Vee asks:
When I was much younger, my dad used to travel a lot to Hong Kong and Malaysia. I was big into anime then and so, he'd pick me up bootlegged anime DVDs and the occasional trinket here and there... That was about eight years ago and I now know how crappy piracy is in comparison to the official product, and thus support my own local anime DVD distributors. Now I have a pile of pirated box sets in my closet that I have no idea how to get rid of. I don't want to sell them on at a flea market or on eBay (especially since there's often crackdowns on people selling bootleg movies and such), no second hand store will be able to sell them, and the same goes for other places I could donate them... Since you're in the DVD/Blu-Ray business, what would be the best way to get rid of them, if there's a chance for them to be recycled or taken off of my hands?
You are far from the only one who ended up with a bunch of ill-advised purchases of bootleg anime DVDs. Once upon a time, people bought a ton of these. They were especially a problem in cities with large Chinese populations, like New York, San Francisco and Toronto. Each city's Chinatown would have a ton of CD/DVD/VCD shops, and most of them would have a decent selection of bootleg anime discs. On occasion these discs would be a godsend -- sometimes some really hard-to-find and out-of-print anime would find their way to these stores. But more often, you'd get stuck with a disc that, compared to a legit release, was pretty crappy.
Beyond being illegal and probably funding organized crime (I've heard lots of allegations that those bootleg shops are primarily backed by Chinese Triad groups), those discs, quite simply, suck. Without knowing what discs you bought, I would predict that many of them have video that came off of a VHS tape, and I'll bet most of them have garbled, near-incomprehensible translations that routinely can't even keep characters' names straight. Most of those discs don't have English dubs. Many had bootleg company logos burned into the video, and some are compressed so badly that the video looks like an early YouTube video. Giving them away is about as kind and touching of a gesture as giving someone a dead squirrel.
You might find some second-hand or charity shop that would take them, but that would really just be taking all of that disappointment and resentment in buying shoddy product, and paying it forward. I kinda-sorta-don't-really believe in karma, but if karma is actually a thing, donating bootleg DVDs to Goodwill is almost certainly bad karma. Because some unsuspecting shopper is going to buy them and bring them home and inevitably be really really disappointed. It's just a mean thing to do to someone.
So, if you can't sell them and you can't give them away, that leaves one option: disposal in the most environmentally friendly way possible. Some bootlegs come in standard DVD cases, which can be easily re-used, or bundled together and used as office supplies. Check with your local city recycling program -- many will take CDs and DVDs and their cases, though some areas may require you to separate the paper and the plastic.
If that's not an option, I'm afraid you're stuck with simply throwing them out. It's not the most ecologically friendly solution, but it sure beats setting fire to them.
Got questions for me? Send them in! The e-mail address, as always, is answerman (at!) animenewsnetwork.com.
Justin Sevakis is the founder of Anime News Network, and owner of the video production company MediaOCD. You can follow him on Twitter at @worldofcrap, and check out his bi-weekly column on real, strange stories from the anime business, Tales of the Industry.
this article has been modified since it was originally posted; see change history
FAQs
Some bootlegs come in standard DVD cases, which can be easily re-used, or bundled together and used as office supplies. Check with your local city recycling program -- many will take CDs and DVDs and their cases, though some areas may require you to separate the paper and the plastic.
Is it illegal to own a bootleg DVD? ›
Making, selling or buying bootleg movies is illegal everywhere in the United States.
How to spot fake DVDs on eBay? ›
Check the cover. Real movies have high-quality manufacturer photos, and often fake ones have blurry, lack of color, and less detail type covers. This will tell you that the cover probably was taken with a camera. If the movie is without security labels, the movie may be a counterfeit.
What is a bootleg DVD? ›
1. : to illegally copy (a video, CD, etc.) or illegally record (a live performance) He bootlegged the show and gave copies to several friends. bootleg a DVD.
Should I throw away old DVDs? ›
Don't Dump in the Garbage Cart
Avoid throwing away CDs and DVDs because they contain hazardous metals that can leach into the soil.
What do you do with unwanted DVDs? ›
Unwanted CDs, DVDs and records can be donated to charity shops or sold on sites like Zapper and Ziffit. Some Recycling Centres accept these items but this service does vary across the country. It's best to check with your local authority.
Can you sell bootlegs on eBay? ›
We don't allow counterfeit items or unauthorized copies to be listed on eBay. Items sold using a brand name or a brand logo must be original and made by the brand or manufactured on their behalf. Software, music, movies and other media must be original and not unauthorized copies.
Does eBay sell pirated DVDs? ›
We don't allow counterfeit items or unauthorised copies to be listed on eBay.
Why is ripping DVDs illegal? ›
Specifically speaking, Title I of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DCMA) states in part that it's illegal to "circumvent a technological measure that effectively controls access to a work protected under this title." In short, circumventing the copy-protection mechanism on the DVD is a violation of the DCMA.
How do I know if my DVDs are worth money? ›
You can check eBay and look at their sold listings. This gives you a genuine idea of the prices at which people buy DVDs. Make sure to only look at the sold listings and not what the items are listed for to gauge value.
CHICAGO -- Online fakes are a big business thanks to the popularity of sites like Amazon and eBay. Scammers take advantage of the convenient marketplace to trick customers into spending their hard-earned money for counterfeits. Online fakes are a billion-dollar-plus business, according to a recent government report.
How to tell if a CD is pirated? ›
If the label looks pixelated, hand written, or printed off an ink printer then it could be a bootleg. Global region codes identify DVDs and Blu-ray discs that are compatible with the players typically sold in that region.
Is it illegal to own a bootleg CD? ›
This created a market for bootleg CDs in the late 1980s, containing 1960s recordings. In the US, bootlegs had been a grey area in legality, but the 1976 Copyright Act extended copyright protection to all recordings, including "all misappropriated recordings, both counterfeit and pirate".
What do pirated DVDs look like? ›
“Pirated” versions of films have been copied illegally. As a result they typically: have photocopied or poorly printed covers and graphics (they may come in a plastic envelope instead of a normal DVD cover) carry an “ALL” zone region code or no region coding at all.
Can DVDs go in the recycling bin? ›
Recycle. Yes, you can recycle your old DVDs! DVDs are no longer accepted in your household recycling bins, however, they are accepted at most recycling centres. Both the disks and the plastic jewel cases from disks are 100% recyclable but it's best to check with your local council first.
How do you securely dispose of DVDs? ›
Wrap the discs with plastic wrap and then fold it until it breaks. Shred the discs with a disc shredder. Cut the discs. You can use a pair of scissors, but be careful as the foil will flake.
How do you destroy old DVDs? ›
If you need to destroy a CD or DVD, one method is abrading or stripping off the top metallic layer. This can be done in various ways. Using coarse sandpaper, rubbing the disc against a rough surface like the sidewalk, or employing a specialized abrasive scraper are some of the techniques.
