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.
