One of the hall mark anti-piracy ads from the 1980’s was “Don’t Copy that Floppy” sung by MC Double Def DP (data protection). While copying programs, movies and music has exponentially grown from its humble floppy disk beginnings the SIIA (Software & Information Industry Alliance) has also stated a word of mouth campaign, reintroducing DP in a hot flashy new video. Break out some popcorn, pop open a soda, this will be interesting to see where this one goes.



From the YouTube page they state:

Check out the trailer...anti-piracy hero MC Double Def DP will return in the summer of 2009 to drop some more knowledge on would-be pirates in the sequel to 1992's "Don't Copy That Floppy! Brought to you by SIIA (formerly SPA) Source: YouTube

What is Orwellian about the video is the idea that the police will break down your door much like they do with drug dealers and hostage takers. In many ways I hope this is a misprint and they will remove the shock trooper imagery, but odds are highly likely that they will not. I am sure that there is a reason for this, but in all, watching the kids mom tripped down in the dirt, and everyone dragged off in handcuffs makes this a very chilling preview of what could be a really interesting movie/propaganda statement on the part of SIIA. I am also hoping that they are using this as a test demo case, the original video was campy and humorous, and the new one is darker and more Orwellian.

In the longer run and with the number of wins and losses that all the copyright protection groups have taken over the years, they might want to invest in a more educational video, get the parents on board, and then push out something that will grab a kid’s attention. In the mean time, the video is at least interesting, and it is going to generate a lot of conversation, both on YouTube and in people’s blogs.

(Cross-posted at IT Toolbox)