A screener(SCR) is an advance video or DVD copy of a film sent to critics, awards voters, video stores (for their manager and employees), and other film industry professionals, including producers and distributors.Often, each individual screener is sent out with distinct markings, which allow copies of a screener to be tracked to their source.
In 2003 the MPAA announced that they would be ceasing distribution of screeners to Academy members, citing fears of piracy. A group of independent film makers sued and won a decision against the MPAA. The MPAA later reinstated the screeners with the implementation of a new policy requiring recipients to sign a binding contract that they would not share the screeners with others.
In January 2004, Academy member Carmine Caridi was announced as a "person of interest" in an ongoing FBI investigation into video piracy. He was subsequently expelled from the Academy after he was found to have sent a contact in Illinois close to 300 screeners over a five year period. He was later ordered to pay a total of $150,000 to Warner Brothers for the copyright infringement of their films Mystic River and The Last Samurai.
