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Bootleg and Counterfeit Materials in our Collections

Erin Morrow

District Consultant/Assistant Director

Easton Area Public Library

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What are bootlegged / counterfeit materials?

  • Items not released by the owner or rights holder
  • Typically downloaded or recorded and then burned onto a disc
  • Libraries are most likely to see DVDs, but all types of media can be counterfeit
  • It is ILLEGAL to copy, sell, and distribute counterfeit materials

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How do I know if an item is counterfeit?

  • Has the title had a legitimate release from the rights owner?
    • Check dvdsreleasedates.com, Wikipedia, Midwest Tape
    • Search the ISBN or UPC on barcodelookup.com
    • If it was released, what format was it released in (DVD, Bluray)?

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  • Amazon, Walmart, and eBay are flooded with third party sellers hawking all manner of counterfeit items
    • What does the sale page look like?
      • Are the images professional?
      • Is the metadata complete and correct?

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  • How many libraries in SPARK own the title?
  • Is the item region coded?
    • DVDs sold in the US should be encoded for Region 1, Blurays should be Region A
  • What color is the underside of the disc?
    • Legitimate, mass produced DVDs typically have a silver surface, while burned discs are often purple, blue, or gold
  • What quality is the cover art?
  • If already in circulation, have patrons complained about quality?

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What do I do if I think an item is counterfeit?

  • If it was purchased by, or donated to your library, bring it to the attention of the appropriate person (director, cataloger, collection development manager, etc.). The item should be weeded immediately
  • If it belongs to another library, either contact that library directly OR put in a support ticket with SPARK so they can reach out the owning library
  • If you’re unsure and want a second opinion, I’m happy to help. You can email me at any time erinm@eastonpl.org
  • DO NOT put counterfeit items in a book sale!

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Final thoughts

  • It’s up to all of us to ensure we are loaning and sharing high quality, legal materials with our patrons
  • It takes a few extra minutes and some common sense to make sure we aren’t sharing bootlegged and counterfeit materials
  • If something in your collection is determined to be counterfeit and is brought to your attention, don’t take it personally

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Resources