“We haven’t yet experienced piracy on the level of the bigger players like Evil Angel or Red Light District,” Mitchell Spinelli told XBiz, “but we’re hoping the new packaging does two things, the first which will serve the purpose of preventing piracy.”
The second is to make the DVDs “pop” in video store displays, Acid Rain sales manager Russ Pascale said. “With a new slide-on box cover [and] embossed lettering with holographic foil, these will definitely jump off the shelves.”
Spinelli acknowledged that he would like to have the problems of Red Light District, which he said “went global” with the Paris Hilton sex tape. But he added that with an increasing library and production schedule, it was wise to proactively prevent piracy.
The new box and DVD presentation is a two-part process. The first involves a variation of traditional printing with extra embossing and an add-on cardboard jacket, and the next, in which the DVDs are sent to a second company, features a gold or, in the case of Acid Rain's forthcoming product, a holographic foil stamped on the DVD cover.
Spinelli also said that piracy prevention fosters good business relationships.
“I have an excellent deal with [distributor] Magma in Europe,” he said, “and they are the type of company that will get on the phone and threaten lawsuits if they see pirated material, so it’s not just the aesthetic motivation.”
Acid Rain was formed in 2001 by Spinelli, who called his late father, Anthony, the “The D.W. Griffith of porn.” The company strives to use its long adult pedigree to create fresh new material with innovative young actors and directors. “And the new look of the DVDs helps,” Spinelli said.
The first titles in the new packaging will be released in July; “ATM City 2” starring Audrey Hollander and “Tiny Chicks Sure Can Fuck.”