it's AFACT, the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft.

[djrobertjohnson]

"You Probably wouldent get this message on a pirate tape"

THANK GOD!!!

[WILLUSUBSCRIBE]

Nobody calls me mad dog especially not some duded up egg sucking gutter trash

[markrobbo83]

I just tried calling that number, but it didnt work... now how will i report all those pirate videos I come across?

[dunhillsupramk3]

and thats why pirate bay don't charge you no money for the torrents

[sikyist]

Omg. Thankyou. Been looking for this for ears. So now when I make 'backups' of movies- I can replace the "you wouldn't steal a Handbag" with this... Niice

[bradley583]

At school when the teacher fast forwarded the beginnings of videos, we would all read out the HAVE- YOU- GOT- WHAT- YOU- PAID- FOR? as it appeared on screen, lolol.

[er10b]

I'd LOL if this was on a DVD today...

The memories buying ABC Kids VHS tapes and seeing the same warning on a bunch of em - I would test every tape playing it all the way through and pile them up - one pile with warnings, one without.

[cameron20101000]

I wish they use this in the US/Canada VHS tapes!

[MrFarmhouse]

awww the nostalgia

[mudchair16]

Ah memories. I'd return home from riding all the way up to Video 2000 and back, eager to watch my weekly. Pop in the tape and see this message covered in all the jittery crap that wouldn't go away no matter how hard you tried. You just knew the whole tape was screwed. I never did anything to deserve such cruelty.

[SprattyD]

OMG!!! back to the OLD VHS days ... *fast fowards* shame you can't do the same to the 5 ones on all dvds/blu rays -.-

[01101011010101010100]

haha what a flash back