Games to feature FBI copyright warning

Every time someone pops in a videotape or DVD of a film in the US, the same warning appears on the screen:

"The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to five years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000."

Starting this year, a warning label with the same message will be affixed to every new videotape, CD, DVD, and game released in America. The labeling program was announced at a joint press conference by representatives of the FBI, the Entertainment Software Association, and other entertainment lobbies.

The program is just the latest move by the ESA, which recently called on the Bush administration to pressure foreign governments to fight piracy. It also comes a week after a California man was sentenced to more than four years in prison for distributing pirated games.