United States/Canada
1st Warning (Late 1979-May 29, 2007)
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Visuals: On a black background is a black square on the left with the standard FBI logo in white, and the following text, in the Univers Condensed font, in a white box on the right with the red word "WARNING", in Helvetica Bold Condensed, on the top:
| Federal law provides severe civil and crimi- nal penalties for the unauthorized re- production, distribution or exhibition of copyrighted motion pictures, video tapes or video discs. Criminal copyright infringement is investi- gated by the FBI and may constitute a felony with a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine. |
Trivia: Like Paramount Home Video, but unlike most other major and mini-major studios, Warner Home Video never used a Spanish version of this warning screen.
Variants:
- On early tapes from 1979-81, the "FBI" text is thinner, kind of skinny, the text was in a different font, and the white rectangle has a rounded right side.
- On the original release of 10, the warning screen fades to the Orion Pictures logo.
- In the warning's early years, it has different text:
| Federal law provides severe civil and crim- inal penalties for the unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or exhibition of copyrighted motion pictures and video tapes. (Title 17, United States Code, Sections 501 and 506). The Federal Bureau of Investigation in- vestigates allegations of criminal copy- right infringement. (Title 17, United States Code, Section 506). |
- On assorted tapes from 1981-1986, the whole thing is on a white background.
- On the 1983 and 1984 LaserDiscs of Risky Business and The Right Stuff, "WARNING" is in a wider font, and everything is in black, but "FBI", the seal, "WARNING" and the warning text (Title 17, United States Code, Section 506 version) is in white.
- A variant with a "shadow" effect on the "WARNING" text exists.
- There is another version in which the FBI seal was slightly larger and the right side of the white box was rounded. The first three DVD volumes of Charlie & Lola from 2006-2007 also use this version.
- There is a version that appeared to have been created on a character generator; this version faded in and out intact, while the warning itself has bolder "FBI" lettering and cleaner text.
- On Avalanche Express, the warning screen fades out.
- On most 1997-2004 DVDs, a screen freeze of the warning fades in and out.
- A widescreen version of this variant appears on DVDs formatted in widescreen and widescreen sides of flipper discs (two-sided DVDs), where the warning is "stretched" into a 1.85:1 frame.
- Another version appears to be digitally generated, with thin, spaced-out "FBI" text.
- There is another version similar to the 1982/1983 version, but the box is white and the WARNING text is bolder and redder. This can be seen on the 2006 BBC DVD releases of Dombey and Son, David Copperfield, The Pickwick Papers, and some others.
- There is also a version where the whole thing is on a blue background.
- Shout! Factory DVD releases also used this, except the FBI seal is colored.
- On BWE Video releases, the "FBI" lettering is spaced out.
- Chronicle Videocassettes has a taped version that shows "FBI" in a bolder font and the warning text ("$250,000" version) & header in a different font, and fades in and out.
- Pioneer Entertainment, Allied Artists Classics (which peels up all sides into the logo), MPI Home Video, and Reel to Real Ministries used versions that have slightly different text arrangements and a color FBI seal; in the case of the Reel to Real version, the FBI seal is completely absent.
Technique: A still, computerized graphic.
Audio: None.
Audio Variants:
- On all three Bugs Bunny's Animal Kingdom videos, the soundscape of wind and birds fades in a second after the warning appears as it leads into the series' promo.
- On the DVS VHS of The Wizard of Oz, Kria Sakakeeny says "A warning appears" and reads the entire first sentence.
- On the DVS VHSs of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and The Matrix Reloaded, Miles Neff says "An FBI warning appears" and reads the first sentence, expect it ends on "...motion pictures or videos."
Availability:
- Seen on all WCI/Warner Home Video releases from 1979-2004 and a few BBC releases after that, beginning with the first 20 releases from the 1979 batch, including Superman: The Movie and Blazing Saddles. Also seen on some tapes released by Strand/VCI and the Video Collection, as well as certain Orion Home Video, Diamond Entertainment and even a few Magnum Entertainment releases (such as The Hills Have Eyes).
- The "shadow" version was exclusive to Rhino Home Video releases.
- The early version was seen on old WCI Home Video/Warner Home Video releases such as Dirty Harry and All the President's Men. One of its last appearances was on the 1981 release of Love at First Bite.
- The version with the white background made its debut on most releases from the September 1981 batch (including Tales of Terror), and can be found on Mean Streets, Superman II, The Enforcer, and Death Wish II, as well as other WHV titles on VHS and Beta (including some later reprints, such as the 1986 release of The Road Warrior) from 1981-1986. This version was also used on a few releases from Embassy Home Entertainment (including the 1983 release of Carbon Copy), VCI Home Video (including Pinocchio with Sandy Duncan and Danny Kaye), and RKO Home Video. It also appeared on Todd Graham's culture jam classic Apocalypse Pooh.
- The rounded right side version was seen on certain Orion Home Video releases and several Warner Reprise Video/Warner Music Vision releases, as well as Shapiro Glickenhaus Home Video releases by Southgate Entertainment.
- The smoother version that faded in and out was sighted on Hemdale Home Video releases.
- The digitally generated version was only seen on DVDs released between October-December 2004, such as Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, A Home at the End of the World, A Cinderella Story, Codename: Kids Next Door -- Sooper Hugest Missions: File One, the Volume 3 DVD set of Adult Swim's Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and disc 6 of The Ultimate Matrix Collection (The Matrix Revolutions Revisited; the other discs use the regular version). It was used concurrently with the 7th warning.
- The screen freeze version usually appeared at the end of discs, but disc 2 of the 2001 DVD of JFK moves it (and the fade-in variant of the Canadian warning) to the front, while on the 2001 DVD of Any Given Sunday it appears after the deleted/extended scenes.
- The blue background version can be found on MTM Home Video releases and a few Random House Home Video releases. It is believed to have first appeared on the original rental-priced Embassy Home Entertainment release of Labyrinth.
- The Shout! Factory version with a colored FBI seal was on some Shout! Factory DVD releases of DIC Entertainment shows, including Sonic the Hedgehog: The Complete Series and The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3: The Complete Series.
- This warning is also seen on some bootleg releases, such as the infamous fake "screener VHS" of Tugs: Munitions & Pirates, which was concocted by a fan as Tugs was never officially released in North America (other than as a heavily edited segment on Salty's Lighthouse).
- This also appeared on the MGM/UA Home Video Laserdisc Sampler from 1990, the MCA Music Video release of Belinda Carlisle: Runaway Videos (also from 1990) and on the 1982 CBS/Fox Video CED release of Alien.
- Despite the fact that this warning screen was retired in late 2004 in favor of the 7th warning screen, some BBC DVD releases distributed by WHV still used this warning screen concurrently until May 29, 2007, such as Middie March, Dombey and Son, David Copperfield, The Pickwick Papers, and the first three DVD volumes of Charlie & Lola.
2nd Warning (1981-1983)
Visuals: On a blue background, the following white text scrolls upward:
Variants: Sometimes, the warning scrolls faster than usual.
Technique: 2D animation.
Audio: None, though the first half of the 1982 United Artists theme can be heard over this warning on a copy of the Canadian WHV VHS of Casablanca.
Availability: Seen on early Canadian cassettes from Warner Home Video, including Casablanca.
3rd Warning (October 15, 1981)
Visuals: On a blue background is the white word "WARNING". The following text in white scrolls upward:
This video cassette, the motion picture
recorded on it and its container are
the property of Warner Home Video
and are rented to the renter named
in the attached agreement only for
private home viewing and only for
the rental period specified herein.
The video cassette must be kept in
the container and returned as it was
received.
Failure to return the cassette to the
rental agent at the end of the rental
period, or use of it by anyone other
than the lawful renter, or rental of it
by anyone other than the lawful rental
agent is strictly prohibited.
Any duplication sale, rental, or public
exhibition (for a fee or free) is strictly
prohibited and violates the copyright
laws of the United States. Failure to
comply with these restrictions exposes
you to criminal and/or civil liability.
Technique: 2D animation.
Audio: None.
Availability: This was only used on the first batch or two of "For-Rental-Only" releases, such as Superman II, The Enforcer, Excalibur and Dirty Harry, and later "For-Rental-Only" releases, such as Looker, Rollover, and Chariots of Fire, did not have this at all.
4th Warning (1982-)
Visuals: On a sky blue background, white text scrolls upward. The text is in English and then French.
Trivia: Depending on whether or not a DVD has special features, after the warning ends, it would take the user to either the main menu or the special features menu.
Variants:
- An early version of this warning exists, in which the text is in a different font, scrolls upward slower, and slightly spaced out. This version lasted until around 1984.
- On some earlier VHS tapes, the warning begins with the sky blue background for a second longer before the text begins to scroll.
- On 1997-2004 DVDs, the warning fades in on the word "WARNING" scrolling up and fades out on the last line of the French text.
- Stretched widescreen versions of both variants exist. The early DVD variant can be seen on early widescreen DVDs and the widescreen sides of double-sided DVDs (with the entire film on both sides, in different formats) such as Singles, The Clan of the Cave Bear, and Sommersby. The later variant debuted on Kangaroo Jack: G'Day, U.S.A.!and Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie: Pyramid of Light and has been used on numerous releases ever since.
- On the 2000 Canadian VHS of Pokémon: The First Movie, as that film never had a French-Canadian dub, only the English portion of the scroll is shown. The U.S. warning follows it.
Technique: 2D animation.
Audio: None.
Availability:
- Seen at the end of all DVD releases from Warner Home Video from their launch lineup on March 24, 1997 up to the present day (despite the warning being rather outdated by current standards). Lots of these DVDs are still in print.
- This also appears on Canadian VHS releases from Warner Home Video (except at the beginning instead), and this includes all the titles in the Hollywood Gold series.
- The titles with the early variant of the warning include the 1983 release of THX-1138.
- This appeared on French-Canadian Columbia TriStar Home Video VHS releases as well.
5th Warning (2000)
Visuals: The bumper starts with a montage of scenes from Batman: The Animated Series, featuring Batman looking over Gotham City and springing into action. As Batman leaps down toward the viewer, his cape covers the screen and reveals a warning screen. On the left is a silhouette of Batman in front of a red moon (from the show's closing credits), while on the right is the warning text (with "FBI" in a Times font and the rest in an Arial font) situated between the open gates of Wayne Manor.
Technique: 2D animation.
Audio: An excerpt of Shirley Walker's score for Batman: The Animated Series.
Availability: Seen on a few Warner Bros. Family Entertainment titles issued during a 2000 Halloween promotion, including Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders and Scooby-Doo's Creepiest Capers, as well as reprints of The Goonies and Scooby-Doo's Greatest Mysteries.
6th Warning (2000)
Visuals: The bumper starts with a scene from Superman: The Animated Series, in which Superman flies above the city of Metropolis. After Superman flies into the camera, the scene cuts to a black screen with a red, fuzzy version of Superman's trademark "S"-shield slowly zooming in. Superimposed over the screen is the standard warning text in a digital-looking font, which appears as if a computer screen was being turned on.
Technique: 2D animation.
Audio: A shortened version of Shirley Walker's theme from Superman: The Animated Series.
Availability: Only known to appear on My Dog Skip.
7th Warning (October 12, 2004-)
Visuals: On a light blue/dark blue gradient background is the now-current FBI warning logo, in color with a white box in front of it, reading "FBI ANTI-PIRACY WARNING". Under it, the following text is seen:
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 5 years in
federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
Technique: A still, computerized graphic.
Audio: None.
Availability: Seen on all WHV releases from 2004 to 2012, as well as BBC releases from 2004 to present. Among the first releases to use this were Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie, Kangaroo Jack: G'Day, U.S.A.!, and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Also seen on releases by a few other companies (often unrelated), including later releases by Bandai Entertainment and Time Warner-owned New Line Home Entertainment. Despite normal releases retiring this warning screen in early 2010 for the 2007 Blu-ray warning screen, Cartoon Network releases still used this warning screen until 2012, and this is also still used on BBC releases today, despite the fact that the BBC now self-distributes its titles as of 2016 - and even appears on some recent UK releases, such as the 2021 UK UHD release of A Perfect Planet.
8th Warning (Late 2005-2016)
Visuals: On a black background is a blue/black gradient box with rounded edges, which has whitish-blue lines inside it. In the box is the following: on top is the no symbol (a red circle with a diagonal line) which has "SUPPORT ANTI-PIRACY" in very small white letters on the circle. Inside it is "PIRACY" in white. Below that is "5 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON", in gold with a line below, and at the bottom, also in gold, is "FINES OF $250,000" with a line above it. Each is sandwiching a big red "WARNING". Over the word "WARNING" is the following text in white:
and other programs, including uploading and
downloading movies and other programs over the
Internet. If you do - whether for monetary gain or
not - you risk severe civil and criminal penalties.
(Title 17, US Code, Sections 501 and 506)
Technique: A still, computerized graphic.
Audio: None.
Availability:
- It first appeared on UMD releases such as Constantine and Batman released in 2005, and later appeared on 2007-2013 Blu-rays and 2009-13 DVDs from Warner Home Video, such as 300 (the first release to use this logo, Blu-ray only), The Hangover (R-Rated Edition only; the Unrated Edition used the previous warning) and The Blind Side. This was used concurrently for a short period with the previous warning (Saints: Road to XLIV being one example) until mid-2010.
- This warning appeared on the 2012 UK DVD of Pleasantville.
- Although it no longer appears on movie releases, it was still used on releases of television shows until 2016, such as Adventure Time, Supernatural, and Rick and Morty.
9th Warning (April 18, 2006-)
Visuals: On a red background, white warning text fades in and out.
Variant: On earlier 4K Ultra HD Blu-rays from WBHE, the warning cuts in and out from black with the warning text already there.
Technique: Fading effects.
Audio: None.
Availability: Seen at the end of all WHV/WBHE HD DVDs and most of their Blu-rays, such as The Last Samurai, North by Northwest, A Christmas Story (1983), and 2001: A Space Odyssey. No warning of any kind appears at the end of the Blu-rays of Inception, Due Date, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, New Year's Eve, and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. On DVD, it was seen on awards consideration discs of Argo and Her.
10th Warning (2012-March 26, 2019)
Visuals: Same as the 2012-present warning screen used by Sony, Disney, and Universal, among others.
Variant: On a 2018 reissue of Secondhand Lions and Season 3 of Rick and Morty, both screens fade in and out.
Technique: A still, computerized graphic.
Audio: None.
Availability:
- Seen on all WHV releases from 2012 until early 2019. It also appears on most 2012-2019 UK DVDs released by WHV/WBHE.
- As of early 2019, this warning screen is no longer used on WBHE DVDs/Blu-rays/UHDs, but reprints of titles from this era still contain it.
Mexico
1st Warning (1980s-1990s)
Same as the VideoVisa warnings at the time.
2nd Warning (1997?-2000)
Visuals: On a black background is the following text:
The text then fades to the following:
The text then fades to the following again:
Finally, the text fades to the following:
Technique: Fading effects.
Audio: None.
Availability: Seen on Mexican WHV tapes of the era, such as Space Jam and Amadeus.
3rd Warning (2000-2006?)
Visuals: On a black background is the following text:
The text then fades to the following:
FInally, the text fades to the following:
Technique: Fading effects.
Audio: None.
Availability: Seen on Mexican WHV tapes of the era, such as Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter y La Camara Secreta) and What a Girl Wants (Lo que una chica quiere).
