The illegal copying and distribution of a DVD is called pirating. It is a multimillion dollar industry that the federal government and the movie industry are trying to stamp out. Follow the steps below to report an instance of DVD pirating.

Document the Piracy

Record the basics. When you report to the authorities, they will ask for standard information; the who, what, where and when pertaining to the pirated DVD.

Organize the information before making the report. Once you've gathered all of the information about the pirated DVD, you must organize the information so that the facts are easily accessible to make the report.

Record as many details as you can pertaining to the DVD piracy. Especially in the case of large scale operations, even the smallest detail can lead to the pirates' apprehension.

Report the Piracy

Contact the filmmakers. You can find the production company's name on the back of the DVD. If your copy doesn't have a cover you can also find the name after the movie, at the end of the credits. When you have the name, find the company's website (see the resource section of this article) and go to contact information. There might also be a link for reporting a pirated movie. If there isn't, then just email, write or call the company. Your report will be directed to the appropriate department.

Figure out if the pirating was an isolated instance or if the person is running a pirating business. The answer to this question will decide whether you report only to the film studio or the federal government. An isolated incident can be reported to either however the federal government is better equipped to deal with a large scale operation than a movie studio.

Contact the US Justice Department. DVD Pirating is a federal offense. The Justice Department has a site devoted to pirating. They have an address, telephone number and fax number that you can use to report the instance of pirating.

Report to one source that will do the rest. The Motion Picture Association has a section of its site dedicated to DVD pirating. There is a tab on the home page that will lead you to the right place to report DVD piracy.