From the stupid video file, here's a story about a film critic that got busted selling "screener" DVDs (for a really low amount). Surprising that he'd be so short sighted, given how easy they are to trace.
I have a friend who is an attorney, and he's defending an employee that let one of these screener DVDs "slip" to a buddy. The buddy put it on the web.
It's 2006 folks. Nothing you do online is secret.
Screeners are one of the pleasures of dumpsterdiving. When I was homeless in L.A., finding screeners was a joy (I had a laptop in my shopping cart which I kept charged up in AM/PM restrooms–and you thought us bums were only taking showers in there).
Thank God for screeners. The best city to find screeners in the dumpsters was Culver City. I could’ve sold those screeners to the guy who buys them in the U.S. Vets homeless veterans shelter parking lot in Inglewood, but I have too much respect for (and joy from) filmmakers to be that scummy. I’d rather make an honest living from aluminum mining (recycling cans).