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Pirated disk sellers cross thin blue line The bazaar I go to the mall about once every three months, and the last few times I was there I figured there were about a dozen stalls selling disks, mostly movie DVDs, with a few carrying music CDs or computer disks. But that Wednesday afternoon, about two thirds of the disk booths were closed, and some even had "For Rent" signs up. It didn't strike me as unusual as small businesses like these come and go quickly. Maybe they've found a better way to get rich, I thought to myself. After picking up a few things, I strolled into my favourite DVD booth. It was operated by a lady I had gotten to know on previous visits, who told me her surname was Cheng. Cheng's stall was unique because it not only carried de rigueur blockbusters from around the world, but also more arty films. I knew all along these stalls were selling fakes, but I had no way of knowing how many of the disks were pirated. To begin with, it's hard to tell from the packaging. The genuine disks that I buy from big department stores sometimes have poorer covers which feature just as many misspelled English words as the fakes. Nor can I discern if a disk is dodgy or not from the quality of the picture. Both legal and illegal DVDs are prone to skipping and sudden stops whilst playing. And I have always sworn off "qiang die," those disks made from taking a video camera into a movie theatre. "I will return all qiang die, plus you have to pay for my travel expenses," I warned Cheng. I had the vague notion the second-rate action films on display were probably legal, as I had seen them in "proper" stores. So, imagine my shock when I found the complete collection of Jean Vigo as well as Bette Davis' Dark Victory among the new releases. "This has got to be fake," I said to Cheng. "But it's legal. I guarantee you," she vowed. "I have the complete catalogue here. The distribution company's name is on the top of every disk and its contact info is in the sheets." "Who would have known that legal importers have such good taste," I wondered, not quite convinced, but then I remembered that some old movies are already in the public domain. "Who knows? Maybe it is authentic. Maybe the bootleg business is ruled by
culture vultures now."
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