Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by Dmitry (A) on December 10, 2004 at 09:46:00

In Reply to: some of these are out on other labels posted by tunenut on December 1, 2004 at 09:31:39:

Why have certain Criterion titles been taken out of print? Will they ever be back in print?

All unavailable Criterion titles were taken out of print solely due to rights issues. Our distribution licenses expired and, despite our best efforts, we were unable to renew. Should Criterion ever recover the DVD rights to any of our out-of-print titles, we will surely re-release them.

Where can I find out-of-print Criterion DVDs?

To the best of our knowledge, all out-of-print Criterion titles are completely unavailable. Some retailers may have retained copies of certain releases, but your guess is as good as ours. Many customers shop for out-of-print Criterion titles on online auction sites, but this is a risky operation as there are many, many bootleg Criterion DVDs floating around on such sites and other collector's markets. One should proceed with caution when shopping for out-of-print DVDs.

Why are there so many bootleg Criterion DVDs? Is anything being done about it?

Counterfeiting is a real and increasing problem throughout the DVD industry. We at Criterion are doing our very best to stop the flow of bootleg DVDs, but there is such a proliferation that there is often little that can be done. We'll continue to do all we can to keep counterfeit discs off the market, but there is no way to stop it altogether. If you encounter a retailer or individual selling bootleg Criterion discs, we encourage you to contact us. We cannot guarantee that we can stop an organization or individual from selling bootlegs DVDs, but we will use all available resources to address the problem.

How can I identify a bootleg Criterion DVD?

There's no sure-fire way to identify a bootleg Criterion disc. DVD bootleggers are extremely crafty and resourceful and they are not to be underestimated. A good thing to do is to make sure that the DVD's ISBN number, UPC code, and catalog number match those that appear on our website. In addition, look for our copyright and confirm that the audio, video, and features specs match up. Although this cannot definitively determine a disc’s authenticity, you can feel safer if this information is consistent.

Oftentimes, bootlegs will be advertised as official Asian Criterion DVDs. This is not to be trusted! Criterion has never released alternate Asian editions of any of our DVDs and we have no plans to do so.