Ebay seller sending pirate copy DVDs

MalMonroe · 14 October 2020 at 2:45PM

I don't think this is a new thing by any stretch of anyone's imagination but I'm so furious! In good faith I ordered a DVD from an ebay seller. The picture on the ad was of the original DVD so I thought I would be getting one of the originals. However, today through the post I received a pirate copy in one of those little plastic folders, just sent in an ordinary envelope. I am just so cross!!

The email I have just sent to the seller (with a copy to ebay) requesting a full refund because of fraud was extremely polite but I wanted to vent somewhere so here I am. Sorry about that folks but I cannot and will not accept piracy. When I get my money back the feedback is not going to be anywhere near as polite as my email. Although not too scathing because they have my address!

So, just be careful out there. And if you should receive a pirate copy please let the seller know you are not happy.

Thank you very much for (virtually) listening. I feel so much better now!

hybernia · 14 October 2020 at 3:31PM

eBay UK is riddled with dVD and software piracy, and has been for years. eBay seemingly prefers to do nothing about it because to come down hard on such sellers is to deny eBay its lucrative commission rates and the profitability of its business model.

It's all especially noticeable in software sales, where there's instance after instance of eBay sellers getting hold of free public domain programs like GIMP and flogging 'em as if they're commercial offerings. The same blatant thievery and fraud also affects year-dated Ashampoo free-to-use products (German developer Ashampoo distinguishes between its freeware and paid-for offerings by allocating a year number to an item's title to indicate it's free, but a version number to a paid-for product).

Go on eBay at any time and you'll find Ashampoo free product 2018 or free product 2019 or even (bless!) "the latest 2020" product being charged for by a seller in a deliberate mis-selling that eBay will surely by now be all too well aware of.

As for the sheer number of overseas sellers from well known counterfeit markets like Morocco and Ukraine, they're all still in the business of crack'd and stolen software because they're still able to get away with citing fictitious UK addresses.

MalMonroe · 14 October 2020 at 4:26PM

hybernia said:

eBay UK is riddled with dVD and software piracy, and has been for years. eBay seemingly prefers to do nothing about it because to come down hard on such sellers is to deny eBay its lucrative commission rates and the profitability of its business model.

It's all especially noticeable in software sales, where there's instance after instance of eBay sellers getting hold of free public domain programs like GIMP and flogging 'em as if they're commercial offerings. The same blatant thievery and fraud also affects year-dated Ashampoo free-to-use products (German developer Ashampoo distinguishes between its freeware and paid-for offerings by allocating a year number to an item's title to indicate it's free, but a version number to a paid-for product).
Go on eBay at any time and you'll find Ashampoo free product 2018 or free product 2019 or even (bless!) "the latest 2020" product being charged for by a seller in a deliberate mis-selling that eBay will surely by now be all too well aware of.
As for the sheer number of overseas sellers from well known counterfeit markets like Morocco and Ukraine, they're all still in the business of crack'd and stolen software because they're still able to get away with citing fictitious UK addresses.

I know! And I'm not having any of it.

tempus_fugit · 15 October 2020 at 3:31AM

I assume you have raised a Not As described case with eBay? They usually side with buyers in these sort of cases unless the seller can prove 100% that they sent you what was advertised in the listing.

IvanOpinion · 15 October 2020 at 7:11AM

Well done MalMonroe, far too many people have low moral values and standards when it comes to ripped off goods.
As someone who used to help sell/build/repair/maintain PCs I used to take occasional abuse from people when I refused to re-install any software that they could not verify they had a licence for ... believe it or not one even took a small claims action against me for not completing the rebuild ... he lost and after I had explained what I had found on his computer he had his own problems.

MalMonroe · 15 October 2020 at 4:35PM

Thanks everyone, for your replies.

After complaining, I received a full refund. BUT the seller (and I've discovered there are quite a few similar ones on ebay) pointed out that the movie I'd requested was in the public domain as it was released in 1948 and after 50 years there is no reason why movies that are in the public domain cannot be copied.

I have managed to get my hands on a bona fide version of the movie now though and at the beginning there's a very stern warning about DVD piracy and how piracy of this movie will be punished to the highest extent, etc. So I'm a bit confused to say the least.

However, I'm going to take care next time I want to buy a movie, or just go to amazon or Music Magpie!

Thanks again.

dinglebert · 15 October 2020 at 5:53PM

MalMonroe said:

Thanks everyone, for your replies.

After complaining, I received a full refund. BUT the seller (and I've discovered there are quite a few similar ones on ebay) pointed out that the movie I'd requested was in the public domain as it was released in 1948 and after 50 years there is no reason why movies that are in the public domain cannot be copied.

I have managed to get my hands on a bona fide version of the movie now though and at the beginning there's a very stern warning about DVD piracy and how piracy of this movie will be punished to the highest extent, etc. So I'm a bit confused to say the least.

However, I'm going to take care next time I want to buy a movie, or just go to amazon or Music Magpie!

Thanks again.

The truth is that there are many films in the public domain which people are free to copy and sell these include many from the 80's. Same goes for music and to a greater extent books.

Touchstones2 · 16 October 2020 at 4:03PM

He put you in your place

mnbvcxz · 18 October 2020 at 1:53AM

UK film copyright is generally 70 years after the last main creator dies. So if the director or screenwriter of a 1948 film lives till 1980 the film will be in copyright till 2050. UK movie copyright lasts a really long time!

Edit: Hmm, I may have been mistaken. Films before 1956 may be 50 years after the death of last main creator.

GS.. · 18 October 2020 at 9:21AM

If you disable someones computer and only THEN (when you have them over a barrel) decide to police them, you should expect the worse. I guess you also drive down the third lane of the motorway at 70 mph. Most people don't like self appointed policemen so you already know it leads to a very acrimonious life.

IvanOpinion said:
......
As someone who used to help sell/build/repair/maintain PCs I used to take occasional abuse from people when I refused to re-install any software that they could not verify they had a licence for ...

GS.. · 18 October 2020 at 9:27AM

It's true that movies over 50 years old have no copyright (you can download them for free) but the seller should also make sure you know what you are buying. The original DVD will still have copyright warning but it's now expired.

MalMonroe said:
Thanks everyone, for your replies.

After complaining, I received a full refund. BUT the seller (and I've discovered there are quite a few similar ones on ebay) pointed out that the movie I'd requested was in the public domain as it was released in 1948 and after 50 years there is no reason why movies that are in the public domain cannot be copied.

I have managed to get my hands on a bona fide version of the movie now though and at the beginning there's a very stern warning about DVD piracy and how piracy of this movie will be punished to the highest extent, etc. So I'm a bit confused to say the least.

However, I'm going to take care next time I want to buy a movie, or just go to amazon or Music Magpie!

Thanks again.

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