Month: September 2021

Iconic “Piracy Is a Crime” Domain Now Redirects to IT-Crowd Parody

The movie industry’s “Piracy it’s a crime” video is, without doubt, the most iconic anti-piracy PSA ever made. The video became the inspiration for countless memes and satire. The once-official piracyisacrime.com campaign site shut down years ago but, this week, the domain started linking to the IT Crowd parody.

From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Over the past decades, the entertainment industries have tried out numerous anti-piracy PSAs.

One of the most iconic videos is without doubt the “You Wouldn’t Steal a Car” campaign, which has proven to be a fertile breeding ground for memes and satire.

The video was the result of a collaboration between the Motion Picture Association, the Federation Against Copyright Theft, and the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore. It first launched during the summer of 2004 after which it appeared on DVDs and in movie theaters.

“A new cinema trailer also launches on 12th July, supporting the campaign message ‘piracy is a crime’,” one of the press releases read at the time.

From a 2004 press release

piracy is a crime

The video was backed by the Piracyisacrime.com website. This was also the place where the public was asked to report piracy.

We’re using the past tense because the official campaign website was retired more than a decade ago. Initially, the domain name was forwarded to copyrightaware.co.uk, another anti-piracy initiative, but at some point, it was no longer renewed.

This resulted in some interesting new homes for the domain, including a site that has something to do with Japanese nurses. Then, all of a sudden, someone decided to put it up for sale. Earlier this week, Hugedomains listed the piracyisacrime.com domain for $2,695.

piracy it's a crime

That is a lot of money for a domain name without content. However, it would make sense for an anti-piracy group to regain control. Interestingly, however, most attention was generated by “the other side.”

In the r/Piracy subreddit, ‘Mintyjad’ asked whether they should buy the domain and point it to a Rickroll. This suggestion triggered a lot of responses but, before the topic could result in any action, someone else bought it.

While we don’t know who paid nearly $3,000 for the domain, the buyer doesn’t appear to come from the anti-piracy camp.

Instead of rickrolling visitors, Piracyisacrime.com now redirects to the legendary parody of the PSA from the IT Crowd TV series. This means that after nearly two decades of memes and parodies, we have come full circle.

From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

The best Labor Day tech deals we can find [Updated]

Dealmaster includes discounts on Apple devices, PS5 games, headphones, and more.

Collage of electronic consumer goods against a white background.

Enlarge (credit: Ars Technica)

Update 9/6 10:45 am EDT: We've updated our Labor Day Dealmaster for the holiday itself, adding a few NEW deals, striking out expired offers, and updating prices. The roundup now includes a larger-than-usual price drop on Apple's noise-canceling AirPods Pro earphones, a $30 discount on Amazon's budget-friendly Fire HD 8 tablet, the joint-lowest price we've tracked on Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales for the PS4 and PS5, deals on indoor security cameras and LEGO kits we like, and a few other discounts. The original post is below.

Original post 9/4 10:15 am EDT: It's Labor Day Weekend in the US, which means the Dealmaster has once again been busy picking through a barrage of sales to help you find the best tech deals currently available. In general, Labor Day sales won't top Black Friday or Cyber Monday when it comes to the quality or quantity, but if you can't wait another couple of months to pick up your gadget of choice, this year's holiday brings a few deals of note.

Our roundup includes a number of strong prices on Apple products, for one, including the "Product Red" edition of the Apple Watch Series 6 for $249. Apple is expected to launch the Series 7 in the coming months, the discount only applies to the red model, and you may see shipping delays at Amazon. Still, this deal matches the lowest price we've tracked for what we consider the best all-around smartwatch you can buy right now.

Read 6 remaining paragraphs | Comments

How a flight-sim cockpit helps me get away from it all (figuratively)

Ars Senior Tech Editor Lee Hutchinson flies us down a flight-sim rabbit hole.

Photograph of an Obutto R3volution cockpit with accessories

Enlarge / The Obutto R3v that sits in the corner of Lee's office. The two little dark plastic tray-looking things on swing arms are exactly that and are a great help for both scribbling notes and also holding food and beverages. (credit: Lee Hutchinson)

One of the great things about working from home is that you have a lot of freedom to set your home office up just the way you like it, whether you're perfecting your PC setup to make it more comfortable for long days of Zoom meetings or buying weird niche gaming accessories for after-hours fun. Now that he's back around the Orbital HQ, Ars Senior Technology Reporter Andrew Cunningham is interviewing Ars staffers about the gadgets they use to put the "home" into "home office," starting with Senior Technology Editor Lee Hutchinson and his intricate flight-sim setup.

What’s the thing on your desk/part of your setup/etc that you want to tell me about?

I think it’d be the Obutto R3volution cockpit.

Read 20 remaining paragraphs | Comments