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 Rib.gay 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 (web.archive.org/web/20051223…); I can confirm that they are indeed using the illegal clone version of the font, rather than the licensed one!
— Rib (@rib.gay) 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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
26 minutes ago
- The Sun
Millions of Freeview watchers hit by big Channel 4 change and must re-scan TV boxes to keep popular channel
MILLIONS of Freeview watchers have been hit by a big channel change as viewers are urged to re-scan their TV boxes. Channel 4 has boosted Freeview coverage for one of its channels this month, meaning you'll need to retune to continue watching. As part of Freeview's monthly channel update, 4seven transitioned to a new frequency as of Wednesday 18 June. This is because of an important technical change to the way the Channel 4 offshoot channel is broadcast on Freeview. It will give more Freeview users access to the channel at a time when 4seven is increasingly used as an overspill for live events. 4seven has recently become the home of a selected number of men's European Championship U21 games, including Netherlands v Ukraine and Slovenia v Czechia. They have previously broadcast coverage of the Paralympic Opening and Closing Ceremonies. But for the time being, 4seven is broadcasting on both new and old frequencies. At the end of this transition period, the old copy of 4seven will carry a retune caption. But you can retune today to ensure continued reception of 4seven on channel 49. Following your retune, you should see 4seven on channel 49 and the old copy of 4seven on channel 790. What's better is the channel now has universal coverage on Freeview. It's now available to all viewers in the Channel Islands and Isle of Man in addition to UK viewers who can only receive a reduce Freeview channel line-up. If you're a viewer who only receives around 20 basic Freeview channels at your address, you can retune to add 4seven to channel 49. It's a big bonus to some viewers as some remote locations with reduced access to Freeview are also affected by poor internet speeds meaning they can't stream TV either. This follows a reconfiguration of the frequency that carries the main Channel 4 service on Freeview, meaning the 4seven signal can now be aired alongside its parent channel. Kay Burley joins This Morning in TV return after departure from Sky News It's not the only Freeview change seen this month either. Just last week it was announced that Rewind TV is now on channel 81. It has swapped places with Blaze +1 and is now the next-door channel to the vintage Talking Pictures channel. There's also a new shopping channel with Must Have Ideas setting up shop on channel 96. The service was previously exclusive to satellite TV such as Sky and on YouTube but a retune will now add the channel to your service. Millions of Freeview watchers can also enjoy three new channels this month. Starting from this week, viewers will be able to tune into a number of channels including ITV Quiz, a fresh channel dedicated to quizzes.
BBC News
34 minutes ago
- BBC News
TV's Britain's Got Talent dinosaurs entertain Grantham children
Families will be able to enjoy a "jaw-dropping experience for children" when semi-finalists from Britain's Got Talent bring their prehistoric puppets to is an interactive entertainment experience taking place in Grantham Market Place, the act appeared on the TV show in free to attend event will take place on 17 August and include three sessions at 11:00 BST, 12:30 and 14: Kesteven District Council's deputy leader, councillor Paul Stokes, said: "This interactive educational experience promises a combination of fun and learning." With over 1.6m subscribers on social media platform YouTube and 1.5m followers on TikTok, the prehistoric act claims to have the largest dinosaur collection in the UK, from animatronic T-Rexes to baby dinosaur ranger Chris Roberts will share his expertise on palaeontology, bird evolution, and prehistoric added: "The revamped Grantham Market Place is really coming alive thanks to a series of activities and events brought to you by our imaginative team". Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
BBC News
34 minutes ago
- BBC News
New Ice Age exhibit opens in Keighley during City of Culture
A new exhibition which showcases the skill of Ice Age artists and craftspeople has opened in West Ice Age Art Now exhibit features more than 75 exhibits, which date back up to about 20,000 exhibition, which went on show at Cliffe Castle Museum in Keighley on Saturday, includes items borrowed from the British Museum as part of a partnership during Bradford's City of Culture Cook, from the British Museum, helped create the exhibition. She said: "It's been great to share the knowledge and expertise but it's also great to say that, almost 20,000 years after these things were made, they are still relevant today." When asked what it was like having transport some of this fragile items for the first time, Ms Cook said it was "totally nerve-racking""I refused to loan some of these item to France on a number of occasions, these are very special items," she added. James Steward, head of museums at Bradford Council, said they were "thrilled" to host the exhibits."This is one we've been particularly excited about due to the partnership with the British Museum."It's a real privilege to have these items for the first time and to hold it during the City of Culture year makes it extra special.""This exhibit tells a fantastic story and each on of these items has its own story to tell."The exhibition runs until 14 September. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
