BOOTLEGGERS

File sharing and the sharing of music and videos are an ingrained part of our culture and the bain of all producers and artists who rely upon sales to make a living and pay for their music, videos and other projects.

Personally, I've been hurt very seriously by folks who've bootlegged the 1983 Burlington Concert. I know - and so do many of you - who stole that video from me in 1984 and who made a LOT of money bootlegging it. I know for a FACT that in 1984 alone that person made $40,000 in few months selling bootlegs - I know this because the guy who made the bootleg videos told me how many he made for this guy and how many were sold for $200 each!!

The folks who bootlegged it are well known to me. I stopped a couple and even had the feds call one woman in Texas who was selling in on line. One well known guy had the nerve to call a close friend of mine who is a major record seller and asked him to sell the bootleg DVD. Fortunately for me, my friend informed me and he also told that scumbag not to do it. I even purchased two off of eBay and eBay shut the sellers down. The bootleggers have masqueraded for years as "honest" businessmen and champions of 'the music". They were and are thieves, exploiters and criminals.

So, what do I do to stop the bootlegging of the 2008 Burlington Concert and the re-edited 1983 Burlington Concert?

1. The DVD manufacturer that is making the DVDs is the same company used by at least two of the major studios for their manufacturing. This company's DVD software has proven if not impossible, very difficult to crack. I personally had two of the top computer / video pros I know run tests on their DVDs and both spent a week trying to dub these DVDs and crack them in a lot of high tech ways with no success. So, I am confident that these DVDs will prove very difficult if not impossible for the bootleggers in our midst.

2. My friends and I will be very vigilant about stopping any bootlegging. However, somebody may be successful [anything is possible] and if so I guarantee you that I am going to be fanatical about pursuing legal remedies in several different ways.

•     The manufacturing company has a policy that guarantees anyone using their services of persuing legal means to stop and prosecute any offenders. That means the Feds get into your life.
•     Speaking of the FEDS - my cousin - one that I grew up with - not a distant one - is an Assistant Attorney General of the United States. He's quite successful at what he does. If I give him the name of one bootlegger that bootlegger will receive most unwelcome scrutiny from some employees of various Federal Agencies including the FBI and the IRS. He's quite motivated to do this for me. His perview for the Federal Government includes interstate and internet fraud and copyright & intellectual property theft as well as the usual high profile crimes. 
  
•     I will not passively sit back and ignore any bootlegging. I was too passive for almost 25 years knowing that a few major scumbags - one in North Jersey, two at least in NYC and one in Pennsylvania - all of whom I am acquainted with made a lot of money on the 1983 video. One of these guys even admitted to it last year!! Amazing the chutzpah!!