You wouldn't steal a font: Famous anti-piracy campaign may have used pirated typeface
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A famous anti-piracy campaign from the early 2000s is in the spotlight after it appeared the font used in the adverts was pirated.
The dramatic campaign compared pirating films to stealing cars, handbags and televisions, telling viewers: "You wouldn't steal a car". It appeared in cinemas and on DVDs around the world from 2004.
But now, social media users have discovered the font used in the campaign was pirated from a typeface created by designer Just van Rossum.
Bluesky user Rib extracted the fonts used in one of the campaign's old PDFs and discovered the pirated font Xband-Rough was used instead of Mr van Rossum's licensed font FF Confidential.
Sky News was able to replicate this process and found the same results.
There's no evidence to suggest that the campaign's designers were aware that the font was pirated, as copies of it were being widely shared at the time.
The creator of the original font doesn't seem too worried, however. He told tech newsite TorrentFreak:
"I knew my font was used for the campaign and that a pirated clone named XBand-Rough existed.
"I did not know that the campaign used XBand-Rough and not FF Confidential, though. So this fact is new to me, and I find it hilarious."
The adverts became a piece of pop culture history, with spoofs spawned for years afterwards.
In fact, if you try to go to the campaign's official URL, you will be redirected to the most famous spoof, a sketch in the sitcom IT Crowd.
Sky News contacted the organisations behind the adverts, the UK's anti-piracy agency FACT, America's Motion Picture Association and the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore.
FACT declined to comment, saying the campaign pre-dated anyone working at the organisation.
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Sky News
13 hours ago
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This was the outcome in three in five investigations overall, including one in five investigations where the victim did support police action. Outcomes were similar in both years of available data. "In around half of cases, there are no external, physical, visible signs of injury. That's not to say that there aren't internal injuries that can't be seen just with the naked eye," said Ms Smailes, who is a research officer at IFAS. "It might be that that visible injury isn't present at the time of evidence capture that might develop over time, or because there's a difference in how individuals show bruising, for example those of different skin tones. That can contribute towards there not being enough perceived evidence to be able to progress with a police case," she said. In some cases where a victim disengages from police proceedings, it may be that they did not feel supported and believed in the process or felt that there were "too many obstacles". 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"I would urge anyone to speak out and if you feel like you haven't been heard and your voice has not been listened to, speak out again."
Daily Record
17 hours ago
- Daily Record
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All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Kieron said: 'There is a risk from using these devices, it is not just us saying this. People should be warned about this. There's a real risk of having your identity stolen or similar. If you give over your credit card details, you are giving them to criminals. 'They could get access to the camera on your TV, if it has one, or microphone. There is no safety or security with what you are getting with these modified devices. Some people set them up just to get your personal details.' A recent report by Enders Analysis accused Amazon's £25 Fire Stick of allowing 'plug-and-play piracy', with three in five who used a physical device for piracy in the last 12 months choosing the Fire Stick, according to Sky. Amazon said it had made changes to Fire TV to make streaming illegal content more difficult. An Amazon spokesperson said: 'Pirated content violates our policies regarding intellectual property rights, and compromises the security and privacy of our customers. 'We remain vigilant in our efforts to combat piracy and protect customers from the risks associated with pirated content, which includes prohibiting apps that infringe upon the rights of third parties in our Appstore, and warning customers of the risks associated with installing or using apps from unknown sources.'
Daily Record
2 days ago
- Daily Record
Russia accuses UK of involvement in Ukraine drone strike that risks 'World War 3"
Sunday's surprise attack targeted Russian airbases holding bombers. Russia's ambassador to the UK has claimed Ukraine's recent drone attacks targeting nuclear bomber airbases risks escalating the ongoing conflict to "World War III", who also implied that Britain was involved. Andrei Kelin warned that the strikes "are bringing the conflict to a different level of escalation", adding that Kyiv should "not try to engulf World War III". The surprise attack on Sunday, June 1, was a heavy blow to the Russian military. It targeted bases holding nuclear-capable bombers, and reached as far away as Siberia. Satellite images show seven ruined bombers at a base in eastern Siberia, a target Ukraine later admitted to striking, the Mirror reports. Mr Kelin accused the UK of being involved when he said Ukraine must have been assisted. He told Sky News: "[This] kind of attack involves, of course, provision of very high technology, so-called geospaced data, which only can be done by those who have it in possession. And this is London and Washington. "I don't believe that America [is involved], that has been denied by President Trump, definitely, but it has not been denied by London. We perfectly know how much London is involved, how deeply British forces are involved in working together with Ukraine." Ukraine said over 40 bombers, around a third of Russia's fleet, sustained damage or were destroyed. The aircraft affected were Tu-95s, Tu-22Ms and A-50s, targeted by drones that were deployed from containers carried on trucks parked near four bases. The operation is said to have been in the planning for 18 months, and demonstrated Ukraine's ability to strike high-value targets anywhere in Russia, resulting in humiliation and significant losses. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Although some Russian military bloggers compared it to the 1941 Pearl Harbour bombing by Japan, due to it being a surprise attack on a Sunday, others argued the extent of the damage was much less than claimed. Donald Trump has said Vladimir Putin told him "very strongly" in a call on Wednesday that he will respond to the incident as the deadlock over the conflict continues. Writing on social media, Trump said the phone call 'was a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate Peace.'
