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Types Of Screener Abuse
1. Retailers
renting screeners
before or after street date release (the strict conditions under which
screeners are provided remain in effect after the home video release
and
thereafter);
2.
Selling of screeners
by retailers,
flea market vendors or second-hand dealers, etc.;
3.
Retailers "loaning"
screeners
to consumers;
4.
Retailers providing
"special offers"
to consumers such as "rent 2 regular titles and get 1 screener on loan
without charge";
5.
Retailers not properly
monitoring
screeners such as making them available to staff members "without
question".
Who Suffers As A Result
Of Screener Abuse?
1. Honest
retailers/competitors
who do not abuse their screener privileges (regular customers have been
known to switch to a retailer who provides screeners particularly in
advance
of official street dates);
2. Consumers who
rightfully believe
that they are being ripped off by being charged for something that was
not only free to the retailer but prohibited from rental or sale;
3. The film company
and/or copyright
owner which is deprived of sales and other revenues;
4. Tape and DVD
duplicators, wholesalers
and distributors whose businesses are directly affected.
Industry
Sanctions
The abuse of screener
privileges
is of serious concern to the film studios, video and DVD wholesalers
and
retailers alike.
The film companies and
their
representatives
vigorously enforce the conditions under which screeners are provided to
video retailers. Any abuse of screener privileges will result in their
immediate loss of privileges from all studios and distributors, as all
film companies, distributors and sales reps are immediately notified.
In
addition, video retailers who abuse screener privileges will find that
their violations have been widely publicized within the industry and
the
retail trade.
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