Latest news with #XBand-Rough
Metro
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Famous anti-piracy advert ‘used pirated font'
You wouldn't steal a car. You wouldn't steal a handbag. You wouldn't steal a television. You wouldn't steal a DVD. You would steal a… font?! An amazingly ironic claim has been made about the most famous piracy ad of all time, alleging that it used a pirated font itself. The advert is well known after being played before the film every time people went to the cinema in the early 2000s, and later rolling out to DVDs too. Made in 2004, it's now in the spotlight again 21 years later after a user on Bluesky analysed the font used in campaign material and saw it was not the official version. While the typeface appears to be the licensed font FF Confidential, it's allegedly an identical bootlegged version called Xband-Rough. User on Bluesky wrote: 'By using FontForge on a PDF from the website for the campaign, I can confirm that they are indeed using the illegal clone version of the font, rather than the licensed one!' By using FontForge on a PDF from the website for the campaign ( I can confirm that they are indeed using the illegal clone version of the font, rather than the licensed one! — Rib (@ 2025-04-23T16:13:40.893Z It is understood that the making of the ad predates those currently working at FACT (the Federation Against Copyright Theft), the UK-based organisation involved with its production. While some jurisdictions do not allow fonts to be copyrighted, in the UK typefaces are protected under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 which considers them artistic works. Metro put the claim to FACT and the Motion Picture Association, which also made the ad, and they declined to comment. At the time the advert was made, the pirated version of the font was widely circulating, so there is no suggestion that those who made the ad intentionally used an unofficial version. It is also possible that the video itself used the licensed font, even if campaign leaflets about it did not; analysing the video is more difficult than simple text. But it illustrates how prevalent bootleg content was at the time, and rather undermines the central premise of the advert which equated watching a downloaded film with burgling someone's house. Up Next The ad became a meme and was even parodied in the IT Crowd, who memorably made a version whereby film piracy was compared to shooting a policeman dead, defecating in his helmet, sending the soiled helmet to his widow, and then stealing it again. If you try to visit the original URL of the ad, you'll actually be redirected to that parody clip. The creator of the original font, Just Van Rossum, told Torrent Freak: '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.' But he said he no longer has the rights to the font and will not be pursuing the matter. If you do want to use it legally, it's currently licensed by Monotype and is available on MyFonts for £59.99. The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, which also collaborated to make the ad, has been contacted for comment. check our news page.
Sunday World
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
Iconic anti-piracy campaign under fire for allegedly using pirated font
The designer of the original font said he finds the whole thing 'hilarious' The campaign has become a piece of pop-culture history An iconic anti-piracy campaign is under fire after it was alleged that the font used was pirated itself. The advertisement, which is etched into the minds of anyone of a certain vintage, appeared before the trailers on videos, DVDS and in cinemas from 2004 to 2008. Warning punters not to illegally reproduce a copy of any films, it featured punchy music as text, such as 'you wouldn't steal a car' and 'you wouldn't steal a handbag' flashed on screen following a depiction of each act. 'Piracy. It's a crime,' the final message read, designed to deter viewers from making a copy of whatever film they were watching. The ads became a piece of pop-culture history and have been mocked relentlessly for years since their first release. It was also jeered in the IT Crowd episode 'Moss and the German' when they re-created the ad, adding even more absurd crimes such as stealing a baby, and shooting a policeman before going to the toilet in his cap. Now, a Bluesky user has alleged that the font used in the marketing campaign was pirated after running a screenshot of the text through online software to detect the font used. The original font, FF Confidential, was created by Just Van Rossum in 1992, but it was allegedly cloned and released as a font called XBand-Rough. While this version of the font was free, the original one was not. The social media user claims that the pirated XBand-Rough was used in the anti-piracy ads, and not the original one. Speaking about the irony, Van Rossum told TorrentFreak, an online blog that reports on copyright infringements among other things, that he found the whole thing 'hilarious.' 'I knew my font was used for the campaign and that a pirated clone named XBand-Rough existed,' he said. '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.' He also told Sky News that the irony was 'precious.' "The campaign has always had the wrong tone, which (to me) explains the level of fun that has been had at its expense. The irony of it having used a pirated font is just precious.' Despite this there is no evidence to suggest that the designers of the marketing campaign were aware that the font they used was pirated. In a statement, one of the producers of the campaign Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) said it pre-dated anyone who currently works there and so could not comment.4.6k
The Independent
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Famous anti-piracy campaign ‘used pirated font'
A famous anti- piracy campaign from the early 2000s which became a part of pop culture history may have itself have been the product of piracy. Social media users have discovered the font used for the dramatic 'You wouldn't steal a car' advert was pirated from a typeface created by designer Just van Rossum. The campaign compared pirating films to stealing items such as handbags and televisions and regularly appeared in cinemas and on DVDs, with dramatic music playing in the background. The thriller-style advert ended with the warning 'Piracy. It's a crime'. One Bluesky user extracted the fonts used in one of the campaign's old PDFs and made the discovery that it was actually a pirated version of Mr van Rossum's licensed font FF Confidential. Sky News reports that there was no evidence to suggest that the campaign's designers were aware that the font was pirated. At the time, Mr van Rossum's font had been illegally cloned and re-released as the font XBand-Rough, which was widely shared and free to use. "I had known about the 'illegal clone' of my font before, but I didn't know that that was the one used in the campaign,' Mr van Rossum told Sky News. "The campaign has always had the wrong tone, which (to me) explains the level of fun that has been had at its expense. The irony of it having used a pirated font is just precious.' After first appearing in 2004, the advert was discontinued in 2009 but has remained on cassettes and DVDs in people's collection.
Metro
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Famous anti-piracy advert 'used pirated font'
You wouldn't steal a car. You wouldn't steal a handbag. You wouldn't steal a television. You wouldn't steal a DVD. You would steal a… font?! An amazingly ironic claim has been made about the most famous piracy ad of all time, alleging that it used a pirated font itself. The advert is well known after being played before the film every time people went to the cinema in the early 2000s, and later rolling out to DVDs too. Made in 2004, it's now in the spotlight again 21 years later after a user on Bluesky analysed the font used in campaign material and saw it was not the official version. While the typeface appears to be the licensed font FF Confidential, it's allegedly an identical bootlegged version called Xband-Rough. User on Bluesky wrote: 'By using FontForge on a PDF from the website for the campaign, I can confirm that they are indeed using the illegal clone version of the font, rather than the licensed one!' By using FontForge on a PDF from the website for the campaign ( I can confirm that they are indeed using the illegal clone version of the font, rather than the licensed one! — Rib (@ 2025-04-23T16:13:40.893Z It is understood that the making of the ad predates those currently working at FACT (the Federation Against Copyright Theft), the UK-based organisation involved with its production. While some jurisdictions do not allow fonts to be copyrighted, in the UK typefaces are protected under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 which considers them artistic works. Metro put the claim to FACT (the Federation Against Copyright Theft), the UK-based organisation involved in making the ad, and they declined to comment. At the time the advert was made, the pirated version of the font was widely circulating, so there is no suggestion that those who made the ad intentionally used an unofficial version. It is also possible that the video itself used the licensed font, even if campaign leaflets about it did not; analysing the video is more difficult than simple text. But it illustrates how prevalent bootleg content was at the time, and rather undermines the central premise of the advert which equated watching a downloaded film with burgling someone's house. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The ad became a meme and was even parodied in the IT Crowd, who memorably made a version whereby film piracy was compared to shooting a policeman dead, defecating in his helment, sending the soiled helmet to his widow, and then stealing it again. If you try to visit the original URL of the ad, you'll actually be redirected to that parody clip. The creator of the original font, Just Van Rossum, told Torrent Freak: 'I knew my font was used for the campaign and that a pirated clone named XBand-Rough existed. More Trending '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.' But he said he no longer has the rights to the font and will not be pursuing the matter. If you do want to use it legally, it's currently licensed by Monotype and is available on MyFonts for £59.99. The Motion Picture Association and the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, which also collaborated to make the ad, have been contacted for comment. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Pair 'filmed themselves on moronic mission to chop down Sycamore Gap tree, court hears MORE: 'Mushroom killer' has attempted murder charges against ex-husband dropped MORE: Prison officer, 23, 'had sexual relationships with two inmates at the same time'
Daily Mail
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
You wouldn't steal a... font: Famous anti-piracy campaign from the early 2000s 'uses pirated typeface'
An iconic anti-piracy advert has come under fire after it was reported that the font used in the campaign was in fact pirated itself. The hyperbolic advert was almost unavoidable during the early 2000s, appearing on DVDs and video cassettes as well as in cinemas. The crime-thriller style video flashes up with sentiments of 'You wouldn't steal a car, you wouldn't steal a handbag' alongside a backdrop of thumping music. It follows with the warning 'Piracy. It's a crime ', designed to strike fear into viewers, giving them second thoughts about burning a copy of the data onto their own disk or tape. However in an incredible twist fit for the movies themselves, social media users have discovered that the font itself was pirated from Just Van Rossum, a Dutch typeface designer. Van Rossum created his FF Confidential font in 1992. It was then illegally cloned and released as the font XBand-Rough, The Times reported. While this font was free, companies were charged for the use of Rossum's original creation. A Bluesky user ran an image from the 'You wouldn't steal a car' campaign through an online software which detects the exact font used. The user discovered that the pirated XBand-Rough was used instead of Rossum's original creation. The creators of the ad campaign are unlikely to have been aware of their font being pirated as it was not common knowledge that the XBand-Rough font was an illegal copy. It is also possible the adverts paid for and used the licensed version of the font. The font's original creator Just Van Rossum told tech news website TorrentFreak that he found the news 'hilarious'. He told the site he was unsure if his font was licensed or whether the cloned version was used for the campaign. He said: '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.' In the past, reports claimed the music used for the iconic warning was pirated. However these were proven to be false. The advert was discontinued in 2009, five years after its debut. But has lived on in collections for many years since. The clips were replaced with adverts promoting British cinema and thanking viewers for supporting films. MailOnline 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.
